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This study compares the fatigue performance and biocompatibility of as-built and chemically etched Ti-6Al-4V alloys in TPMS-gyroid and stochastic structures fabricated via Powder Bed Fusion Laser Beam (PBF-LB). This study aims to understand how complex lattice structures and post-manufacturing treatment, particularly chemical etching, affect the mechanical properties, surface morphology, fatigue resistance and biocompatibility of these metamaterials for biomedical applications.

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology was used to fabricate TPMS-gyroid and Voronoi stochastic designs with three different relative densities (0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) in Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy. The as-built samples underwent a chemical etching process to enhance surface quality. Mechanical characterization included static compression and dynamic fatigue testing, complemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for surface and failure analysis. The biocompatibility of the samples was assessed through in-vitro cell viability assays using the Alamar Blue assay and cell proliferation studies.

Chemical etching significantly improves the surface morphology, mechanical properties and fatigue resistance of both TPMS-gyroid and stochastic structures. Gyroid structures demonstrated superior mechanical performance and fatigue resistance compared to stochastic structures, with etching providing more pronounced benefits in these aspects. In-vitro biocompatibility tests showed high cytocompatibility for both as-built and etched samples, with etched samples exhibiting notably improved cell viability. The study also highlights the importance of design and post-processing in optimizing the performance of Ti64 components for biomedical applications.

The comparative analysis between as-built and etched conditions, alongside considering different lattice designs, provides valuable information for developing advanced biomedical implants. The demonstration of enhanced fatigue resistance and biocompatibility through etching adds significant value to the field of additive manufacturing, suggesting new avenues for designing and post-processing implantable devices.

Corruption in Nigeria is a wicked issue that is threatening the performance of governance. However, the potentials of digital transformation in governance have proven to resolve similar issues in many countries. This study seeks to understand the reasons why the digital transformation of governance in Nigeria is not ending corruption and the lack of accountability and transparency but is creating new opportunities of corruption. This is because Nigeria continues to decline in its ranking in the corruption perception index – yearly. The pupose of this study is to identify the various factors responsible for this and proffers adequate solutions.

Within this study, the direct observatory methodology was used. This is a form of unstructured observation, whereby the complexity and context of a behavior or interaction are examined. Two government organizations that have integrated digitalization into their processes and services were investigated; these are the Federal High Court and the Nigeria Immigration Service all based in Abuja, Nigeria.

The primary factors responsible for the poor performance of the digital transformation of governance within the two organizations studied – include the adoption of a semi-automated system for the digital transformation of public governance, lack of a proper audit system (internal and external), inherent culture of corruption, in-addition to the individual and organization value systems that supports corruption, lack of adequate laws, policies and regulation to prevent, manage and punish corruption and the lack of publicity on the transformation of governance within these organizations, the poor usage of the system and inadequate digital public infrastructure.

This research focused on investigating two public organizations, while there are several public organizations. The results of this study may or may not apply to other organizations, but it is impossible to know at this time. This is because of the nature of this study. This represents a limitation of this research. It is possible that few public organizations within the public sector are getting the benefits of digitalization and lessons can be derived from them to improve those that are not. On the other hand, the results obtained in this study may not apply to the private sector. This needs to be examined in future studies. Hence, future studies that should investigate the impact of digital transformation of governance in both the private and public sectors – using a mixed approach are encouraged.

This study posits itself as one of the earliest studies to deploy the direct observatory methodology in understanding digital transformation of governance in Nigeria. Within this study, clear loopholes were identified with verifiable empirical evidences. Unlike previous studies that reviewed literatures and used surveys, this study used an un-biased and real-life approach to gather evidence. This study bridged the gap between theory and practice of how digital transformation in governance works in Nigeria.

Cryptoassets are a diverse category of digital assets that rely on blockchain technology. They encompass various categories, such as cryptocurrencies, utility tokens, security tokens, tokenized assets and securities, and stablecoins. Cryptocurrencies are decentralized digital units of value that enable secure and transparent transactions. Utility tokens provide access to specific services or products within a blockchain network. Security tokens offer rights and entitlements similar to traditional securities, representing ownership in real-world assets or participation in investment opportunities. Tokenized assets and securities are digital representations of tangible or intangible assets, allowing for fractional ownership and enhanced liquidity. Stablecoins are blockchain-based digital assets designed to maintain a stable value, often pegged to fiat currencies or physical assets. This chapter examines each category's characteristics, benefits, and risks; explores their implementations and current applications in the fintech ecosystem; and discusses relevant regulations and future development opportunities.

The aim of this study was to map and scope a body of literature on the interplay between public value management (PVM) and digital transformation (DT), clarify the concept of PVM in DT, and identify knowledge gaps by using a scoping review methodology.

A scoping review was conducted, drawing on the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and Levac et al. (2010). A total of 54 publications on the interplay between PVM and DT were selected for the final analysis from the Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions databases.

We found that PVM in DT is a relatively unexplored topic and that additional research is needed to focus on the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, especially in the context of local and regional governments. We also found that researchers have a limited conceptual understanding of PVM and DT.

This article makes two main contributions. First, although PVM and DT have contributed to public value research, our findings show a need for more systematic knowledge of these complementary but distinct approaches. Second, this study provides a valuable addition to the developing body of research using the scoping review methodology in PAM literature.

This study examines the social acceptance and potential for residential solar integration in Abu Dhabi to support sustainable urban innovation and prosperity. A survey of 216 Abu Dhabi residents analyzed four scenarios for incentivizing household solar panel adoption. Results demonstrate high interest and preference for governmental financial support mechanisms to spur solar integration. This research contributes an assessment framework and citizen engagement insights that could inform smart city development strategies focused on renewable energy transformation across the Gulf region. As urban centers like Abu Dhabi strive to enact their visions for economic diversification and environmental sustainability, understanding citizen perspectives on innovations like distributed solar will be critical to align technology advancement with societal needs and values. The methodology and findings of this Abu Dhabi case study provide a model to catalyze stakeholder buy-in for new energy solutions, with potential applications for other Gulf cities aiming to transition their energy systems and build integrative renewables infrastructure to power next-generation smart development. This solar integration acceptance research lays the groundwork for continued scholarly discourse and policymaker collaboration around smart cities in the Gulf that realize multidimensional progress for society, economy, and environment.

Stakeholder satisfaction relates closely to service quality and performance of educational organizations. Often, this relationship is addressed in literature through the lens of excellence models, such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model. Nevertheless, limited studies focus on the effect of the EFQM model enablers on stakeholder satisfaction and hardly any in vocational education. To fill this void, the aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between EFQM enablers (leadership, human resources, processes) and stakeholder satisfaction under the different perspectives of teachers and students in Greek public vocational education.

To address the research purpose, the authors used the case study methodology. The authors used mixed research methods, the focus group method and survey. Specifically, the focus group method used to distill the EFQM enablers related to the Greek context and to develop a questionnaire administered to teachers and students of a vocational education school. From September 2021 to June 2022, 90 teachers and 216 students participated in the survey.

The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used for data analysis, indicating that leadership and human resources have a positive and significant relationship with the satisfaction of both students and teachers. However, results did not corroborate the relationship between processes and stakeholder satisfaction either from the student’s or the teacher’s perspective.

This paper fills a gap in existing literature by exploring the impact of EFQM enablers on stakeholder satisfaction in vocational education and training (VET), from the perspectives of both teachers and students. The findings assist VET institutions in prioritizing areas for improvement and help companies to develop strategies that consider key stakeholders' needs.

The purpose of this paper is the study of flexural properties of architected lattice beams composed of modified body-centered cubic (BCC) structures when such are additively manufactured with the liquid crystal display method. The BCC topology was modified by grading the dimensions of the cross-sections of the struts that compose them and their targeted distribution within the lattice beam.

Six gradations of strut cross-sections were proposed, and their effective stiffness was evaluated in compression finite element (FE) simulations. These were compared and categorized according to their stiffness. Then, these were distributed and arranged in a targeted manner, following two approaches: longitudinal and transversal. Experimental three-point bending tests and FE simulations were performed to characterize their effective flexural properties. The properties of targeted distributions were contrasted with those of uniform distributions.

Although the structures with longitudinal and transverse distribution presented the same relative density, they demonstrated different stiffness and strength. Beams with longitudinal distribution were 77% stiffer than those with transverse distribution. The method proposed here demonstrates how the effective mechanical properties and failure modes can be tailored by modifying the material arrangement in engineered structures while keeping the amount of material used constant.

The flexural properties of lattice beams with two types of grading and unit cell arrangements were studied. The literature has not deeply studied such a double degree of matter distribution and arrangement in structures.

This paper aims to overcome the inability of both comparing loss costs and accounting for production resource losses of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)-related approaches.

The authors conducted a literature review about the studies focusing on approaches combining OEE with monetary units and/or resource issues. The authors developed an approach based on Overall Equipment Cost Loss (OECL), introducing a component for the production resource consumption of a machine. A real case study about a smart multicenter three-spindle machine is used to test the applicability of the approach.

The paper proposes Resource Overall Equipment Cost Loss (ROECL), i.e. a new KPI expressed in monetary units that represents the total cost of losses (including production resource ones) caused by inefficiencies and deviations of the machine or equipment from its optimal operating status occurring over a specific time period. ROECL enables to quantify the variation of the product cost occurring when a machine or equipment changes its health status and to determine the actual product cost for a given production order. In the analysed case study, the most critical production orders showed an actual production cost about 60% higher than the minimal cost possible under the most efficient operating conditions.

The proposed approach may support both production and cost accounting managers during the identification of areas requiring attention and representing opportunities for improvement in terms of availability, performance, quality, and resource losses.

Blockchain technology and its applications have recently received the attention of practitioners and academics. Visualizing the full impact these technologies will have on the world is challenging since their adoption is still in the early stages. This chapter explores how blockchain can disrupt the general business and financial world. Blockchain offers information transparency, live data synchronization, and immutable records that prevent fraud. Digital contracts and digital asset management may heavily depend on the development of blockchain and the adoption of smart contracts. Smart contracts can execute financial transactions automatically and enforce all parties' obligations without needing an intermediary and its cost. They can increase speed and simplify processes, reducing licensing ticketing costs and overhead charges. Blockchain also offers technology adoption solutions, like fair payment, cloud storage, smart contracts for financial assets, and international transactions with bilateral double taxation. It has further facilitated the creation of decentralized finance.