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The rust inhibiting characteristics of barium/calcium petroleum sulphonates, prepared from two indigenously available base stocks of different origin have been determined in concentration ranging from 0.5 to 3.0% W/W in mineral oil as per ASTM D‐1748 method. The products have been characterised as ‘outstanding’, ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’ on the basis of their performance in the humidity cabinet. It has been observed that Ba/Ca petroleum sulphonates possessing outstanding rust inhibiting characteristics show low oil/water interfacial tension and high water solubilization characteristics as compared to other sulphonates. It has also been observed that the rust inhibiting characteristics are profoundly influenced by the structural parameter of the hydrocarbon portion of the petroleum sulphonates. The larger the alkyl side chain, the better is the rust inhibiting properties.

The reduction of running‐in time is a major problem occuping the attention of engine manufacturers. Three expediencies followed in the past with the object of cutting down running‐in time were the provision of:

TABLE V together with Figures 1 and 2 featured in the first part of this paper, were published in our previous issue, but for ease of reference they are repeated in this concluding contribution.

In-situ aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMC) have taken over the use of ex-situ AMMC due to the generation of finer and thermodynamically stable intermetallic compounds. However, conventional processing routes pose inevitable defects like porosity and agglomeration of particles. This paper aims to study current state of progress in in-situ AMMC fabricated by Friction Stir Processing.

Friction stir processing (FSP) has successfully evolved to be a favorable in-situ composite manufacturing technique. The dynamics of the process account for a higher plastic strain of 35 and a strain rate of 75 per second. These processing conditions are responsible for grain evolution from rolled grain → dislocation walls and dislocation tangles → subgrains → dislocation multiplication → new grains. Working of matrix and reinforcement under ultra-high strain rate and shorter exposure time to high temperatures produce ultra-fine grains. Do the grain evolution modes include subgrain boundaries → subgrain boundaries and high angle grain boundaries → high angle grain boundaries.

Further, the increased strain and strain rate can shave and disrupt the oxide layer on the surface of particles and enhance wettability between the constituents. The frictional heat generated by tool and workpiece interaction is sufficient enough to raise the temperature to facilitate the exothermic reaction between the constituents. The heat released during the exothermic reaction can even raise the temperature and accelerate the reaction kinetics. In addition, heat release may cause local melting of the matrix material which helps to form strong interfacial bonds.

This article critically reviews the state of the art in the fabrication of in-situ AMMC through FSP. Further, FSP as a primary process and post-processing technique in the synthesis of in-situ AMMC are also dealt with.

Sugar consumption in Morocco is high, which is involved in triggering serious health conditions. Hence, assessing the recognition threshold of sweet taste among Moroccans is strongly needed. This study aims to determine the threshold of sweet taste recognition and to evaluate differences by sex, age and body mass index among a sample of Moroccan population.

This single-blind trial was conducted among 199 healthy participants to determine the sweet taste. Age and anthropometric characteristics were registered. Nine sucrose solutions of the following concentrations (0; 0.111; 0.333; 1; 3; 9; 27; 81; 243 mmol/L) were prepared. Sweet taste perception thresholds were determined based on the validated 3-alternative forced choice test method.

The average age of the sample population was 21.5 ± 26.1. And more than half (51.7%) detected the taste at the concentration of 9 mmol/L, while 91.9% recognized it at a concentration of 27 mmol/L. In terms of sex, the recognition of taste was not different between females and males (p > 0.05). The mean values of the threshold among women were significantly lower (20 ± 20.8 mmol/L) compared to men (23.9 ± 33.2 mmol/L). The age group 49–59 years old had the lowest threshold with a mean of 13.4 ± 10.2 mmol/L, and the groups with BMI in the overweight category had mean of 16.9 ± 18.2 mmol/L. However, no statistical difference was observed among either age groups or BMI categories.

The sweet recognition threshold among the studied population is high. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to educate the population about the necessity of a progressive reduction of sugar in food items to combat non-communicable disorders.

COVID-19 pandemic was a health crisis that plunged the world into economic turmoil due to its resultant national lockdowns across economies which brought business and market activities to a standstill. In order to adapt to ensuing restrictions owing to the pandemic, forge ahead in a new way of living, work and interactions with one another (new normal), digitizing business and market operations is considered a necessary option. Sukuk is an essential Islamic capital market product whose operations involve multiple parties/intermediaries alongside some technical financial, administrative and legal/shariah processes. On this note, this chapter aims to study and examine the need for digitizing and automating sukuk operations and related activities to pave way for innovation, development and better continuity of sukuk market. In conducting the study, a review of literature approach is employed where relevant works on sukuk and fintech were examined. Using content analysis, the chapter explored digitization of sukuk in the Islamic capital market via fintech and blockchain and associated benefits, including peculiar challenges therein. An interview was also conducted to better understand the Wethaq case study. The chapter reveals that digitizing sukuk issuance adds value to sukuk and remedies certain inadequacies associated with sukuk transactions; can increase transparency of underlying sukuk assets and cash flows and can reduce costs due to lesser number of intermediaries. Digitization is the future of sukuk issuance and will promote sukuk well through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

This chapter reviews the Metaverse’s inception and digitalization’s impact on the fashion and apparel retail industry. This review demonstrates how digital clothing rooted in the Metaverse assists industry environmental sustainability, the planet, and consumers, providing business strategies for growth through research in theory and an analysis of practices. Virtual checkout uses digital tools to help marketers and designers better understand their target audience. In the foreseeable future, the Metaverse of our works will be a well-known and safe space for budding designers. Designers will find it much simpler to bring their concepts to life thanks to the immediate relationship that Metaverse technology creates with humans.

Eco-friendly methods and technology found in the Metaverse will transform the industry. Expanding acceptance of Metaverse could lead to a 97% decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide in approximately per item 4,000 L of water, reducing its carbon footprint by around thirty percent during the company’s design and development phases.

Digital apparel may be extremely helpful leading up to the real physical manufacturing of a garment, applied to sampling, marketing and modeling prior the actual variants are put into manufacturing, significantly lowering the environmental impact of a clothing item’s entire lifecycle. Computer-generated representations of clothing cannot replace real garments entirely, and they can help reduce waste and help address overproduction-related difficulties.

This chapter clarifies how digital fashion based on the Metaverse assists business environmental sustainability, users, and acts as a resource to improve approaches.

This study aims to determine the barriers hindering the incorporation of blockchain technology (BCT) in two key service industries – hotel and health care – as well as to assess their readiness for implementing BCT after overcoming the barriers.

The barriers of this study are determined through two phases: a review of prior literature and obtaining expert opinions, which are then analyzed to identify specific barriers that are impeding the incorporation of BCT. Moreover, to generate a blockchain implementation reluctance index (BIRI), this study presents an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS) that uses graph theory and matrix approach (GTMA). The permanent function in the GTMA approach is computed using the PERMAN algorithm. Finally, to compare the readiness of the hotel and health-care industries to adopt BCT, the BIRI values are plotted and evaluated.

The barriers identified by this study are listed under five major headings, namely, financial, operational, behavioral, technical and legal. This study revealed that the operational and technical barriers of BCT are critically hindering its widespread integration in hotel and health-care industries. Furthermore, on comparing the BIRI values of both industries, the result suggested that the hotel industry needs to work more on these barriers to effectively incorporate BCT. Besides the comparison, the BIRI values clearly indicate that both industries have to put a lot of effort into the mitigation of the barriers found by this study to successfully integrate BCT.

The experts’ opinions are used to evaluate the identified barriers, which raises the chance that the opinions are prejudiced based on the experts’ perspectives and ideologies. The sensitivity of decision-maker loads toward preference outcomes is not analyzed in this manuscript. Therefore, any recent sensitivity analysis may be considered a prospective field for future research. This study applies a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, IVIFS–GTMA, which limits the evaluation of the influence caused by individual barriers on the integration of BCT in the hotel and health-care industries. Henceforth, in future investigations, alternative MCDM methods may be used to analyze individual barriers.

According to the findings, if the hotel or health-care industry aims to incorporate BCT in its supply chain operations, it is recommended to emphasize more on the operational barriers along with the technical and behavioral barriers. The barriers mentioned in this manuscript can be used as guidance for developers in their development activities, such as scalability concerns, establishment costs, the 51% attack and the inefficient nature of BCT. Furthermore, they may address the potential users’ negative perceptions about security, privacy, trust and risk avoidance through creatively developed blockchain solutions to promote BCT implementation.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that identifies barriers toward BCT incorporation in the major service industries, i.e. hotel and health care. Moreover, this is the first study that compares the preparedness of the hotel and health-care industries to determine the industry that requires more work to implement BCT.

This study aims to investigate the challenges associated with the integration and implementation of blockchain technology in the education sector. The primary objective is to identify and categorize these challenges using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, shedding light on the technological, organizational and environmental factors that influence the adoption of blockchain solutions in educational settings.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted across multiple databases including Science Direct, Web of Science, Springer, IEEE Xplore and MDPI. The selected articles were analyzed based on the TOE framework to categorize challenges from the technological, organizational and environmental perspectives. The methodology involves a systematic search, analysis and synthesis of relevant articles to provide an in-depth understanding of the challenges hindering blockchain adoption in education.

This review revealed a predominant focus on technological challenges, emphasizing scalability issues, integration complexities, security and privacy concerns and data immutability. However, there is a notable research gap in the exploration of organizational and environmental challenges. The scarcity of studies addressing these perspectives may impact acceptance and resistance to blockchain adoption in educational settings.

This study contributes to the literature by systematically categorizing and analyzing the challenges associated with blockchain implementation in education using the TOE framework. It identifies the need for further research on organizational and environmental aspects, addressing a significant gap in the current scholarship on blockchain adoption in educational institutions.

Herein, the authors report the effects of printing parameters, joining method, and annealing conditions on the structural performance of fusion-joined short-beam sections produced by additive manufacturing.

The authors first identified appropriate printing parameters for joining segmented short beams and then used those parameters to print and fusion-join segments with different configurations of stiffeners to form a longer section of a wing or small wind turbine blade structure.

It was found that the beams with three lateral and three base stiffening ribs give the highest flexural strength among the three beams investigated. Results on joined beams annealed at different conditions showed that annealing at 70 °C for 0.5 h yields higher performance than annealing at the same temperature for longer times. It is also found that in the case of the hot-plate-welded three-dimensional (3D)-printed structures, no annealing is needed for reaching a high strength-to-weight ratio, but annealing is helpful for maximizing the modulus-to-weight ratio. Both thermal buckling and edge wrapping were observed under annealing at 70°C for 0.5 h for 3D-printed beams comprising two lateral and four base stiffening plates.

Fusion-joining of additively manufactured segments is needed owing to the constraint in building volume of a typical commercial 3D-printer. However, study of the effect of process parameters is needed to quantify their effect on mechanical performance. This investigation has therefore identified key printing parameters and annealing conditions for fusion-joining short segments to form larger structures, from multiple 3D-printed sections, such as wind blade structures.