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Hexavalent chromium has been a benchmark corrosion inhibitor before it was phased out because of its carcinogenic properties. However, because it was phased out, many alternative corrosion inhibitors have been introduced but failed to meet the performance of this benchmark inhibitor. Consequently, benzotriazole (BTA) was reported to exhibit chromate-like inhibition performance. Subsequently, Intelli-ion was reported by researchers to exhibit chromate-like performance also with claims of being a unique alternative. This paper aims to review the inhibition performance of these two alternatives. Above all, promotes the unique inhibition performance of Intelli-ion that makes it suitable for application in many sectors.

In this paper, the corrosion inhibition performances of BTA and Intelli-ion were compared systematically by reviewing some related literatures based on the opinion of the authors.

Different methodologies for measuring the inhibition performance of BTA showed that it’s an inhibitor of choice. However, the cut edge corrosion performance of Intelli-ion and BTA corrosion inhibitors on galvanized steel of 55% Wt.% Al, 44% Wt.% Zn and 1% Wt.% Si in 5 Wt.% NaCl solution was compared when subjected to scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) for 24 h. The results showed faint blue-colored region depicting negative cathodic current density for the Intelli-ion while there was a high-intensity of red-colored region depicting a positive anodic current density for BTA. In other words, the Intelli-ion inhibitor had a better overall cut-edge corrosion inhibition performance than the BTA inhibitor.

This paper compares and further, summarizes the corrosion inhibition performance of Intelli-ion and BTA by evaluating SVET results from the literature. In addition, it serves as an overview and reference for the unique inhibition performance of Intelli-ion when applied in field applications.

Corruption is one of the main facilitators of increased wildlife crime in South Africa. It is important to look at the current legislative framework to determine how wildlife crime can be combated effectively. This paper aims to provide an analysis of the process of wildlife crime, focusing on wildlife poaching and trafficking role players and critically analyses the legislation in place to combat the phenomenon.

A critical analysis of existing literature such as case law, legislation, peer-reviewed publications and electronic articles was used to identify the legislation and processes for the prevention of wildlife crime in South Africa. Common denominators were identified in these sources to provide a baseline for examining wildlife crime.

Wildlife criminals rely extensively on corruption during all facets of their trafficking schemes. The use of traditional environmental laws is not effective in dismantling wildlife trafficking networks, as prosecuting those in the upper echelons is often challenging. The extensive reliance on corruption during all facets of wildlife trafficking provides an opportunity for law enforcement to use such corruption crimes as predicate offences in racketeering prosecutions, thus ensuring kingpins find it more difficult to escape prosecution, owing to their involvement in criminal enterprises that sustain themselves through patterns of racketeering.

This paper contributes knowledge to narrow the research gap with regard to wildlife criminals and how they function. It also addresses possibilities to improve prosecution and disrupt wildlife trafficking networks.

This article aims to address the need for a more structured partnership between civilian and military healthcare, particularly in the context of cross-border threats in the EU. While both systems are driven by the same goal of providing high-quality healthcare services and achieving optimal patient outcomes, they operate under different national approaches and resources.

Two recent crises are presented as examples that highlight the necessity of cooperation between civilian and military medical systems. The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Ukrainian Conflict are described based on the experience gathered by the author as a member of the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine and form the base to shape a broader perspective on the future of civil-military interaction in healthcare at the European Union level.

The ability to deliver coordinated responses during crises depend on the level of interoperability, preparation and mutual understanding. To improve synergies, a structured partnership should be established, prioritizing common standards of care and shared best practices. Integrating military and civilian healthcare pathways can be especially beneficial in situations where patients are moved from the point of injury or sickness across different military and civilian structures to receive the most appropriate treatment and rehabilitation for their conditions.

The relationship between military and civilian healthcare systems is often discussed at multinational level, but a clear focus is lacking concerning their shared mission, distinct functions and potential for cross-border collaboration.

This chapter examines how innovation and research are essential to the advancement of science, the economy, and society. We examine the current status of scientific research in Saudi Arabia, highlighting issues like financial limitations and a lack of skilled researchers. We emphasize how important it is to develop the next generation of scientists in order to transform existing practices and improve the state of scientific research in the country.

Proficiency in research and innovation is crucial for expanding the frontiers of knowledge, empowering scientists to tackle intricate problems, and advancing scientific rigor. These abilities also support the use of evidence in decision-making, enabling researchers to provide empirical data that inform practices and policies in a variety of industries. Sustained growth requires the formation of future leaders, who promote knowledge exchange and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Despite Saudi Arabia’s significant spending on science, problems still exist. Addressing governance deficiencies is demonstrated by the establishment of the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority in 2021. The nation has grown in the world’s scientific rankings, drawing eminent specialists and fostering cross-border cooperation. Still, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to fostering a culture of research, improving financing sources, and encouraging international collaboration. It is imperative that these problems are resolved in order to avoid stagnation, guarantee ongoing innovation, and take advantage of chances for society’s progress.

The chapter ends with a call to action that highlights how quickly improvements must be made. Failing to do so runs the risk of stifling the advancement of science, preventing the creation of new technologies, and prolonging complicated issues. To lower risks, seize opportunities, and ensure that research and innovation continue to advance for the good of society, immediate action is necessary.

School leaders can significantly influence the conditions that affect teacher retention. Yet, leaders in rural and high-poverty schools often face limited opportunities to develop their abilities to enhance these conditions. In this case study, we examine how participating in a professional community supported school leaders' efforts to increase teacher retention and student learning outcomes.

We used case study methodology to study 14 leaders from rural, high-poverty or underperforming schools with greater-than-average levels of teacher turnover. The leaders were participating in a three-year research-practice partnership intended to assist them in using improvement science to address problems of practice related to teacher retention and student learning outcomes in their schools. We collected and analyzed data from interviews, exit surveys, artifacts and participant observations over a one-year period.

Participating in this professional community helped the leaders create the conditions for increased teacher retention and student learning outcomes by providing them with opportunities to collaborate with their peers, receive leadership coaching, exchange ideas and learn in a safe space.

These findings confirm and extend extant school leadership development research. A particularly interesting finding was the role of the professional community in reducing the leaders' feelings of isolation while providing them a safe space to learn. The findings also illustrate how universities and school districts can partner to provide professional learning opportunities that enhance school leaders' professional knowledge, leadership practices and well-being.

Adoption of integrated MOS based pseudo-resistor (PR) structures instead of using off-chip passive poly resistors for analog circuits in complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology (CMOS) is an area-efficient way for realizing larger time constants. However, issue of common-mode voltage shifting and excess dependency on the process and temperature variations introduce nonlinearity in such structures. So there is dire need to not only closely look for the origin of the problem with the help of a thorough mathematical analysis but also suggest the most suitable PR structure for the purpose catering broadly to biomedical analog circuit applications.

In this work, incremental resistance (IR) expressions and IR range for balanced PR (BPR) structures operating in the subthreshold region have been closely analyzed for broader range of process-voltage-temperature variations. All the post-layout simulations have been obtained using BSIM3V3 device models in 0.18 µm standard CMOS process.

The obtained results show that the pertinent problem of common-mode voltage shifting in such PR structures is completely resolved in scaled gate linearization and bulk-driven quasi-floating gate (BDQFG) BPR structures. Among all BPR structures, BDQFG BPR remarkably shows constant IR value of 1 TΩ over −1 V to 1 V voltage swing for wider process and temperature variations.

Various balanced PR design techniques reported in this work will help the research community in implementing larger time constants for analog-mixed signal circuits.

The PR design techniques presented in the present piece of work is expected to be used in developing tunable and accurate biomedical prosthetics.

The BPR structures thoroughly analyzed and reported in this work may be useful in the design of analog circuits specifically for applications such as neural signal recording, cardiac electrical impedance tomography and other low-frequency biomedical applications.

Sustainability performances (SPs) are the most crucial performances for an organisation in today's world, and they can be measured by economic, social, and environmental metrics. Previous research has not been clear on the role of total productive maintenance (TPM) in the context of sustainability, which motivates the authors to investigate the relationship between TPM and various SPs of the manufacturing firm. Therefore, current research investigates the relationship between TPM and the overall sustainability of the manufacturing firm from the perspective of resource-based view (RBV) theory.

The current study proposed, tested and validated a conceptual framework using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). A total of 326 responses were received to validate the conceptual framework in smartsPLS 3.0 software.

The research outcomes indicate that TPM considerably impacts a manufacturing firm's economic, environmental and social performance.

This research demonstrates that outstanding shop floor behaviour, such as TPM, can become an important asset to offer competitive advantages in a manufacturing firm. Similarly, TPM might serve as a roadmap for leveraging overall sustainability for manufacturing companies. The study indicates the establishment of a sustainability-oriented training protocol while practising TPM.

No past investigation indicates that a shop floor activity like TPM could be used as an input to offer sustainability in a single index for a manufacturing firm from the perception of RBV theory.

This paper aims to assess the considerations for implementing sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions (HEIs).

It employs a qualitative approach. It is based on opinions gathered from 272 stakeholders (including authorities and academicians) of HEIs.

Nepalese HEIs are facing several challenges, such as the lack of a changing vision and values to create a culture of sustainability initiatives and the socioeconomic and cultural gaps between policy sources and implementation approaches for sustainability. Therefore, they need to consider several sustainability initiatives to improve their performance and competitiveness. Effective leadership, learning culture, sustainability-related policy, effective HRM, organizational structure, supportive culture, technology, rewards, and university-academia-industry linkages are the key prerequisites for implementing sustainability initiatives. Thus, HEIs must make substantial investments in such aspects. Furthermore, they have to focus on sustainability initiative context, feasible strategies, and actionable/practical solutions to implement sustainability initiatives that help in achieving performance outcomes.

It is solely based on the opinions of authorities and academicians of Nepalese HEIs. Since it was carried out in the Nepalese context, results might vary at other times and in other nations.

It serves as a wake-up message to HEIs' officials about the barricades associated with sustainability initiatives and also addresses important requirements for putting such initiatives into practice.

It provides a holistic framework to initiate sustainability in HEIs to help them achieve expected outcomes.

The research aims to develop an assessment framework that evaluates critical success factors (CSFs) for the Quality 4.0 (Q 4.0) transition among Indian firms.

The authors use the fuzzy-Delphi method to validate the results of a systematic literature review (SLR) that explores critical aspects. Further, the fuzzy decision-making trial and laboratory (DEMATEL) method determines the cause-and-effect link. The findings indicate that developing a Q 4.0 framework is essential for the long-term success of manufacturing companies. Utilizing the power of digital technology, data analytics and automation, manufacturing companies can benefit from the Q 4.0 framework. Product quality, operational effectiveness and overall business performance may all be enhanced by implementing the Q 4.0 transition framework.

The study highlights significant awareness of Q 4.0 in the Indian manufacturing sector that is acquired through various means such as training, experience, learning and research. However, most manufacturing industries in India still follow older quality paradigms. On the other hand, Indian manufacturing industries seem well-equipped to adopt Q 4.0, given practitioners' firm grasp of its concepts and anticipated benefits, including improved customer satisfaction, product refinement, continuous process enhancement, waste reduction and informed decision-making. Adoption hurdles involve challenges including reliable electricity access, high-speed Internet, infrastructure, a skilled workforce and financial support. The study also introduces a transition framework facilitating the shift from conventional methods to Q 4.0, aligned with the principles of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR).

This research exclusively examines the manufacturing sector, neglecting other fields such as medical, service, mining and construction. Additionally, there needs to be more emphasis on the Q 4.0 implementation frameworks within the scope of the study.

This may be the inaugural framework for transitioning to Q 4.0 in India's manufacturing sectors and, conceivably, other developing nations.

This study aims to explore how social support has reshaped the care of older adults living alone in northeast Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study used a qualitative method using a narrative gerontological perspective with a descriptive design. Purposive sampling was conducted from 20 in-depth narrative interviews between November 2021 and February 2022 in Maha Sarakham province, northeast Thailand. Data transcriptions were performed using a narrative analytical process.

The in-depth narrative interviews indicated that older adults living alone during the coronavirus pandemic valued a comfortable life, a sense of place, favourable living arrangements, self-reliance, life goals and meaningful life. The gerontological analysis showed that social support for older adults living alone included a social safety net, networking, supporting needs, physical care and mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first qualitative narrative gerontological study to explore how social support reshaped the care of older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic in northeast Thailand.