The study leveraging on the fourth- industrial-revolution on digital skills acquisition among undergraduate students in Tai-Solarin University of Education, Ogun State.Two research questions guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of this study comprised undergraduates of Educational Technology in Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED). 95 undergraduates of the Department of Educational Technology were selected as sample size of the study using stratified sampling technique. A self-researcher-designed instrument tagged Fourth Industrial Revolution (41R) and Undergraduates Digital Skills Acquisition Questionnaire (4FIRUDSAQ) was used for data collection with reliability coefficient 0.88. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used for answering research question 1. Research question 2 was answered using PPMC. The findings of the study revealed that coding, data analytics, data literacy, digital marketing, online safety, problem solving, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and collaboration digital skills were among digital skills needed by undergraduates to functions effectively in the labour market for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (41R) (3.10 > 2.50). There was a positive relationship between Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and digital skills acquisition among undergraduate students in Tai Solarin University of Education (r = 0.468, p < .05). The study recommended that undergraduates should be encouraged to be lifelong and life-wide learners to develop the capabilities needed in ever changing world.

This study aims to explore the urgency of character education in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era, characterized by the rapid development of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data. These changes provide significant opportunities for educational innovation, but also give rise to new challenges, such as the degradation of students' character and the dominance of technical skills over moral values. Using a qualitative approach using literature study methods, this study analyzes theories, concepts, and research findings related to character education in the global and Indonesian contexts. The results show that character education is a key element in preparing the younger generation to face the social and ethical challenges presented by technology. Integrating values ​​such as honesty, responsibility, empathy, and digital ethics into the curriculum is crucial for shaping individuals who are not only technically skilled but also possess a solid moral foundation. Character education acts as a moral bulwark that helps students overcome the negative impacts of technology, such as digital addiction and data misuse. In conclusion, character education should not be merely an addition to the curriculum, but must become a central pillar in shaping a generation ready to compete globally while upholding noble values. In the face of rapid change, character education must be strategically designed to strengthen individual moral identity and promote social harmony in the digital era.

Abstract Since the Industrial Revolution, ocean water acidity has risen by 26% due to anthropogenic emissions—a process known as ocean acidification—posing a risk for marine life and the communities depending on it. This paper examines the consequences of ocean acidification for child health, using data from coastal regions in 36 low- and middle-income countries from 1972 to 2018, encompassing 41% of the world’s coastal population. Leveraging short-term exogenous shifts in ocean acidity near human settlements for identification, we find that prenatal exposure to higher water acidity significantly raises the risk of death in the first months of life and impacts early childhood development. We show evidence consistent with these effects being associated with maternal malnutrition, as increased acidity reduces catches for small-scale fisheries, increasing seafood prices and reducing consumption of crucial nutrients. Our findings indicate limited adaptation to these impacts. We estimate that, absent intervention, ocean acidification could contribute to as many as 77 million neonatal deaths in this region by 2100—a consequence that should not be ignored in the projected cost of climate change.

Reimagining Education Systems for Curriculum Justice in the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions

Our article examines selected technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (specifically the so-called base technologies) and their extent of utilization within business processes. The research was conducted on a sample of companies operating in the Slovak Republic. Based on data from 180 companies, we assessed the extent of implementation of these technologies. The results of our study show that some Industry 4.0 technologies have already been successfully implemented in most of the surveyed companies (in particular cloud computing for data storage, cloud networks for remote access to resources, and the Internet of Things). An especially positive finding is that cybersecurity measures have been implemented to the greatest extent, which is crucial for the successful and sustainable functioning of the entire Industry 4.0, with the importance of this area continuing to grow each year. On the other hand, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning are not widely used in most companies, nor do companies currently plan to adopt them. This field, however, provides significant potential for productivity growth and process optimization, and in recent years we have also observed a marked increase in the adoption of artificial intelligence within the general population. At present, only 14% of companies have successfully implemented these technologies. According to our findings, companies that do employ artificial intelligence and machine learning use them primarily in business processes to facilitate the analysis and evaluation of large datasets.

This entry presents the history, geography, business, regulations, and the roles of gig workers, platform/algorithms, and employers, focusing primarily on the USA and the EU. The gig economy is informally referred to also as the fourth industrial revolution or the 1099 economy, emphasising sharing, freelance, or platform work; it is a complex and changing business model and regulatory environment. In practice, the gig economy refers to a tripartite relation between workers, platforms/apps, and employers, leading to a two-sided market, where algorithms match supply and demand for paid labour and clients. It is only recently that the gig economy has started to be conceptualised, and its implications, challenges, and impacts are captured in economic law and society, including the power dynamics related to the interplay between economics, technology, regulation, and communities. Conceptually, the gig economy is important, as small paid work has always been present in society for all types of workers and beneficiaries. This new business model of on-demand work has some perceived advantages, such as freedom of work, under-regulation, efficient use of capital, driving down costs, and improving services. However, there is a dualisation of anti-power between workers and non-employers that may lead to precarious work, less free workers, and shadow corporations that distort the market using game changers like digital management algorithms. Currently, the size of the gig economy comprises 154–435 million gig workers out of the world’s 3.63 bn workers, with a market size of USD 557 bn, and is still expanding.

Despite extensive research on industry 4.0 and circular economy (CE). There is limited research on nexus between artificial intelligence (AI) and circular economy. AI seems to be driving force for revolutionizing in businesses and industries for unlocking economic, environmental, and social benefits. We investigated how AI transform from linear to circular business models. Authors selected 105 peer-reviewed articles from Web of Science database by using bibiliometric analysis. Authors analyzed the data by using VoSviewer Software. The four core clusters were identified, (1) circular economy a pathway to sustainable business management, (2) big data models enhance CE outcomes, (3) I4.0 technologies leads to future of CE and (4) digitalized supply chains for sustainable development. This review advances our understanding on AI and circular economy in the existing literature due to less focus by prior scholars. More importantly, this review contributes to shifting the focus to technological perspective within circular economy, diverging from traditional linear model based on economic views. This review suggested companies should adopt AI as it plays a pivotal role in facilitating the shift to a circular economy by reshaping and enhancing existing models of product design, manufacturing, consumption, repair, regeneration, recovery, and end-of-life management while simultaneously improving the efficiency of waste management. This research provides fresh perspectives on AI and CE to better understand AI as an opportunity rather than cost due to ongoing fourth industrial revolution.

The development of management on the basis of Industry 4.0 (4th industrial revolution) is stipulated by the necessity of digital transformation of social and technological systems in conditions of digital technology and global competition progress. This vector was set by Edicts of the President of the Russian Federation that fixed targets of digital development for the long-range perspective. Technologies of Industry 4.0 concepts cause changes in the system of higher education. These changes deal not only with new methods of education but also with innovation approaches to management. The article provides proposals on upgrading the system of higher education management on the basis of tools advanced by Industry 4.0 concepts.

This extended abstract explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) influences the public’s understanding of the Salafi creed in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Salafi creed, rooted in the methodology of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama‘ah, emphasizes strict adherence to the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the understanding of the early generations of Muslims. The integration of AI in religious education—through chatbots, automated da’wah platforms, and Islamic Q&A systems—presents both opportunities and challenges. While AI enhances accessibility, personalizes learning, and broadens da’wah outreach, it also raises concerns about content authenticity, theological accuracy, and the potential misinterpretation of creed-related teachings. This study adopts a qualitative library-based approach to evaluate relevant academic works on AI and Islamic theology, focusing on opportunities, risks, and governance mechanisms. The findings suggest that AI can be a beneficial tool in disseminating Salafi teachings when guided by scholarly oversight, Shariah-compliant datasets, and digital literacy among users. The paper concludes with recommendations for policy development, ethical frameworks, and scholarly collaboration to ensure AI serves as a means to strengthen—not distort—orthodox Islamic beliefs.

ABSTRACT This article reconceptualises modern technology since the Industrial Revolution from a global, material, and distributive perspective. It argues that technological infrastructure is a means of transferring embodied labour, energy, and materials from peripheral to core sectors of the world-system. The global ‘technomass’ can be likened to a supra-organic biomass whose rhizomes continuously dislodge biophysical resources to be siphoned off to centres of accumulation. These metabolic processes are enabled by monetisation and conceptual abstraction, whereby categories such as ‘value,’ ‘price,’ ‘work,’ and ‘energy’ serve to recast previously integrated social and ecological contexts into disembedded and commodified resources accessible for extraction. Humans could potentially mitigate the resulting global injustices and unsustainability by fundamentally modifying the economy to bring about degrowth, most importantly by distinguishing between local and global spheres of exchange. This would be consonant with an ontology that transcends Cartesian dualism by combining aspects of neo-materialism with a biosemiotic perspective on money. The chapter concludes by discussing the eco-Marxist critique of capitalist political economy, underscoring how it will need to decisively abandon the classical Marxist embrace of technological progress.

Sustainable epoxy composites from hemp/pineapple/glass fibers for lightweight automobile panels.

This study examined the role of the 5th Industrial Revolution in fostering innovation in Rivers State University. Guided by two research questions and two hypotheses, the study employed a descriptive survey design involving a sample of 164 academic and non-academic staff of Rivers State University. Data were collected using a self-constructed questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.81. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics were used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that the 5th Industrial Revolution, characterized by human-centered technologies and artificial intelligence integration, significantly enhanced innovation capacity, interdisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving skills among participants. The study concluded that the adoption of 5IR principles is pivotal in transforming the academic and research landscape of the university. It recommended that university management should invest in smart technologies, promote ethical innovation, and organize continuous training to fully harness the benefits of the 5th Industrial Revolution in fostering sustainable innovation.

South Africa faces persistent socio-economic challenges, including high unemployment, skills mismatches, and structural inequalities that limit inclusive development. Despite a relatively high youth literacy rate, graduate unemployment has emerged as a critical concern, reflecting the disjuncture between higher education outputs and labour market needs. This article systematically reviews literature published between 2005 and 2025 to explore the complex interplay between graduate unemployment, skills mismatch, and labour mobility in South Africa. A total of 43 peer-reviewed articles from Scopus and Web of Science were analysed using a systematic literature review approach. The findings reveal five interrelated themes: (i) enduring inequities in education access and quality, rooted in colonial and apartheid legacies; (ii) limited transformation of higher education, characterised by poor throughput and uneven responsiveness; (iii) persistent mismatches between academic qualifications and industry requirements; (iv) the ideological framing of policy reforms shaped by global discourses such as Human Capital Theory; and (v) the disruptive effects of technological change, particularly the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Collectively, these themes highlight the need for reforms that strengthen the alignment between education and labour market demands, expand equitable access to work-integrated learning, and promote adaptive lifelong learning strategies. Policy implications underscore the importance of industry–university partnerships, curriculum reform, and context-sensitive labour market planning. While this review is limited to published literature, it provides valuable insights for addressing graduate unemployment and advancing inclusive, skills-driven growth. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies, regional comparisons, and the role of technology in reshaping employability.

Digital transformation in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era has driven the banking sector, including BSI, to offer technology-based services such as the BYOND by BSI application. Generation Z is the main target due to their high digital engagement. However, their interest and understanding of Islamic banking remain varied, especially in Tegal City, where participation is still low despite a Muslim majority. This study analyzes the influence of digital marketing, brand image, and service quality on Generation Z’s decision to use BSI services in Tegal City. This research employed a quantitative approach with a survey method and associative causal type. The population comprised Generation Z aged 18–28 years, with a sample of 96 respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire with Likert scale and analyzed through validity, reliability, classical assumption tests, multiple linear regression, and hypothesis testing with SPSS. The results indicate that digital marketing and service quality have a positive and significant effect on Generation Z’s decision to use BSI services, while brand image does not have a significant partial effect. However, simultaneously, the three variables have a positive and significant influence. These findings suggest that strengthening digital marketing strategies and improving service quality are dominant factors in influencing young customers’ decisions.

(Text in French) Chemistry of the color of cobalt violet pigments used in painting in the early 20th century. Following the industrial revolution and the modernization of chemistry, purple became one of the most popular colors in the palettes of modern painters. The diversity of emerging chemical syntheses resulted in a wide range of purple pigments, characterized by a high diversity of hues. Robert Delaunay (1885-1941), one of the key artists of the avant-garde movement in France, used these materials extensively in his artworks. Despite their importance in modern and contemporary paintings, cobalt-based inorganic purple pigments have been little studied chemically until now. The present work combines structural and optical analyses to probe the purple pigments used by Delaunay. Following the characterization of reference materials synthesized in laboratory via synchrotron radiation-based high-angular-resolution X-ray powder diffraction and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, it was possible to establish precise structure-color relationships for several inorganic compounds of the Co-P/As family. In parallel, two of Robert Delaunay’s earliest masterpieces conserved at the Centre Pompidou in Paris were analyzed in situ via X-ray powder diffraction in imaging mode. The results highlight the decisive effect of the structural chemistry of inorganic pigments on the palettes of modern painters.

Integrating fourth industrial revolution technologies in human resource practices: Mediating roles of work flexibility, quality of work life, and distributive fairness in enhancing employee productivity

In the whirlwind of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), where algorithms and apps relentlessly redefine human connection, the fate of Africa's Indigenous languages hangs in a precarious and poignant balance. They stand at a digital crossroads, facing the dual threats of global linguistic homogenization and the existential risk of being rendered obsolete in the very mediums that shape modern consciousness. It is into this fraught and urgent fray that Digital Media and the Preservation of Indigenous Languages in Africa: Toward a Digitalized and Sustainable Society, deftly edited by Fulufhelo Oscar Makananise and Shumani Eric Madima, makes its timely and critical intervention. This ambitious collection assembles a powerful chorus of African scholars from diverse corners of the continent to dissect a central paradox of our time: how digital tools can either bury these languages under the weight of a globalised English or hoist them into vibrant, interactive, and sustainable life. This volume joins a burgeoning scholarly conversation on the role of digital technologies in indigenous language revitalisation, which has gained momentum in recent years amid growing concerns over linguistic endangerment in the Global South.

This article discusses the transformation of visual communication design paradigms in the era of the 5.0 Industrial Revolution, characterized by the integration of intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data with human values and empathy in creative practice. This study uses a qualitative literature review method to identify trends, concepts, and changes in creative strategies occurring in the field of visual communication design as a result of human-machine collaboration. The main findings indicate a shift in the designer's role from merely creating visuals to managing experiences that prioritize personalization, adaptation, and social and cultural sustainability. Technology acts as a catalyst in expanding the boundaries of creative expression and enabling the presence of designs that are more inclusive and responsive to the audience's emotional context. However, ethical challenges, such as algorithmic bias and data privacy protection, must remain a primary concern. This study also highlights the importance of developing a holistic and collaborative design education curriculum to produce adaptive designers in an era of high digitalization. An important conclusion of this study is that the future of visual communication design will heavily depend on how the synergy between humans and technology is managed ethically and innovatively in creating meaningful and sustainable visual works

This article adopts a Marxist lens to explore not only the treatment of power dynamics, but also the rise of the self-made man in Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights. Published during the Victorian era, a period characterized by the emergence of the Industrial Revolution and individualism, this novel describes a society in which people were defined by their wealth, social status, and reputation. That materialistic mindset pushed many people from humble origins to aspire to join the elite class. However, that pursuit of power and wealth often led these self-made men to mimic and replicate the same behaviors and adopt the same mindset they once despised.

Screening assessments in vocational colleges are a strategic innovation in educational evaluation, designed to identify the cognitive and technical readiness of students entering program-specific courses. In Malaysia, the Information Technology (IT) program within Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a pivotal role in equipping students with programming, computational thinking (CT), and digital skills essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) and the digital economy. However, cognitive screening assessments tailored to IT programs in vocational colleges remain underexplored, leading to inconsistencies in student intake quality and misalignment between curriculum expectations and industry demands. This study employs a SWOT analysis framework to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of integrating screening assessments for programming and CT in vocational IT education. Data were collected through a literature review from major databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, focusing on empirical studies in programming and CT. Findings highlight several strengths: improved problem-solving abilities, industry relevance, and enhanced employability for graduates. Weaknesses include limited institutional resources, insufficient teacher training, and uneven student readiness. Opportunities emerge through government initiatives, educational technologies, and industry collaborations, while threats stem from rapid technological change and persistent digital divides. The study underscores the need for program-specific screening tools that ensure equitable access, enhance employability, and align vocational IT programs with evolving industry standards, thereby supporting Malaysia’s digital transformation and competitiveness.