Given the growing significance of the metaverse in research, it is crucial to understand its scope, relevance in the tourism industry, and the human-computer interaction it involves. The emerging field of metaverse tourism has a noticeable research gap, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the concept. This article addresses this gap by conducting a hybrid systematic review, including a variable-oriented literature review, to assess the extent and scope of metaverse tourism. A scrutiny on Scopus identified a reduced number of relevant documents. The analysis exposes theoretical and empirical gaps, along with promising opportunities in the metaverse and tourism intersection. These insights contribute to shaping a contemporary research agenda, emphasizing metaverse tourism. While this study offers an overview of current research in metaverse tourism, it is essential to recognize that this field is still in its early stages, marked by the convergence of technology and transformations in tourism. This exploration underscores the challenges and opportunities arising from the evolving narrative of metaverse tourism.

Attempts were made in the present study to design and develop skeletally modified ether linked tetraglycidyl epoxy resin (TGBAPSB), which is subsequently reinforced with different weight percentages of amine functionalized mullite fiber (F-MF). The F-MF was synthesized by reacting mullite fiber with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) as coupling agent and the F-MF structure was confirmed by FT-IR. TGBAPSB reinforced with F-MF formulation was cured with 4,4’-diamino diphenyl methane (DDM) to obtain nanocomposite. The surface morphology of TGBAPSB-F-MF epoxy nanocomposites was investigated by XRD, SEM and AFM studies. From the study, it follows that these nanocomposite materials offer enhancement in mechanical, thermal, thermo-mechanical, dielectric properties compared to neat (TGBAPSB) epoxy matrix. Hence we recommend these nanocomposites for a possible use in advanced engineering applications that require both toughness and stiffness.

Purpose: This paper articulates a model that maximizes the use of e-HRM to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. It examines the indirect effects of e-HRM use on sustainable competitive advantage, through job satisfaction, employee performance, and perceived organizational politics. Design/methodology/approach: A survey approach was used to collect data from 30 organizations. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the study sample. The SPSS PROCESS Macro for running mediation analysis was used to analyze data. Findings: The findings show the indirect effect of e-HRM on sustainable competitive advantage through job satisfaction, employee performance, and perceived organizational politics. Job satisfaction has the biggest effect on achieving strategic outcomes. For organizational excellence, e-HRM use should complement other HRM practices. Practical implications: Management should pay attention to employee outcomes during the implementation of e-HRM. This study broadens the scope of the interaction between e-HRM use and sustainable competitive advantage. This study was conducted in a developing economy and demonstrated that the effects of e-HRM use on sustainable competitive advantage are not limited to developed economies. Originality/value: This study is one of the pioneering efforts to develop a model that maximizes organizational outcomes in developing countries. In addition, this study contributes to the understanding of intervening variables necessary to enhance information technology’s potential within the HR function.

Water splitting, the process of converting water into hydrogen and oxygen gases, has garnered significant attention as a promising avenue for sustainable energy production. One area of focus has been the development of efficient and cost-effective catalysts for water splitting. Researchers have explored catalysts based on abundant and inexpensive materials such as nickel, iron, and cobalt, which have demonstrated improved performance and stability. These catalysts show promise for large-scale implementation and offer potential for reducing the reliance on expensive and scarce materials. Another avenue of research involves photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells, which utilize solar energy to drive the water-splitting reaction. Scientists have been working on designing novel materials, including metal oxides and semiconductors, to enhance light absorption and charge separation properties. These advancements in PEC technology aim to maximize the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, artificial photosynthesis approaches have also gained traction. By integrating light-absorbing materials, catalysts, and membranes, these systems aim to mimic the complex processes of natural photosynthesis and produce hydrogen fuel from water. The development of efficient and stable artificial photosynthesis systems holds promise for sustainable and clean energy production. Tandem cells, which combine multiple light-absorbing materials with different bandgaps, have emerged as a strategy to enhance the efficiency of water-splitting systems. By capturing a broader range of the solar spectrum, tandem cells optimize light absorption and improve overall system performance. Lastly, advancements in electrocatalysis have played a critical role in water splitting. Researchers have focused on developing advanced electrocatalysts with high activity, selectivity, and stability for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). These electrocatalysts contribute to overall water-splitting efficiency and pave the way for practical implementation.

Cobalt-ion batteries are considered a promising battery chemistry for renewable energy storage. However, there are indeed challenges associated with co-ion batteries that demonstrate undesirable side reactions due to hydrogen gas production. This study demonstrates the use of a nanocomposite electrolyte that provides stable performance cycling and high Co²⁺ conductivity (approximately 24 mS cm⁻¹). The desirable properties of the nanocomposite material can be attributed to its mechanical strength, which remains at nearly 68 MPa, and its ability to form bonds with H₂O. These findings offer potential solutions to address the challenges of co-dendrite, contributing to the advancement of co-ion batteries as a promising battery chemistry. The exceptional cycling stability of the co-metal anode, even at ultra-high rates, is a significant achievement demonstrated in the study using the nanocomposite electrolyte. The co-metal anode has a 3500-cycle current density of 80 mA cm⁻², which indicates excellent stability and durability. Moreover, the cumulative capacity of 15.6 Ah cm⁻² at a current density of 40 mA cm⁻² highlights the better energy storage capability. This performance is particularly noteworthy for energy storage applications where high capacity and long cycle life are crucial. The H₂O bonding capacity of the component in the nanocomposite electrolyte plays a vital role in reducing surface passivation and hydrogen evolution reactions. By forming strong bonds with H₂O molecules, the polyethyne helps prevent unwanted reactions that can deteriorate battery performance and efficiency. This mitigates issues typically associated with excess H₂O and ion presence in aqueous Co-ion batteries. Furthermore, the high-rate performance with excellent stability and cycling stability performance (>500 cycles at 8 C) of full Co||MnO₂ batteries fabricated with this electrolyte further validates its effectiveness in practical battery configurations. These results indicate the potential of the nanocomposite electrolyte as a valuable and sustainable option, simplifying the development of reliable and efficient energy storage systems and renewable energy applications.

Flash flood is one of the major natural hazards in China. It seriously threatens the lives of people and property in mountainous areas. Various methods have been developed for flash flood study, but most of them focused on the past few decades. As one of the effective methods of historical flash flood events reconstruction, dendrogeomorphology has been used worldwide. It can provide hazard information with long temporal scale and high temporal resolution, sometimes at the seasonal level. By comparing tree ring width and other growth characteristics between disturbed and undisturbed trees, growth disturbance signals can be found in the disturbed trees. Using the growth disturbance in tree rings, flash flood events can be dated, and then the frequency, size, and spatial distribution characteristics of flash floods that have no or little documentary records can be reconstructed. The discharge of flash flood can be reconstructed quantitatively according to the height of scars or by using hydraulic models. With the development of dendrogeomorphology, research tends to probe into the meteorological driving mechanism of flash floods and the pattern of flash floods on a larger spatial scale. In the practical application of dendrogeomorphology, more instrumental data and historical records are applied in the studies. This makes the method increasingly more widely used around the world. But work based on dendrogeomorphology has not been reported in China. In this article, we reviewed the development of the study on flash floods based on tree ring, briefly summarized the research progress, and discussed the advantages, limitations, and potential of this approach, so as to provide some reference information for relevant work in China.