Search Results (1,657)

Sustainable development, a key global priority, is increasingly shaped by factors such as the sharing economy, environmental patents, and energy efficiency, which have significant social, economic, and environmental implications. With rising public concern about the environment, volatile energy prices, and growing market pressure, more businesses are seeking ways to optimize energy usage. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of green technologies, the sharing economy, and energy efficiency on environmental sustainability in the G7 countries. By utilizing quarterly data from 2014Q1 to 2020Q4, this study measures ecological sustainability using the load capacity factor. The research employs the Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) approach to assess the relationships between variables, while the Cross-Sectionally Augmented IPS (CIPS) test is used to examine unit roots in the data. The objective of this study is to evaluate how these factors contribute to environmental sustainability and to provide policy recommendations for enhancing sustainability practices across the G7 countries. The scientific novelty of this work lies in its application of MMQR to understand the varying effects of energy efficiency, the sharing economy, and green technologies on sustainability and its incorporation of short-term quarterly data, offering fresh insights into the dynamics of these relationships. The findings reveal that an increasing number of sharing economy users and population growth positively impact environmental sustainability. Moreover, policies promoting efficient resource utilization and the sharing economy can significantly enhance sustainability. However, urbanization and industrialization pose challenges, necessitating more stringent industrial regulations and careful urban planning. The results indicate that while energy efficiency and the sharing economy hold theoretical potential for sustainability, their practical impacts can vary. To ensure long-term sustainability, the adoption of environmental patents and green technologies is critical, with initial investments yielding substantial returns as these technologies become more widely adopted. This study proposes policy recommendations including greater international collaboration, comprehensive energy policies, advanced urban planning, expanded support for green innovation, and stricter industrial regulations. The research also underscores the role of the United States in leading global sustainable development initiatives. Finally, this study suggests that future research should consider longer timeframes, advanced analytical methods, and a broader range of variables to further understand the complexities of sustainable development. Full article

The motion control of the virtual avatar enhances a sense of embodiment in a virtual reality (VR). Yet, the detailed relationship between motion control, assigned tasks, and the sense of embodiment remains unclear. We aim to investigate the relationships between degrees of control on a full-body avatar and three elements of the sense of embodiment: the sense of self-location, agency, and ownership in standalone and interaction tasks. To do this, we conducted a user study with three conditions of control over a full-body avatar. The types of control are (1) Low—control of an upper-body avatar, (2) Mid—control of a full-body avatar from three sensors, and (3) High—control of a full-body avatar from six sensors. These three control methods, which were used to animate the avatars and imitate the users’ pose, differ in accuracy and stability. Participants embodied three kinds of control and performed a single-user task (obstacle avoidance) and a multi-user task (catch-ball). Our results indicate that the degree of control impacts participants’ embodiment. However, there was no significant difference between high- and mid-control in the multi-user task, which was a different result from the single-user task. This suggests for virtual bodies that the participants capacity to control and see are the same or different, which may affect embodiment. Our result also shows that the multi-user task enhanced the sense of embodiment compared to the single-user task in the low- and mid-control avatars. Yet, the multi-user task decreased the sense of agency of the high-control avatar. This suggests that a failure of the assigned task may affect the sense of agency, especially when it is close to success, yielding revulsion. We further elucidate the insights into the relationship between the degree of control, the assigned tasks, and the elements of a sense of embodiment. Full article

A parallelized field-programmable gate array (FPGA) architecture is proposed to realize an ultra-fast, compact, and low-cost dual-channel ultra-wideband (UWB) pulsed-radar system. This approach resolves the main shortcoming of current FPGA-based radars, namely their low processing throughput, which leads to a significant loss of data provided by the radar receiver. The architecture is integrated with an in-house UWB pulsed radar operating at a sampling rate of 20 gigasamples per second (GSa/s). It is demonstrated that the FPGA data-processing speed matches that of the radar output, thus eliminating data loss. The radar system achieves a remarkable speed of over 9000 waveforms per second on each channel. The proposed architecture is scalable to accommodate higher sampling rates and various waveform periods. It is also multi-functional since the FPGA controls and synchronizes two transmitters and a dual-channel receiver, performs signal reconstruction on both channels simultaneously, and carries out user-defined averaging, trace windowing, and interference suppression for improving the receiver’s signal-to-noise ratio. We also investigate the throughput rate while offloading radar data onto an external device through an Ethernet link. Since the radar data rate significantly exceeds the Ethernet link capacity, we show how the FPGA-based averaging and windowing functions are leveraged to reduce the amount of offloaded data while fully utilizing the radar output. Full article

The concept of Complete Streets prompts a re-evaluation of the road design paradigm of the past century, which prioritized vehicles over human-centered use. It seeks to integrate land-use planning with urban mobility, focusing on a safer, more accessible allocation of street space that supports diverse transportation modes, stimulates local economic development, encourages active mobility, and reinforces place identity while recognizing each street’s unique purpose. However, Complete Streets have competing planning demands that vary according to their context and capacity to serve different functions and users. Identifying these priorities and street types is crucial for managing the trade-offs between functions according to each street’s role. This article presents a framework for assessing a street’s purpose and guiding interventions, focusing on the first two of the three key functions of Complete Streets: place, movement, and environment. The proposed framework is flexible and objective while allowing qualitative and subjective insights to be integrated. The preliminary results align with the empirical analysis of street segments, indicating the framework’s potential for diagnosing and evaluating street completeness. The developed experiment helped identify the framework’s limitations and its value as a tool for urban planning and design. Full article

As the civil aviation market is in a state of continuous growth, the architecture of passenger airport terminals needs to follow the industry’s constant development. The objective of this research is to investigate the current state of terminals in Poland in relation to the aspects of representativeness and low-tech sustainability solutions incorporated into design strategies. The conducted study is a critical review of existing literature followed by a case study of relevant examples of airport terminals, from an architectural perspective. The main findings show that seemingly contradicting principles can co-exist in particular spectra of design. The broadly used big shed design method, which provides terminal buildings with an adequate level of prominence, can also facilitate sustainable solutions, especially in the areas of user comfort, energy efficiency and life cycle assessment, i.e., buildings are easily adaptable, what is demanded by constantly evolving operational models and increasing airport terminal capacities. As further improvements are definitely needed to answer the increasing demand for a reduction in the carbon footprint of buildings, changes are desirable and should focus on establishing an adequate balance between a sustainable approach and the urge to create representative, state-of-the art terminal buildings. Full article

The digital transformation of museums has elevated their websites from mere informational tools to dynamic platforms that foster cultural engagement, inclusivity, and preservation. This study evaluates the performance of 234 museum websites worldwide, focusing on critical dimensions such as accessibility, usability, SEO, and speed. By employing a comprehensive diagnostic framework of evaluation metrics, the research reveals disparities between mobile and desktop versions, highlights regional variations, and identifies key performance drivers. Generally, desktop sites outperform their mobile counterparts, underscoring the necessity for tailored optimization strategies that strike a balance between fast-loading, visually stable mobile pages and content-rich desktop experiences. A key contribution of this study is the development of an easy-to-adopt and inclusive evaluation framework that unites fragmented approaches, enabling museums of all sizes to enhance their digital presence. Furthermore, the research provides actionable insights for administrators, particularly those in resource-constrained institutions, through a cost-free, user-friendly toolkit that simplifies technical metrics and promotes internal staff capacity building in digital analytics. Ultimately, the findings help empower museums to bridge digital performance gaps while ensuring they continue to function as vibrant cultural hubs in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Full article

With the advancement of dual-carbon goals and the construction of new types of power systems, the proportion of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) in the coupling system of power distribution and transportation networks is gradually increasing. However, the surge in charging demand not only causes voltage fluctuations and a decline in power quality but also leads to tension in the power grid load in some areas. The complexity of urban road networks further increases the challenge of charging station planning. Although laying out charging stations in areas with high traffic flow can better meet traffic demands, it may also damage power quality due to excessive grid load. In response to this problem, this paper proposes an optimized layout plan for electric vehicle charging stations considering the coupling effects of roads and electricity. By using section power flow to extract dynamic data from the power distribution network and comparing the original daily load curves of the power grid and electric vehicles, this paper plans reasonable capacity and charging/discharging schemes for EVCSs. It considers the impact of the charging and discharging characteristics of EVCSs on the power grid while satisfying the peak-shaving and valley-filling regulation benefits. Combined with the traffic road network, the optimization objectives include optimizing the voltage deviation, transmission line margin, network loss, traffic flow, and service range of charging stations. The Gray Wolf Optimizer (GWO) algorithm is used for solving, and the optimal layout plan for electric vehicle charging stations is obtained. Finally, through road–electricity coupling network simulation verification, the proposed optimal planning scheme effectively expands the charging service range of electric vehicles, with a coverage rate of 83.33%, alleviating users’ charging anxiety and minimizing the impact on the power grid, verifying the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed scheme. Full article

In households, waste growth has become a critical global issue. This study aims to extend our understanding of promoting pro-environmental behavior by exploring the role of trust and perceived justice in households’ waste recycling practices. Trust and social justice are context-sensitive; studying them in different contexts provides new knowledge on motivating recycling motivation. The research is based on semi-structured interviews (n = 40) on household recycling practices in Latvia. Research results demonstrate that a lack of institutional trust and perceived social injustice concerning household waste recycling practices appear in several contexts: trust in an individual’s capacity to recycle, trust in their peers’ capacity to recycle, trust in the efficiency of the recycling system, trust in the capacity of the waste management company to recycle, trust in waste management policy, and trust in information on recycling. Lack of trust in waste management is linked to perceived social injustice as waste management policy is criticized for not being accessible and putting too much responsibility on households, and this can serve as a critical barrier to household recycling. This study reveals which elements of the waste management system are related to a higher risk of social injustice and lack of trust in the perspective of households, thus signaling where changes in the system or providing end-users more information are needed to make the waste-sorting process more efficient. The findings of the study indicated a few directions for further improvements in the waste management system: ensuring the financial availability of recycling services, reassessment of the responsibilities of the stakeholders, and working toward raising awareness of the recycling and waste management system. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms. The MoveONParkinson project aims to enhance exercise engagement among people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwPD) in the Portuguese context through the ONParkinson digital platform, which provides mobile and web interfaces. While the broader MoveONParkinson project has been previously described from a health-focused perspective, this study specifically focuses on the development and integration of an AI-driven conversational agent (CA) for the Portuguese language, called PANDORA, within the mobile interface of the solution to assist and motivate PwPD in their exercise routines. PANDORA (Parkinson Assistant in Natural Dialogue and Oriented by Rules and Assessments), designed based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), addresses the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. A preliminary study involving 20 PwPD, 10 caregivers, and 5 healthcare professionals informed the design requirements for PANDORA. The development process involved four main phases: (1) Design of the Chatbot’s Motivation Model, (2) Design and implementation of the conversational agent, (3) Technical Performance Evaluation, and (4) User Experience Evaluation. Technical Performance Evaluation, conducted with three physiotherapists, assessed domain coverage, coherence response capacity, and dialog management capacity, achieving 100% accuracy in domain coverage and coherence response capacity and 89% in dialog management capacity. The User Experience Study involved eight PwPD users recruited from Portuguese healthcare units performing predefined tasks, with user satisfaction scores ranging from 4.2 to 4.9 on a five-point Likert scale. The findings indicate that integrating a conversational agent with motivational cues tends to increase patient engagement. However, further studies are required to determine PANDORA’s impact on exercise engagement in PwPD. Full article

The asymmetry-induced uncertainty in both sources and loads is a crucial and continuously spotlighted issue within modern power systems. Applying optimization scheduling method to deal with this asymmetry is a feasible solution. Accordingly, this paper proposes a bi-level park-level integrated energy system (PIES) optimization strategy considering uncertainties of price-based load demand response (PLDR). Firstly, a model for characterizing the uncertainties of the PLDR is developed based on fuzzy theory. Secondly, a bi-level two-stage PIES optimization model that includes multiple device models is established. In the first stage, the dynamic pricing optimization is carried out with the aim of maximizing user satisfaction. In the second stage, the PIES scheduling strategy optimization is performed with the aim of minimizing the operation costs of PIES. Finally, multiple scenarios are set to conduct comparative validation, which demonstrates that the proposed method not only improves the renewable energy integration capacity of the system, optimizes the load profiles, and enhances the economic and low-carbon performance, but also increases user satisfaction, thus providing a reference for the dispatch and operation of the park-level integrated energy system. Full article

This study presents the ClimEmpower framework, a user-driven approach to enhancing climate resilience across five climate-vulnerable regions in Southern Europe: Costa del Sol (Spain), Central Greece, the Troodos Mountains (Cyprus), Osijek-Baranja County (Croatia), and Sicily (Italy). The project employs a region-specific methodology that integrates climate risk assessments, stakeholder engagement through Communities of Practice (CoPs), and the development of innovative climate services tailored to local needs. These regions, characterized by unique environmental and socio-economic vulnerabilities, face shared hazards such as droughts, heatwaves, and floods, alongside region-specific challenges like salinization and biodiversity loss. ClimEmpower identifies critical gaps in high-resolution data, cross-sectoral collaboration, and capacity-building efforts, underscoring barriers to effective adaptation. This work aims to provide a foundational resource, offering a comprehensive overview of the current situation, including needs, gaps, priorities, and expectations across the target regions. By establishing this baseline, it facilitates future research and comparative analyses, contributing to the development of robust, region-specific resilience strategies. The ClimEmpower framework offers scalable and replicable solutions aligned with the European Green Deal’s climate resilience goals, advancing adaptation planning and providing actionable insights for broader European initiatives. Full article

In the big data era, data are created in huge volume. This leads to the development of storage devices. Many technologies are proposed for the next generation of storage fields. However, among them, holographic data storage (HDS) has attracted much attention and has been introduced as the promising candidate to meet the increasing demand for capacity and speed. For signal processing, HDS faces two major challenges: inter-page interference (IPI) and two-dimensional (2D) interference. To access the IPI problem, we can use balanced coding, which converts user data into an intensity level with uniformly distributed values for each page. For 2D interference, we can use the equalizer and detection to mitigate the 2D interference. However, the often-used equalizer and detection are methods in wireless communication and only handle the one-dimensional (1D) signal. Thus, we can combine the equalizer, detection, and estimator to reduce 2D interference into 1D interference. In this paper, we proposed a combined model using serial maximum a posteriori (MAP) detection and estimator to improve the detection of HDS systems. In our proposed model, instead of using an estimator with the Viterbi algorithm to predict the upper–lower interference (UPI) or left–right interference (LRI) and converting the received signal into 1D ISI, we used the estimator to predict the extrinsic information for serial MAP detection. This preserves the 2D information in the received signal in serial MAP detection and improves the detection of serial MAP detection by extrinsic information. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed model significantly improves the bit-error rate (BER) performance compared to previous studies. Full article

The bending stiffness of beams represents a pivotal parameter influencing both the dimensions of the elements during their design and their subsequent utilisation. It is evident that excessive deflections can cause discomfort to users and contribute to further structural degradation. The objective of this study was to enhance the bending stiffness of timber beams by bonding a composite sheet to their external surfaces. A carbon sheet exhibiting an ultra-high modulus of elasticity and low elongation at rupture was employed. Two variables of analysis can be distinguished including whether the reinforcement was applied or not and the number of reinforcement layers. The beams, with nominal dimensions of 80 × 80 × 1600 mm, were subjected to a four-point bending test in order to ascertain their mechanical properties. In total, 15 beams were tested (5 unreinforced and 10 reinforced). The reinforcement had no appreciable impact on the increase in flexural load capacity, with the maximum average increase recorded at 9%. Nevertheless, an increase in stiffness of 34% was observed. Additionally, significant increases were observed in ductility up to 248%. However, the ductile behaviour of the beam occurred after the rupture of the reinforcement. In all instances, the failure was attributed to the fracturing of the wooden components or the UHM CFRP (ultra-high-modulus-carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer) sheet. The numerical analysis proved to be a valuable tool for predicting the stiffness of the wood–composite system, with a relatively low error margin of a few percentage points. The modified approach, based on the equivalent cross-section method, permits the determination of a bilinear load deflection relationship for reinforced beams. The aforementioned curve is indicative of the actual behaviour. Given the propensity for the sudden rupture of reinforcement, the described method of reinforcement is recommended for beams subjected to lower levels of stress. Full article

The social media phenomenon revolutionized the way people communicate and share information in all age groups. In the context of global expansion and its undeniable popularity, social media platforms have favored the emergence of a new concept, the social media influencer (SMI). SMIs are online celebrities, followed and copied by a large number of users. The paper’s goal is to investigate the capacity of travel SMIs to influence the tourist decisions of Generation Z members. Aiming to obtain insight results, an exploratory study was conducted using the qualitative focus group research method. The respondents are members of Generation Z, users of social media platforms for travel planning. The main results highlight the characteristics of travel SMIs’ activities and influences, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of following their recommendations in the travel planning process. Also, this study highlights the reduced influence of Romanian travel SMIs on Generation Z tourists, despite the fact that they are primary information consumers on this communication channel. The results could contribute to establishing general benchmarks of a future professional career for Generation Z members as travel SMIs, an important sustainable option for communication in tourism. Full article

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) provide exceptional flexibility, making them ideal for mitigating communication disruptions in disaster-affected or high-demand areas. When functioning as communication base stations, UAVs can adopt either orthogonal or non-orthogonal multiple access schemes. However, traditional Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA) techniques are constrained by limited user access capacity and system throughput, necessitating the study of non-orthogonal access mechanisms for UAV-assisted communication systems. While much of the research on non-orthogonal multiple access focuses on Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), Rate-Splitting Multiple Access (RSMA), a novel non-orthogonal technique, offers superior throughput performance compared to NOMA. This paper, therefore, investigates the optimization of UAV-assisted downlink communication systems based on RSMA. We first develop a mathematical model of the system and decompose the primary optimization problem into multiple subproblems according to parameter types. To solve these subproblems, we propose an optimization algorithm that combines the Augmented Lagrange Method (ALM) with the Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm (AFSA). The optimization algorithm is further enhanced by incorporating dynamic step size and visual strategies, as well as memory behaviors to improve convergence speed and optimization accuracy. To address linear equality constraints, we introduce a correction factor to modify the behavior of the artificial fish. The final optimization is achieved through cross-iterative solutions. Simulation results show that the system throughput under the RSMA strategy can be improved by 13.30% compared with NOMA, validating the effectiveness and superiority of RSMA in UAV-assisted communication systems. Full article