Santa Elena Peninsula is characterized by beautiful geological features, historical geoscientific knowledge, and mineral and tourism resources that could all be combined for the sake of community development. This article provides an overview of the Santa Elena Peninsula Geopark Project through the assessment of six areas that are considered by inhabitants and researchers possible geosites to foster geotourism. The methodology included: (i) a technical description and assessment of the areas of interest evaluating their geological relevance, representativeness, geotouristic prominence, geotouristic scientific interpretation, and conservation criteria; (ii) an assessment through questionnaires carried out on inhabitants; and (iii) a SWOT Plus analysis to propose strategies for promoting geotourism. Results show that the areas of interest are highly valued as geosites, since they integrate geodiversity, biodiversity, and sociocultural aspects. For example, Ancon is a historical icon of early oil exploitation, Baños de San Vicente is a natural spring of thermal water and mud volcano, and Anconcito has bituminous exudations of natural occurrence together with a spectacular landscape produced by erosion. Overall, 90% of these sites were proved to be of high and very high interest in scientific terms. Geotourism is believed to be beneficial for the inhabitants of the Santa Elena Peninsula with respect to education, valorization of resources, and the strengthening of cultural identity of communities. Full article

In this paper, a number of indicators are shown to measure economic efficiency in terms of circular economy (CE). The European Union affirms the need for a comprehensive model of indicators relating to CE in order to meet the needs of all participants (individual companies and industry, society, and the nation), to be based on three perspectives: environmental impact, economic benefit, and resource scarcity. Therefore, the objective of this work is to define these indicators and establish models for measuring the efficiency of processes and products of CE (through Data Envelopment Analysis, (DEA)) in its different manifestations. The models will be useful for both organizations and external users in relation to CE in order to facilitate the search for indicators for all users. Following the bibliographic review of official reports and different high impact works, our results demonstrate the ability to obtain information concerning the main indicators of CE and how the efficiency of CE models has been measured through the most frequently used inputs and outputs. Full article

The aim of this study was twofold: 1) To compare players’ physical performance and small-sided game (SSG) external responses among three young soccer age categories (i.e., under 14 (U14), under 16 (U16), and under 18 (U18)); and 2) to examine their relationships among physical performance and SSG external responses in each age category. Players’ physical performance was evaluated via several tests and external responses were collected during a four vs. four plus goalkeepers SSG. Main results showed that while older players presented better linear straight sprinting tests (LSSTs) (U18 and U16 vs. U14, p < 0.01), repeated sprint ability (RSA) (U18 vs. U16 and U14 p < 0.01), and change of direction ability (CODA) (U18 and U16 vs. U14, p < 0.01, ES = 2.34−2.72) performances, these differences were not consistent with their SSG external responses (U16 vs. U14, p < 0.01; U18 vs. U16, p < 0.01). Conversely, higher number of associations between players’ physical performance and SSG external responses were found in younger players in comparison to the older ones. These results suggest that while greater physical performance in younger players (i.e., U14) could allow them to exhibit higher external responses, greater physical performance did not influence older players’ (i.e., U18) SSG external responses. Full article

Sustainability concerns and multiple socio-environmental pressures have necessitated a shift towards Sustainable Urban Water Management (SUWM) systems. Viewing SUWM systems as sociotechnical, this paper departs from eight factors previously identified by transition research: Pressures, Context, Purposes, Actors, Instruments, Processes, Outputs, and Outcomes as a methodological framework for a structured review of 100 articles. The study seeks to analyze empirical cases of planning and implementing SUWM systems worldwide. A wide range of public actors—driven by social and environmental factors rather than by economic pressures—have initiated SUWM projects so as to locally fulfill defined social and environmental purposes. We provide evidence on the emergence of new actors, such as experts, users, and private developers, as well as on the diverse and innovative technical and societal instruments used to promote and implement SUWM systems. We also explore their contexts and institutional capacity to deal with pressures and to mobilize significant financial and human resources, which is in itself vital for the transition to SUWM. Planned or implemented SUWM outputs are divided into green (wet ponds, raingardens, and green roofs) and gray (rain barrels and porous pavements) measures. The outcomes of SUWM projects—in terms of societal and technical learning, and their institutional uptakes—are often implicit or lacking, which seemingly reduces the rate of desirable change. Full article

In addition to traditional project management objectives (cost, time, scope and quality, among others), it is now necessary to include a global sustainability objective in all projects, regardless of their nature and scale. The processes for managing this objective may include sub-processes for optimising the sustainability of some or all of the project’s deliverables. In this paper an integrated optimisation technique was applied to optimise the design of a shell and tube heat exchanger (STHE) by taking into account economic, social and environmental indicators. A case study previously analysed in the literature, although with different objectives and scope, was considered for such a purpose. Diverse sets of weights were defined for the environmental impacts, as well as two additional cases. In the first one, all the indicators where assessed in a linear way. Non-linearities were studied in the second one. Both non-nature-inspired (exhaustive search and Monte Carlo simulation) and nature-inspired (Particle Swarm Optimisation, Crow Search Algorithm and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II) optimisation techniques were used to solve the problem. The results were presented and discussed in depth. The findings show the necessity of applying these kinds of methodologies in the design of energy systems and, in particular, STHEs. Full article

Improper waste lead-acid battery (LAB) disposal not only damages the environment, but also leads to potential safety hazards. Given that waste best available treatment technology (BATT) plays a major role in environmental protection, pertinent research has largely focused on evaluating typical recycling technologies and recommending the BATT for waste LABs. First the evaluation indicators were selected based on the analysis of main factors affecting the pollution control of waste LAB treatment. The relative weights of each indicator were determined via the Delphi-attribute hierarchy model (AHM) in the second step. To determine the BATT, the attributive mathematics theory was adopted to calculate the attribute measure of single and multiple indices. Then, five recycling technologies commonly used in the secondary lead industry were estimated using the proposed evaluation system, and the feasibility of the recommended BATT was preliminarily verified. The results indicated that mixed smelting technology (MST), pre-desulfurization and multi-chamber smelting technology (PD-MCST), and direct smelting technology (DST) were found to perform well and were therefore deemed optimal for waste LAB disposal at this stage. The validation study showed that the DST can meet the requirements of pollution control, which is consistent with the evaluation results. Full article

Risk allocation plays a crucial role in the successful development of public-private partnership (PPP) projects. However, despite being an important topic for scholars and practitioners, the existing literature does not provide sufficient evidence on how managing risks in solicited (SP) and unsolicited (USP) road PPP projects, and subsequently, on what the sustainability implications are for such managerial processes. This study aims to extend risk allocation studies by analyzing contracts in Chilean highway PPPs over the last decade based on a systematic content analysis framework and case study data. The framework was developed through line-by-line coding of contract provisions associated with risk-related issues, and data were collected from semi-structured interviews with Chilean PPP practitioners. Results show that, although the majority of risks are either shared or transferred to the private party in most contracts, there are important variations in the way allocation procedures are implemented for SPs and USPs. Contracts analyzed revealed that risk arrangement mechanisms have usually focused on the economic dimension of sustainability without fully incorporating social and environmental considerations, increasing protests in the long-term. Conclusions indicate that risk allocation procedures and sustainability considerations are highly dependent on project-specific features and contextual factors. Overall, the analysis uncovers that the level of autonomy given to the private sector in both SPs and USPs has contributed to properly manage technical and economic risks, but has failed to successfully allocate social and environmental concerns. Full article

Amateur football is played by millions of individuals worldwide, but it has been scarcely researched (almost no studies have targeted this sport). There seems to be a need to fill this gap, because it has an impact in these individuals’ health status. The aim of our research was to uncover amateur football players’ physical and psychological traits to understand the impact of this sport in their health (physical, mental, and social well-being). Two-hundred footballers (17–40 years) from four regions in Spain (north, central, southwest, southeast), enrolled in 16 different football teams participated. They completed a questionnaire to assess their motives for sport participation, their intention to continue playing football, and their exercise addiction. To objectively measure their physical activity levels, accelerometers were used during practice sessions. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were obtained from coaches prior to and after every practice session and players at the end of every practice. Results showed a mean 140.1 moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)/minutes/week. Players’ RPE scores were similar in the “fairly light” range (6–20 scale) at pre (11.38 ± 1.64) and post training (11.83 ± 1.39), and it was not different between players and coaches (11.50 ± 1.52). Enjoyment was the highest-ranked motive to practice amateur football (6.34 ± 0.67; 1–7 range), followed by fitness (5.68 ± 0.97; 1–7 range), social (4.80 ± 0.85; 1–7 range), and appearance (4.04 ± 1.21; 1–7 range). Players had some symptoms of exercise addiction (21.09 ± 4.53; 1–30 range) and their intentions to continue playing were very high (4.31 ± 1.08; 1–5 range). Moreover, enjoyment was the strongest predictor of these intentions (R² = 0.260). In conclusion, a weekly amateur football practice almost allows players to meet international MVPA recommendations for health benefits. Enjoyment was their strongest motive to practice, and the players showed some symptoms of exercise addiction. These two variables were the strongest predictors of the participants’ intention to continue playing amateur football. This sport could be considered adequate to help adults maintain an active, healthy lifestyle. Full article

Autogenous healing is mainly produced by continuing hydration or carbonation. The aim of this research is to quantify the crack closing produced by autogenous healing for early-age concrete. This healing was evaluated for two crack size levels, 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm, under three healing conditions: water immersion, a humidity chamber, and wet/dry cycles. Crack closing was evaluated after 7, 14, 28 and 42 days under healing conditions. The internal status of the cracks was verified visually and using phenolphthalein. The results show that specimens stored in the humidity chamber did not experience healing, while specimens under wet/dry cycles and water immersion achieved the complete closing of small-sized cracks (under 0.15 mm). Autogenous healing showed higher speed under wet/dry cycles but higher final efficiency under water immersion. However, the inspection of the interior of the specimens showed that self-closing occurred mostly on the surface, and carbonation in the crack faces was only noticed very near the specimen’s surface. Additionally, this study proposes a preliminary strategy to model autogenous healing in concrete in terms of crack closing. Full article

Companies are increasingly interested in reducing their environmental footprint. Thereby, they face the challenge of identifying and mitigating their specific impacts and hotspots and simultaneously avoid burden shifting. The organizational life cycle assessment (OLCA) method was conceived and successfully tested for the assessment if companies’ potential environmental impacts. Still, the method poses methodological challenges for the application to service providing organizations. In this paper, OLCA was applied to a service providing SME in the photovoltaic and wind energy business in the United Kingdom. The environmental impact profile of the reporting organization is dominated by transport activities, including the technicians’ trips to the solar farms, employee commuting, and business travels. According to the main goals of the study (gaining insights in internal operations and improving organizational procedures), recommendations to reduce travel-related impacts are provided. For existing methodological challenges like selecting the reporting flow and setting the system boundaries, innovative solutions like defining multiple reporting flows for different activities and to partly include service receiving objects in system boundaries are discussed with the aim to facilitate future applications. Full article

Gifted students are important for the development of knowledgeable societies. The present study examined Mexican elementary-school teachers’ knowledge about gifted students, specifically on screening criteria, educational strategies, and their social value. The relationships between teachers’ knowledge, teaching experience, and training in gifted education was analysed. A total of 1002 teachers (M age = 37.5, SD = 9.6 years old) from the 33 states of Mexico, 365 men and 510 females with 13.5 years of teaching experience, of whom 32% were trained in gifted education, completed an anonymous questionnaire. K-means cluster analysis revealed two clusters. Cluster 1 comprised teachers (61.2%) with poor knowledge, while Cluster 2 included teachers (38.8%) with basic knowledge and more teaching experience and training. Overall, the findings had implications for teachers’ training and educational policy. Full article

Sport-tourism events create a broad spectrum of impacts on and for host communities. However, sustainable sport-tourism events, which emphasize positive impacts, and minimize negative impacts, do not arise by chance—they need careful planning and implementation. This paper aims to review and systematize a wide spectrum of social impacts that outdoor sport-tourism events create from the perspective of key stakeholders and addresses strategic planning elements necessary for achieving event sustainability. To reach its objectives, the authors examined the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database, searching for relevant scientific papers focusing primarily on the impacts and legacy of sport events, strategic planning elements, and attributes necessary for achieving sustainability through a systematic quantitative review and content analysis. The results indicate that the relevant literature mostly focuses on economic impacts, followed by social and environmental impacts. Most studies focus on Europe and Asia, with the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cups being the most popular type of event studied. To systemize event and destination strategic elements and attributes for achieving sustainability, this study considers eight categories: social, cultural, organizational, logistic, communication, economic, tourism, and environmental. This paper identifies the main research gaps, proposes a new holistic sport-tourism events research agenda and provides recommendations so that organizers can avoid planning, organizing, financing mistakes and better leverage future sporting events. Full article

This paper explores if and how the idea of progressive property can help to shape more inclusive, sustainable, and just cities around the globe. While quite nuanced, at its heart the progressive perspective on property considers property as a means of addressing important human needs. It is consistent with reciprocal and communitarian approaches to property rights. Nowhere are these insights more relevant or needed than in cities—dense urban areas where legacies of exclusion have deprived disadvantaged groups of housing and public services. In cities and neighboring suburbs, the right to exclude collides head-on with the need to share limited space with those of little means. By re-examining the work of progressive property scholars, we suggest concrete ways of reconceptualizing access to the city. This paper ties legal theory to housing and city-planning by proposing an international perspective to progressive property scholarship, with a focus on local government policies pertaining to housing. We do so by comparatively examining case studies from the United States (US), Spain, Brazil, and Israel—four countries that are actively experimenting with progressive definitions of property in a manner which affects urban planning and housing in cities. Full article

The performance of machine learning (ML) algorithms depends on the nature of the problem at hand. ML-based modeling, therefore, should employ suitable algorithms where optimum results are desired. The purpose of the current study was to explore the potential applications of ML algorithms in modeling daylight in indoor spaces and ultimately identify the optimum algorithm. We thus developed and compared the performance of four common ML algorithms: generalized linear models, deep neural networks, random forest, and gradient boosting models in predicting the distribution of indoor daylight illuminances. We found that deep neural networks, which showed a determination of coefficient (R²) of 0.99, outperformed the other algorithms. Additionally, we explored the use of long short-term memory to forecast the distribution of daylight at a particular future time. Our results show that long short-term memory is accurate and reliable (R² = 0.92). Our findings provide a basis for discussions on ML algorithms’ use in modeling daylight in indoor spaces, which may ultimately result in efficient tools for estimating daylight performance in the primary stages of building design and daylight control schemes for energy efficiency. Full article

In order to reduce poverty and achieve Goal 1 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, countries’ foreign trade flows must be a driving force for productive activity, as proposed by the WTO-led (World Trade Organization) Aid for Trade initiative. This work analyzes the evolution of international trade in goods and services between Africa’s Least Developed Countries and customers and suppliers from other countries between 2005 and 2015, based on the information provided by UNCTAD and the World Bank. The results confirm a greater degree of trade openness and especially an increase in service imports. Overall, the data show that the purchases made in the international market have a greater marginal effect on GDP than sales, leading to the conclusion that changes in trade policy are needed, at both international and national level. Actions should be aimed at ensuring that the growing integration of these economies in the world trade system does not result in continued deficits in the trade balance but, on the contrary, does contribute to GDP growth and poverty reduction. Full article