Search Results (1,456)

This study investigates the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) simulation for teaching the hand lay-up process in composite manufacturing within mechanical engineering education. A within-subjects experiment involving 17 undergraduate mechanical engineering students compared the VR-based training with conventional physical laboratory instruction. Task performance, cognitive load, and learner perceptions were measured using procedural accuracy scores, completion times, NASA-TLX workload ratings, and post-task interviews. Results indicated that while participants required more time to complete the task in VR, procedural accuracy was comparable between VR and physical labs. VR significantly reduced mental, physical, and effort-related demands but elicited higher frustration levels, primarily due to navigation challenges and motion discomfort. Qualitative feedback showed strong learner preference for VR, citing its hazard-free environment, repeatability, and step-by-step guidance. These findings suggest that VR offers a viable and pedagogically effective alternative or complement to traditional composite-manufacturing training, particularly in contexts where access to physical facilities is limited. Future work should examine long-term skill retention, incorporate haptic feedback for tactile realism, and explore hybrid models combining VR and physical practice to optimise learning outcomes. Full article

In the process of establishing a protected area system centered on national parks, China’s policies inevitably impact the traditional livelihoods of original community residents, often leading to a diminished sense of social justice. Tourism, serving as a critical bridge between realizing the value of national parks’ ecological products and transitioning community livelihoods, is pivotal for fostering coordination between conservation efforts and community support for tourism. This coordination is essential for enhancing the community’s perception of social justice and achieving the sustainable development goals of national parks. This study aims to investigate the antecedents influencing community willingness to support tourism in national parks. Data were collected from 326 original residents of Wuyishan National Park in China and analyzed using a dual-stage approach that combines Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The findings indicate that all three dimensions of perceived justice—distributive, procedural, and interactional—significantly and positively influence the community’s willingness to support tourism. Community tourism empowerment mediates the relationship between these three dimensions of perceived justice and the support for tourism development. The contrasting results between PLS-SEM and ANN in Model A reveal the complex nature of how perceptions of fairness facilitate community empowerment. Full article

The quality of urban space influences the sustainability of cities and the well-being of their inhabitants, but quantifying this attribute through numerical representations of urban conditions has proved difficult in urban planning. This article describes how integrating qualitative and quantitative datasets through analytical and generative methods can enhance the comprehension and evaluation of urban space quality. Focusing on the city of Sydney, Australia, the research employed a public survey to assess the urban conditions of 11 suburbs against key qualitative traits of beauty, comfort, safety and ambience. The data was analysed using image segmentation and geographical information systems, and correlations between the survey responses and the urban characteristics present in each image were calculated. The results include nine characteristics of urban spaces that reflect the listed qualitative traits and a percentile ratio for each urban condition that represents the perception of each trait, offering a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of the quality of urban spaces. The research contributes to ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life in urban environments by providing a highly specific and clear quantification of four highly subjective perceptions of urban space. The proposed quality measurement method represents a valuable tool for policymakers, urban planners and designers to use to inform decision-making and ultimately create more liveable, sustainable and inclusive cities. Full article

Technology has historically served as a fundamental driver of human welfare and progress. Contemporary calls for temporary moratoria on technological development, motivated by concerns about existential threats to humanity, represent a misguided approach that may ultimately prove counterproductive to human flourishing. This paper argues that technology itself is not inherently problematic; rather, the issue lies in contemporary society’s fragmented ontological framework. Drawing on African philosophical traditions, particularly Kemetic cosmology and ubuntu philosophy, we examine how ancient Kemetic civilization exemplified transhumanist principles through its integration of technological advancement within a holistic worldview. The Kemetic understanding of Reality as a sacred, differentiated Whole, embodied in their conception of Atum as the self-developing divine principle, always connected to and guided by Shu (life) and Tefnut/Ma’at (order), provided a cosmological foundation that enabled beneficial coexistence with technology as a life-giving human contingency regulated by ma’at. Similarly, the ubuntu cosmo-philosophical vision in contemporary African thought emphasizes Reality as an interconnected totality, with technology being an independent yet connected excitation in this Reality. This study, therefore, contends that the fundamental challenge facing modern society today is not technological or AI development per se, but rather the need to reconstruct our fragmented perception of Reality. Within a properly integrated cosmological vision, technology functions not as a selfish instrument or an object readily available for our exploitative purposes but as an inherently life-affirming, sustaining, and enhancing force indispensable for the well-being of the Whole. The implications suggest that, rather than constraining technological advancement, which could be detrimental to our well-being due to our inherent reliance on it, as it relies on us, efforts should be directed toward cultivating a holistic yet relational understanding of technology, with the cosmos. Full article

Objectives: This research paper proposes an innovative framework for developing adaptive and dedicated rehabilitation strategies based on the perceptions of specialists in sports rehabilitation (RT), sports training (AR) and with mixed expertise (RT+AR) regarding advanced resistance training methods, including Effort-Based Training (EBT-3/7), Cluster Training (CT), Rest-Pause Training (RPT) and Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP). The aim of this paper was to develop a tailored strategy for rehabilitation programs, grounded in a targeted selection of training methods, short-term periodization and exercises structured around key training variables such as frequency, intensity and volume. Methods: In order to reach this objective, a quantitative research method is proposed, aiming to identify the experts’ opinion on the way of managing and integrating Unilateral Resistance Training Exercise (URTE). Data processing and analysis were conducted by means of specific tests supplied by the SPSS Statistics for Windows (version 20.0, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: The findings indicate that EBT-3/7 is perceived as the most effective method for rehabilitation with minimal injury risk, whereas CT and PAP are associated with performance benefits but higher perceived injury risk. RT+AR specialists reported more frequent use of these methods and higher perceived effectiveness. Additionally, they demonstrated superior operational and dynamic capabilities compared to single-domain specialists. Conclusions: According to specialists’ opinions, URTE is effective for post-injury rehabilitation, with combined rehabilitation and training expertise enhancing utilization, perceived effectiveness and implementation of personalized, performance-oriented strategies. Full article

Objectives: The present study analyzes the effects of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program based on the Tabata method on physiological and psychological variables in contemporary dancers (n = 10) and sedentary individuals (n = 8), who performed a 10-week protocol, with sessions of self-loading exercises structured in intervals of 20 s of effort and 10 s of rest three times a week. Methods: Parameters of body composition, muscle strength, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, heart rate variability, as well as perceptions of health, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, and levels of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle were evaluated. Results: The results showed that no significant changes occurred in most body composition variables, except for visceral fat, where group differences were observed (F = 5.66, p = 0.030, η²ₚ = 0.261). In the indicators of strength and power, the dancers improved the height and relative power of the jump (F = 5.996, p = 0.026, η²ₚ = 0.273), while the sedentary ones increased the strength of the handgrip (p = 0.023). In terms of functional performance, both groups significantly increased anaerobic endurance (F = 10.374, p = 0.005, η²ₚ = 0.393), although no changes were recorded in maximal oxygen consumption or heart rate variability (p > 0.05). On a psychological level, improvements in healthy lifestyle habits and a decrease in the trait anxiety variable were evidenced in dancers (p = 0.023), while in sedentary participants no relevant effects were found. Conclusions: In conclusion, the Tabata protocol may represent an efficient and complementary strategy to enhance strength, anaerobic power, and psychological well-being, particularly among dancers. The observed improvements suggest potential benefits related to movement quality, injury prevention, and general physical conditioning. Full article

Background/Objectives: Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) play a vital role in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, their implementation in Zambia remains variable despite some notable progress. This study assessed healthcare professionals’ awareness of the Multisectoral National Action Plan (NAP) on AMR, alongside their perceptions, barriers, and implementation practices related to ASPs. Methods: A cross-sectional survey conducted between August and December 2024 included 364 healthcare professionals (HCPs) in 58 randomly selected public healthcare facilities in Zambia. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS 25.0. Results: Findings revealed that while 75.3% of respondents were aware of the Zambian NAP on AMS, only 68.1% of the respondents reported that their hospitals had established AMS committees. Conversely only 41.2% of the respondents stated that their hospitals possessed hospital-specific treatment guidelines. Encouragingly, 97.5% believed ASPs could enhance clinical outcomes and reduce AMR. Key barriers included limited funding (75.9%), inadequate IT infrastructure (64.1%), limited access to essential data (64%), and healthcare workforce shortages (53.8%). Conclusions: Whilst HCPs in Zambia demonstrated high awareness of the NAP and supported ASP implementation, systemic challenges hindered their consistent execution across health facilities. Gaps in treatment guideline development, AMR data usage, and the integration of antimicrobial susceptibility recording systems into clinical activities must be addressed to strengthen ASP efforts nationwide. Full article

University students face rising mental health pressures, making restorative environmental perception (REP) in campus forests critical for psychological recovery. While environmental factors are recognized contributors, Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) theory emphasizes that environmental and social processes are interdependent. Within this context, informal social interaction (ISI)—low-effort encounters such as greetings or small talk—represent a key social dimension that may complement environmental restoration by fostering comfort and embedded affordances. However, most studies examine these factors separately, often using coarse measures that overlook heterogeneity in restorative mechanisms. This study investigates how environmental-exposure and social–environmental context dimensions jointly shape REP in campus forests, focusing on distributional patterns beyond average effects. Using a Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) approach, 30 students photographed 1294 tree-dominant scenes on a forest-rich campus. Environmental features were quantified via semantic segmentation, and ISI was rated alongside REP. Quantile regression estimated effects across the REP distribution. Three distributional patterns emerged. First, blue exposure and ISI acted as reliable resources, consistently enhancing REP with distinct profiles. Second, green exposure functioned as a threshold-dependent resource, with mid-quantile attenuation but amplified contributions in highly restorative scenes. Third, anthropogenic and demographic factors created conditional barriers with distribution-specific effects. Findings demonstrate that campus forest restoration operates through differentiated socio-ecological mechanisms rather than uniform pathways, informing strategies for equitable, restoration-optimized management. More broadly, the distributional framework offers transferable insights for urban forests as socio-ecological infrastructures supporting both human well-being and ecological resilience. Full article

Recent research has identified a connection between ancient identities and the surrounding landscape during the Roman era in Shropshire, UK. Specifically, archaeological sites associated with distinct identities, characterised by abundant material culture remains, tend to be located in highly visible places. This suggests that their placement was intentional, possibly to signal wealth, status, and territorial control or to oversee slaves and tenants working nearby. This article aims to build on that research by examining the relationship between these identity-linked sites and the broader landscape using ArcGIS techniques. The analysis found no significant correlation between the identities and the wider landscape. Instead, all sites—regardless of identity—are situated near watercourses, Roman roads, and areas that minimise human effort and energy expenditure. These findings imply that ancient groups’ perceptions and management of the landscape varied depending on the spatial scale considered. Full article

The sustainable integration of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) in higher education hinges on students’ prolonged and meaningful adoption. Grounded in the Acceptance of AI Device Usage (AIDUA) framework, this study extends the model by incorporating novelty value and trust to investigate the determinants of students’ willingness to use AIEd Tools sustainably. Data from 400 university students in China were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that novelty value acts as a powerful catalyst, substantially boosting performance expectancy and diminishing effort expectancy. Furthermore, this study delineates a dual-pathway mechanism where performance and effort expectancies shape both emotions and trust, which in turn directly determine adoption intention—with emotion exhibiting the stronger influence. Theoretically, this research validates an extended AIDUA model, highlighting the critical roles of sustained innovation perception and cognitive-affective dual pathways. Practically, it advises higher education institutions to prioritize building robust trust through transparent practices and to design AIEd Tools that deliver lasting innovative value and positive learning experiences to foster sustainable adoption. Full article

Accurate and reliable detection of landslides plays a crucial role in disaster prevention and mitigation efforts. However, due to unfavorable environmental conditions, uneven surface structures, and other disturbances similar to those of landslides, traditional methods often fail to achieve the desired results. To address these challenges, this study introduces a novel multi-scale cross-layer feature interaction network, specifically designed for landslide segmentation in remote sensing images. In the MCFI-Net framework, we adopt the encoder–decoder as the foundational architecture, and integrate cross-layer feature information to capture fine-grained local textures and broader contextual patterns. Then, we introduce the receptive field block (RFB) into the skip connections to effectively aggregate multi-scale contextual information. Additionally, we design the multi-branch dynamic convolution block (MDCB), which possesses both dynamic perception ability and multi-scale feature representation capability. The comprehensive evaluation conducted on both the Landslide4Sense and Bijie datasets demonstrates the superior performance of MCFI-Net in landslide segmentation tasks. Specifically, on the Landslide4Sense dataset, MCFI-Net achieved a Dice score of 0.7254, a Matthews correlation coefficient (Mcc) of 0.7138, and a Jaccard score of 0.5699. Similarly, on the Bijie dataset, MCFI-Net maintained high accuracy with a Dice score of 0.8201, an Mcc of 0.8004, and a Jaccard score of 0.6951. Furthermore, when evaluated on the optical remote sensing dataset EORSSD, MCFI-Net obtained a Dice score of 0.7770, an Mcc of 0.7732, and a Jaccard score of 0.6571. Finally, ablation experiments carried out on the Landslide4Sense dataset further validated the effectiveness of each proposed module. These results affirm MCFI-Net’s capability in accurately identifying landslide regions from complex remote sensing imagery, and it provides great potential for the analysis of geological disasters in the real world. Full article

Rural communities have a close-knit social structure, hindering the disclosure of mental disorders due to fear of negative societal perception. The study aimed to explore the experiences of both clubhouse members and staff with stigma and to examine how the Clubhouse addresses stigma in rural Wyoming through semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (12 clubhouse members and 4 staff members). The data analysis was performed in NVivo using reflexive thematic analysis. Three main themes were generated: “mental health prejudices,” where participants reported being perceived as dangerous, unintelligent, incompetent, and attention seekers. The second main theme, “the root causes of mental health stigma,” has three subthemes: “mental health illiteracy”, “the media,” and “personal struggles and background.” The third main theme, “clubhouse effort to address stigma,” encompasses two subthemes: “the unique clubhouse environment for self-stigma recovery” and “advocacy and community outreach.” The study findings highlight the emotional challenges individuals with mental illness face due to stigma from the media and the public. However, the clubhouse provides a non-judgmental environment that addresses both self- and public stigma. The findings also support expanding clubhouses, especially in rural areas, to improve mental health outcomes. Full article

This study explores how sustainability leadership and Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) practices interplay to cultivate an environmentally responsible culture in organizations based in Jeddah. Through thematic analysis of participant interviews, the research identifies key leadership behaviors, such as visionary communication, role modeling, and operational integration, that align culturally grounded ethical values to drive sustainability. Green HRM practices, including green recruitment, targeted training, eco-friendly performance appraisals, and recognition systems, further reinforce these leadership efforts. The study highlights the importance of authentic alignment between leadership values and HRM policies to avoid perceptions of greenwashing and to institutionalize sustainable practices effectively. Findings emphasize that embedding sustainability within organizational culture requires a synergistic approach integrating leadership vision, HRM systems, and cultural context, fostering employee motivation and long-term environmental commitment. The implications provide valuable insights for organizations seeking to implement meaningful sustainability strategies aligned with both global goals and local values. Full article

This study seeks to provide insight into the comprehensive efforts aimed at advancing gender justice, eliminating period poverty, and exposing stigmatizing views toward women’s bodies, specifically in relation to menstrual health. Menstruation is a normal bodily process for all women and girls, but the availability of menstrual products, dignity, and justice during menstruation remains a worrying concern. Menstruators still suffer from adverse circumstances when they menstruate, adding to their sufferings of experiencing pain and distress on a monthly basis. Menstrual hygiene requires the use of standardized menstrual products to maintain cleanliness during menses. However, women experiencing economic hardship and women who are marginalized bear the burden of inadequate hygiene amenities, basic hygiene services, and affordable menstrual products; they are victims of period poverty. The failure to recognize and effectively address menstrual issues perpetuates the idea that menstruation is a burden unique to women. In other words, government inaction on menstrual issues strengthens the perception that menstruation is an individual problem that women must manage independently. This study argues that when menstruation is identified as a bodily problem or a neglected subject, it perpetuates gender inequities and restricts access to well-suited hygiene material, which is known to cause urogenital infections. Given these challenges, the study recommends recognizing menstrual health as a serious health challenge. The absence of robust legal and international norms that specifically address menstrual health perpetuates neglect and the ongoing failure to meet the needs of menstruating women. Full article

The rise of the smart city reflects a transformative shift in urban development, defined by the integration of advanced technologies and data-driven solutions seeking to address rapid urbanization, environmental externalities, and the ever-increasing pressing need for optimal resource use. Nevertheless, a better understanding of the factors that shape citizens’ behavioral intentions towards smart-city living is becoming a sheer necessity. This study is among the first to empirically examine determinants describing the propensity to use smart-city services in an urban setting of south-eastern Europe. In this regard, we employ the smart-city stakeholders’ adoption (SSA) model in order to shed light on smart-city technology acceptance, further focusing on the underlying impact of demographics in shaping citizen attitudes and perceptions. Findings suggest that key predictors of acceptance (latent variables describing self-efficacy, price value, and trust in technology), all positively affect behavioral intention while the non-significance of effort expectancy contradicts the relevant results of previous studies and warrants further investigation. Furthermore, the analysis supports the theorized indirect effects of the model, whereas perceived privacy and perceived security both influence behavioral intention via trust in technology, while price value mediates the effect of citizen’s trust in government. The role of demographics was examined for potential moderating effects and was found to be significant, particularly in the case of age and education. Even though the demographic moderators we opted for do not substantially affect the explanatory power of the model, they seem to improve its specificity, particularly regarding perceptions on effort expectancy across the different demographic groups. Such results offer actionable insights on the relevance of smart-city acceptance models to the different demographic groups and in tailoring policies according to demographic segmentation groups with common characteristics. Full article