Search Results (82)

In the context of China’s “dual carbon” goals and rural revitalization strategy, scientifically assessing the carbon footprint of rural tourism is essential for promoting the sustainable development of the tourism sector. This study presents the first case analysis of the rural tourism carbon footprint in Guangdong Province, using Village B as a representative example. A tourism carbon footprint model for village B was developed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Based on empirical survey data, the tourism carbon footprint of Village B in 2024 was estimated at 7731.23 t, with a per capita carbon footprint of 38.656 kg/p/a. Among the contributing sectors, transportation accounted for the largest share (85.18%), followed by catering (6.93%) and accommodation (5.10%). As an ecotourism-oriented rural destination, Village B exhibited a relatively low carbon footprint from recreational activities. To facilitate the low-carbon transition of rural tourism in the study area and accelerate progress toward the “dual carbon” targets, it is recommended to optimize public transport infrastructure, promote green mobility, enhance the energy efficiency of rural dining and accommodation, and raise awareness of low-carbon tourism. Full article

With rapid urbanisation and population growth, transport equity has become a critical issue, especially when considering the mobility gap among people with disability. Understanding the dynamics between the quality of public transport services and the mobility of people with disability is critical to fostering transport equity and inclusivity. This research investigated service quality barriers encountered by people with disability in the City of Tshwane while navigating the city’s public transport system. A quantitative research method was employed, using a structured questionnaire to collect primary data from people with mobility, vision, and hearing disability. The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and multiple comparison tests to uncover trends and differences among the groups. The findings reveal that people with all types of disability experience considerable service quality challenges. Long travel and waiting times are major concerns amongst people with mobility disability, which lead to heightened inconvenience. The research also found a pervasive lack of transport information, which aggravates the difficulties faced by people with disability. Lastly, the absence of announcements of stops further compounds the challenges experienced by people with a vision disability. The study emphasises the need for high quality public transport services that prioritise accessible and inclusive public transport that caters to all. Addressing service quality barriers in public transport promotes participation in socio-economic life among people with disability. This study contributes to the broader goal of transport equity and highlights the importance of inclusive transport policies and the priority areas that require consideration in a typical developing country. Full article

This research focuses on the impact of smart city technologies on urban tourism, specifically analyzing Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Vienna, while also considering implications for smart tourism development in Belgrade and other Serbian cities. The aim of the study was to examine how smart city technologies contribute to enhancing the efficiency, digital engagement, and sustainability of urban tourism. A representative sample of 1239 tourists was surveyed, with a balanced gender representation and a predominance of younger respondents, indicating that smart tourism initiatives should cater to tech-savvy travelers. The study employed a questionnaire with 31 statements ranked on a five-point Likert scale, and factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) identified three key dimensions: smart efficiency, smart travel, and digital enhancement. These factors highlight how smart technologies optimize urban mobility, enhance travel experiences, and improve tourist engagement. The research confirms the initial hypothesis that integrating smart city technologies enhances urban tourism efficiency and sustainability. Additionally, the study adopts a positivist epistemological approach, emphasizing empirical analysis and statistical validation to derive generalizable findings. The results provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to develop sustainable urban tourism strategies in Serbian cities. Full article

Cross-platform mobile application development has gained significant traction in recent years, driven by the growing demand for efficient, cost-effective solutions that cater to both iOS and Android platforms. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of cross-platform mobile application development, emphasizing the industry trends, framework popularity, and adoption in the job market. By analyzing developer preferences, community engagement, and market demand, this study provides a comprehensive overview of how cross-platform mobile development frameworks shape the mobile development landscape. The research employs a data-driven methodology, drawing insights from three key categories: Developer Sentiment and Survey Data, Community Engagement and Usage Data, and Market Adoption and Job Market Data. By analyzing these factors, the study identifies the key challenges and emerging trends shaping cross-platform mobile application development. It assesses the most widely used frameworks, comparing their strengths and weaknesses in real-world applications. Furthermore, the research examines the industry adoption patterns and the presence of these frameworks in job market trends. Unlike earlier research, which included now-obsolete platforms like Windows Phone and frameworks such as Xamarin, this study is tailored to the current cross-platform mobile application development market landscape. The conclusions offer actionable insights for developers and researchers, equipping them with the knowledge needed to navigate the evolving cross-platform mobile application development ecosystem effectively. Full article

Mobility limitations due to congenital disabilities, accidents, or illnesses pose significant challenges to the daily lives of individuals with disabilities. This study presents a novel design for a multifunctional intelligent vehicle, integrating head recognition, eye-tracking, Bluetooth control, and ultrasonic obstacle avoidance to offer an innovative mobility solution. The smart vehicle supports three driving modes: (1) a nostril-based control system using MediaPipe to track displacement for movement commands, (2) an eye-tracking control system based on the Viola–Jones algorithm processed via an Arduino Nano board, and (3) a Bluetooth-assisted mode for caregiver intervention. Additionally, an ultrasonic sensor system ensures real-time obstacle detection and avoidance, enhancing user safety. Extensive experimental evaluations were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the system. The results indicate that the proposed vehicle achieves an 85% accuracy in nostril tracking, over 90% precision in eye direction detection, and efficient obstacle avoidance within a 1 m range. These findings demonstrate the robustness and reliability of the system in real-world applications. Compared to existing assistive mobility solutions, this vehicle offers non-invasive, cost-effective, and adaptable control mechanisms that cater to a diverse range of disabilities. By enhancing accessibility and promoting user independence, this research contributes to the development of inclusive mobility solutions for disabled and elderly individuals. Full article

We focus on developing a lightweight model for resource-constrained devices, building on MobileViT, a hybrid model that combines the strengths of Transformers and CNNs to balance high accuracy and computational efficiency for image classification. Transformers, while effective at capturing global information, often have higher computational costs than CNNs due to the complexity of their self-attention mechanism. To address this, we introduce the Token Merging (ToMe) technique into MobileViT to reduce computational costs. However, because the number of tokens changes during merging, ToMe cannot be directly applied to MobileViT without adjustments. We propose simple methods, specifically reshaping features and removing skip connections, to resolve this issue. Additionally, we make adjustments to MobileViT’s structure to better support the application of ToMe. Our approach improves inference efficiency while retaining a competitive level of accuracy. The resulting models achieve a balance between performance and computational speed, offering a practical solution for hybrid architectures. This work shows the potential of ToMe-based techniques to broaden the range of lightweight model options, catering to diverse application requirements. Full article

The study examines the relationship between the eating habits of the families of children attending primary school and the appreciation of the meals served in school canteens during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. The analysis focuses on the disruptive effects of the lockdowns imposed from March 2020 onwards to contain the spread of the virus. Restrictions to mobility had an impact on family routines, changing eating habits, meal schedules, and food preparation. The extended time spent at home, combined with distance learning and the closure of school canteens, had a lasting impact on children, particularly on their attitudes toward food and their appreciation of school meals after reopening. Through qualitative and quantitative research into the eating habits of 592 families of 1092 pupils attending primary schools in different regions of Italy during the pandemic, this study highlights the influence of adult eating habits on children’s appreciation of food and allows critical insights into the sustainable school food policies implemented at the time. The findings provide a basis for advocating an alliance between schools and families to promote food education and address deficiencies in collective catering policies, which may hold strategic potential, especially during the ecological transition. Full article

The Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks have gained significant attention because of their wide range of applications in submerged environments. However, ensuring reliable and energy-efficient communication in the submerged environment is challenging due to their distinctive characteristics such as limited energy resources, dynamic topology, extended propagation delays, and node mobility. Additionally, the void hole problem in submerged environments arises due to randomized node deployment. To curtail these issues, this paper introduces a novel way of strategically deploying the nodes based on the underwater depth parameters, which can reduce the likelihood of void hole occurrence. An optimal number of clusters based on the fixed transmission range of cluster heads is used to cater to extensive energy usage. In the proposed routing protocol, the path selection is based on the residual energy, link quality, and proximity to a higher number of nodes. Extensive simulations have been conducted by varying network parameters to analyze the network performance in terms of energy expenditure, packet delivery ratio, network throughput, number of dead nodes, and end-to-end delays. Also, the proposed work provides a performance comparison with some state-of-the-art protocols and exhibits promising results. Full article

Mobile apps have revolutionized almost every aspect of our daily lives, shaping the way we shop, learn and work. The transformative and unprecedented impact they have made on our lifestyle and the convenience they have offered have increased their adoption in diverse domains. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to hear from the interested audience about their desires and requirements in mobile apps. This has stressed the need to employ crowdsourcing in requirements engineering (RE) activities to harness the scattered talent in the crowd. RE tasks require certain software domain knowledge, hence, selecting a suitable subset of the crowd is crucial to obtain high-quality contributions. For that, we propose a crowd selection approach for crowdsourcing mobile app requirements engineering tasks which leverages the untapped crowd available on the social network Twitter (recently changed to X). This article is an extension of our previous work, where we present the proposed social-network-based crowd selection approach design, continue to work on the remaining component of the approach and evaluate the approach through a controlled experiment. For evaluation, the approach was utilized to select a real crowd that were invited to contribute to crowdsourcing requirements elicitation tasks for a fitness mobile app. The quality of the crowdsourced requirements was assessed by experts and the results have provided encouraging and compelling insights about the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The obtained assessment scores for the five quality factors clarity, creativity, relatedness, feasibility and diversity were respectively 4.36, 4.01, 4.29, 4.45 and 4.43 out of 5. Overall, we believe that the proposed social-network-based crowd selection approach could help in eliciting mobile app requirements and features that could cater to the needs of a large audience. Full article

This article investigates the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance service quality and sustainability within the Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering (HoReCa) sector. The study aims to explore how improved communication through ICT can optimize supply chain processes and elevate service standards. A usability analysis was conducted via surveys among HoReCa companies to assess perceptions of a demo application designed to facilitate sustainable practices. Additionally, a competitiveness analysis, grounded in Porter’s Five Forces model, examines the dynamics of mobile applications in the HoReCa market. The usability analysis validates business model assumptions while providing insights into market challenges and opportunities. The findings indicate that volatile commodity prices and recruitment difficulties are significant challenges for restaurateurs, highlighting the need for tools that support sustainable operations. The proposed ICT solutions serve as innovative tools that improve communication between HoReCa businesses and their suppliers, thereby directly influencing service quality. By promoting transparency in pricing and collaboration terms, these solutions align with sustainable supply chain principles, addressing environmental concerns while meeting evolving consumer expectations. This research contributes to the literature on competitiveness in the HoReCa sector by emphasizing the pivotal role of technology in fostering both service quality and sustainable development. Full article

This article delves into the advancements in indoor navigation in metro stations and describes the development and implementation of algorithms for the automatic generation of navigation guidance. The LIFT project at the Warsaw University of Technology serves as a practical example, showcasing a system designed to cater to people with special needs. This article presents a rule-based algorithm that generates navigation directions based on a trade-off between landmark references and spatial references in relation to the user’s location. The research uses a spatial data model consisting of three interconnected layers: the transport network, the room topology, and the building topography. The algorithm uses these data in subsequent stages. A defined set of rules generates redundant navigation directions for all potential decision points and then, subsequent rules filter and generalise them. To discuss the details of how the algorithm works, an example route is described in this study and the consequences of applying the selected rules are analysed. Next, a few problems that arose during the testing of the algorithm at Warsaw Metro stations are presented with proposed solutions. The results of the study made it possible to develop a mobile application, which is planned to be available to users by the end of 2024. Full article

The mobility restrictions faced by older adults pose significant challenges to understanding the association between the neighborhood built environment and their mental health. Neglecting the role of restricted mobility hinders a comprehensive analysis of how the built environment impacts older adults’ mental health. Furthermore, the differences in this association between older adults with and without restricted mobility remain unclear. Based on data from 1405 adults aged 60 and older in Hangzhou, China, this study explored the association between the neighborhood built environment and the mental health of older adults using multivariable linear regression, with multivariable logistic regression being employed for the sensitivity analysis. The results indicated that access to public canteens and outdoor fitness spaces were significantly positively associated with the mental health of older adults. Notably, the protective effect of outdoor fitness spaces was significant for older adults with restricted mobility, while the supportive effect of public canteens was significant for those without restricted mobility. This study demonstrated an association between the neighborhood built environment and mental health among older adults, highlighting differences in this effect between those with and without restricted mobility. These insights underscore the necessity of designing sustainable and inclusive neighborhoods that cater to the varied needs of older adults, ultimately fostering environments that promote healthy and active aging. Full article

This novel research introduces a game-changing architecture design for Quasi-Cyclic Low-Density Parity-Check (QC-LDPC) decoders in Fifth-Generation New-Radio (5G-NR) wireless communications, specifically designed to meet precise specifications and leveraging the layered Min-Sum (MS) algorithm. Our innovative approach presents a fully parallel architecture that is precisely engineered to cater to the demanding high-throughput requirements of enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) applications. To ensure smooth computation in the MS algorithm, we use the Sub-Optimal Low-Latency (SOLL) technique to optimize the critical check node process. Thus, our design has the potential to greatly benefit certain Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) scenarios. We conducted precise Bit Error Rate (BER) performance analysis on our LDPC decoder using a Hardware Description Language (HDL) Co-Simulation (MATLAB/Simulink/ModelSim) for two codeword rates (2/3 and 1/3), simulating the challenging Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel environment. Full article

The advent of the digital era has catalyzed transformative shifts in educational paradigms, seamlessly integrating sustainable education with innovative pedagogical approaches that cater to a broader spectrum of learners and educators. As the academic landscape evolves into an information-dense environment, traditional models of one-on-one feedback often fall short, resulting in delays and a lack of diverse intellectual engagement. This shift underscores the growing importance of peer feedback and asynchronous post-lesson feedback mechanisms, which have emerged as vital, process-oriented educational activities. Such mechanisms not only address the immediacy and diversity of feedback but also foster a sustainable, collaborative, and engaging learning environment that bolsters student autonomy and interaction. This study conducts a mapping review and synthesis of the literature on peer interaction, assessment, and participatory innovations in online and mobile learning within higher education, covering the period from 1993 to 2022. By employing topic modeling techniques to analyze a corpus of 485 articles, the literature was initially segmented into 19 distinct issues. These were subsequently consolidated into three major thematic models, thereby highlighting significant themes, research focal points, and prospective trends. This analytical process not only enriches the understanding of peer dynamics in digital learning settings but also integrates sustainable educational practices by promoting resource efficiency and inclusivity. The findings serve as a robust reference for future researchers aiming to explore the intersections of technology, peer interaction, and sustainability in educational settings. Full article

Demand-responsive transport (DRT) could be an alternative for extending the accessibility of high-speed rail (HSR) servicing cities in rural environments, where fixed public transport does not provide efficient services. This paper proposes a method to analyse the factors that influence the implementation of DRT systems for inter-urban mobility, connecting and integrating towns in rural areas. Methodologically, a vehicle routing problem analysis in a GIS-based environment is applied to a theoretical case study to evaluate the factors that influence DRT efficiency in different scenarios, considering the specific singularities of this kind of inter-urban long-distance mobility. The results suggest the optimal DRT solutions in these rural contexts to be those that, after adjusting the fleet to specific demands, use low-capacity vehicles, which are much better adapted to the geography of sparsely populated areas. Moreover, in adapting DRT systems to HSR travellers’ needs, windows catering to these needs should incorporate the option of setting the pickup or arrival times. This paper demonstrates that DRT systems could reach significant levels of service in rural areas compared with fixed lines and even private vehicles, especially when evaluating key aspects of the system’s efficiency for its implementation. Full article