Search Results (232)

Currently, an active debate is underway among the academic community, urban planners, and policymakers regarding optimal models of urban development, given that the majority of the population now resides in cities. One concept under discussion is the 15 min city, which posits that all urban residents should be able to reach key, frequently used services within a 15 min walk or cycle. Although the literature suggests numerous potential benefits, debate persists about whether such cities would be optimal from the standpoint of sustainable development objectives and residents’ quality of life. The ongoing discussion also concerns the extent to which existing cities are capable of aligning with this concept. This is directly linked to the actual spatial distribution of individual services within the city. The literature indicates a research gap arising from a shortage of robust case studies that would enable a credible assessment of the practical implementation of this idea across diverse cities, countries, and regions. This issue pertains to Poland as well as to other countries. A desirable future scenario would involve comprehensive mapping of all cities, with respect to both the spatial distribution of specific services and related domains such as the quality and coherence of linear infrastructure. This article presents an analysis of the spatial accessibility of basic urban services in the context of implementing the 15 min city concept, using the city of Koszalin (Poland) as a case study. This city was selected due to its representative character as a medium-sized urban centre, both in terms of population and area, as well as its subregional functions within Poland’s settlement structure. Koszalin also exhibits a typical spatial and functional layout characteristic of many Polish cities. In light of growing challenges related to urbanisation, climate change, and the need to promote sustainable mobility, this study focuses on evaluating access to services such as education, healthcare, retail, public transport, and green spaces. The use of Geographic Information System (GIS) tools enabled the identification of spatial variations in service accessibility across the city. The results indicate that only 11% of Koszalin’s area fully meets the assumptions of the 15 min city concept, providing pedestrians with convenient access to all key services. At the same time, 92% of the city’s area offers access to at least one essential service within a 15 min walk. Excluding forested areas not intended for development increases these values to 14% and 100%, respectively. This highlights the extent to which methodological choices in assessing pedestrian accessibility can shape analytical outcomes and the interpretations drawn from them. Moreover, given this article’s objective and the adopted analytical procedure, the assumed pedestrian walking speed is the key parameter. Accordingly, a sensitivity analysis was conducted, comparing the reference scenario (4 km/h) with alternative variants (3 and 5 km/h). This approach demonstrates the extent to which a change in a single parameter affects estimates of urban-area coverage by access to individual services reachable on foot within 15 min. The analysis reveals limited integration of urban functions at the local scale, highlighting areas in need of planning intervention. This article proposes directions for action to improve pedestrian accessibility within the city. Full article

The maximum demand payment component (MDPC) of the electricity bill, which reflects the highest level of power demand during a billing period, is a well-recognized barrier to the feasibility of electric vehicle fast-charging facilities (EVFCFs). While several studies have explored control strategies to mitigate demand peaks, they primarily focus on slow-charging facilities and fail to account for maximum demand prices. On the other hand, the few existing EVFCF-particular strategies overlook the diminished user-desired quality of service caused by the additional charging time needed for demand management. Moreover, their implementations under real-world conditions also remain unexplored. To address these issues, this work proposes a managed charging solution that explicitly considers the impact of maximum demand prices while maintaining user-desired quality of service, and implements it under real-world conditions in three different metropolitan areas in the United States. Simulation results indicate that the proposed solution can increase an EVFCF’s operational profits by 5–26% compared with conventional charging methods. The findings also highlight that the outcomes of the proposed solution are significantly influenced by the EVFCF utilization rate, the time between consecutive EV arrivals, the incumbent electric utility-specified maximum demand prices, and the user preferences of selecting the various “alternative fuel-grade options” offered at an EVFCF. These findings could pave the way for a more informed deployment of managed charging solutions at EVFCFs, thereby accelerating equitable transition to transportation electrification. Full article

Excessive surface friction encountered during metal-forming processes typically leads to die wear and seizure in part surfaces, which consequently shortens the die’s service lifespan and lowers the surface quality of the formed parts. To minimize surface friction, tool surface modification is required. This study focuses on reducing the sliding friction of SKH51 high-speed steel by fabricating micro-grooves with various crosshatch angles using a nanosecond pulse laser. The effects of laser texturing parameters on achieving the groove aspect ratio of 0.1 were investigated. This aspect ratio facilitates lubricant retention and enhances lubrication performance on the contact surfaces. The influence of groove crosshatch angles (30°, 60°, and 90°) on the friction in the sliding contact between a textured high-speed steel disc and an AISI304 stainless steel pin was evaluated using a pin-on-disc test with a constant load. Moreover, the contact pressure distribution and stress concentration associated with each groove pattern were numerically analyzed using the finite element method. The results demonstrated that a laser power of 20 W effectively produced groove geometries with the desired aspect ratio. Among the tested patterns, the surface textured with a 60° crosshatch angle exhibited the lowest coefficient of friction of 0.111, compared to 0.148 for the untextured surface. Finite element analysis further revealed that the 60° crosshatch pattern provided the most balanced combination of load redistribution, reduced mean pressure, and average stress, which may reduce the friction under sliding conditions. These findings confirm that laser surface texturing, particularly with an optimized crosshatch angle, can significantly reduce sliding friction and enhance the tribological performance of high-speed steel tools. Full article

The quality of transport services is not only a measure of operational efficiency but also an important factor of strategic logistics management in the pursuit of sustainable development. This study identifies five key transport service quality indicators (timeliness, routing, economy, safety, efficiency) and uses data from a logistics monitoring system to assess them with Harrington’s desirability function. Each indicator’s performance is converted into a partial desirability score and these scores are combined into a single overall desirability score (D), with weights determined from the data. Notably, a threshold around D = 0.63 emerged as the benchmark for acceptable service quality. This numeric threshold provides managers with a clear KPI target—if the service quality index falls below 0.63, it signals the need for corrective action, whereas consistently achieving values near 0.8 reflects very good performance aligned with strategic sustainability goals. Based on the proposed approach, an algorithm and software tool were developed to automate the assessment process. The obtained results show how improvements in service reliability, safety and efficiency can be aligned with broader sustainability goals in automotive transportation. The proposed approach offers managerial decision makers a robust tool to guide policy and investment, ensuring that enhancements in transport service performance also advance environmental and social sustainability. In doing so, the framework advances SDG 9 by turning logistics telemetry into an actionable management index that strengthens resilient transport infrastructure and fosters practical innovation at the enterprise level. Full article

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the capability of various steel rope manufacturers to maintain the desired variability within the strength class of wires used in the production of steel ropes. From a service life perspective, it is optimal to achieve the narrowest possible strength class interval for wires integrated into steel ropes. However, the applicable EN 12385 standards permit a relatively wide interval of allowable strength class dispersion. The analysis encompasses 112 steel ropes tested over the period from 2000 to 2025. For the purpose of evaluating rope quality in terms of wire strength variability, the ropes were categorized into four quality classes. The assessment of wire strength was conducted using statistical quality control methods, specifically through the application of control charts. Based on these methods, the stability and capability of wire strength within each rope were verified. The results highlight the differences in wire strength performance across the evaluated quality classes. Full article

Expensive medical devices, especially in the areas of orthopedics, and cardiology, have a significant impact on hospital costs and the delivery of high-quality services. These medical supplies are known as physician preference items (PPIs), as they act as “surrogate buyers”—impacting the selection and sourcing of products. There is a gap between the purchasing strategy and the adoption of tactical activities for these complex medical supplies. In the context of the healthcare exceptionalism thesis, this research investigates how healthcare organizations can successfully adopt suitable sourcing levers aiming to achieve different purchasing results. This research conducts a multi-case study in 15 healthcare organizations in nine countries. Three new sourcing levers specific to the healthcare sector emerged, based on the healthcare exceptionalism thesis. It was possible to identify five main sourcing levers clusters. The fit between strategy and tactical level can be allowed by the implementation of suitable sourcing levers—facilitating the achievement of the desired objectives. Healthcare procurement practitioners should assess the fit between strategy and the tactical level by employing suitable sourcing levers. Organizations wishing to move towards a value-based procurement approach should adopt a set of supporting sourcing levers to enable this transition. Full article

This study investigates the influence of experiential programs (EPs) on enhancing consumer experience offerings at luxury resorts. EPs encompass a variety of activities, amenities, and services designed to immerse consumers in the local culture, scenery, and authenticity. The research focuses explicitly on EPs related to fitness, evening entertainment, children’s activities, and personalized experiences. By analyzing data from 30 resorts, significant trends and typologies within each category of EP emerged, highlighting the diverse ways in which resorts meet consumers’ desires for immersive and status-enhancing experiences. Valuable insights were gained through semi-structured interviews with two hoteliers, providing a deeper understanding of the strategic integration of EPs. Fitness EPs highlight activities, including hiking and yoga, whereas evening entertainment encompasses experiences like mixology, music, and astronomy education. For children, EPs prioritize cultural immersion through hands-on experiences, while personalized EPs—including romance packages and private dining—allow for consumer exclusivity. The research underscores how these EPs align with contemporary trends in conspicuous consumption, where luxury resorts leverage unique, high-quality, and culturally rich experiences to reinforce affluence and societal standing. The findings emphasize that EPs are a vital strategy for luxury resorts to differentiate themselves in a competitive market, enhancing consumer satisfaction, loyalty, and positive self-image. Full article

In the context of people-oriented and high-quality development, improving the quality of rural public service facilities is an important way to promote rural revitalization. However, at present, there are problems such as imbalanced resource allocation, single service functions, and low service quality in regard to rural public service facilities in general, and the contradiction between supply and demand is becoming increasingly prominent. Only by effectively grasping the correlation between residents’ needs and their satisfaction with such facilities can the precise allocation of service facilities be carried out. In this study, Gaoqing County, Zibo City, Shandong Province, is selected as the empirical case. By applying the Kano model and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) through the use of questionnaire surveys and expert interviews, we develop an integrated “demand–satisfaction” analytical framework to propose targeted optimization strategies for rural public service facilities. Based on the Kano model, the essential, desired, and attractive needs of rural residents for various types of facilities were identified. Combining the IPA model, the coupling and coordination relationship between demand and satisfaction was further analyzed, and rural public service facilities were analyzed and categorized accordingly. The research results show that educational institution facilities, healthcare facilities, and market facilities have the highest demand, while cultural, sports, and technological facilities have relatively low demand. Based on the analysis results, this study proposes an optimization strategy for the classification and grading of the “demand–satisfaction” coupling relationship of public service facilities. It provides a scientific basis for the layout optimization of rural public service facilities, and also provides an effective reference for the sustainable development and service quality improvement and upgrading of rural areas. Full article

In 5G wireless communication, network slicing is considered one of the key network elements, which aims to provide services with high availability, low latency, maximizing data throughput, and ultra-reliability and save network resources. Due to the exponential expansion of cellular networking in the number of users along with the new applications, delivering the desired Quality of Service (QoS) requires an accurate and fast network slicing mechanism. In this paper, hybrid deep learning (DL) approaches are investigated using convolutional neural networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs) to provide an accurate network slicing model. The proposed hybrid approaches are CNN-LSTM, CNN-RNN, and CNN-GRU, where a CNN is initially used for effective feature extraction and then LSTM, an RNN, and GRUs are utilized to achieve an accurate network slice classification. To optimize the model performance in terms of accuracy and model complexity, the hyperparameters of each algorithm are selected using the Bayesian optimization algorithm. The obtained results illustrate that the optimized hybrid CNN-GRU algorithm provides the best performance in terms of slicing accuracy (99.31%) and low model complexity. Full article

Retailers have traditionally prioritised younger customers, often overlooking the distinct needs of older consumers. As this demographic grows, it is increasingly important to cater to their shopping preferences. This study explores the behaviours, needs, and challenges of Croatian consumers aged 60+ through qualitative semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that older urban customers in Croatia prioritise quality over price, are brand-loyal yet discerning, and balance price consciousness for necessities with the willingness to spend on desired items. The study contributes to consumer behaviour theory by highlighting older consumers’ selective brand loyalty and self-directed decision making. It expands on ageing population theories by challenging assumptions that older consumers are passive shoppers, emphasising their preference for informed, self-directed purchasing. From a retail strategy perspective, it emphasises experience-based retailing, advocating for enhanced customer service, clear store navigation, and tailored marketing. Practically, our research provides actionable insights for retailers to optimise service, enhance operational efficiency, and improve profitability. Adapting retail environments to better serve older customers can foster a more engaging and rewarding shopping experience, benefiting both consumers and businesses. Full article

Due to the increase in recreational demands, the significance of protected areas and forests with recreational potential in forests increased with the demands of nature tourism, which in turn provided new income sources to the forestry industry. In the current study, the economic values of the Uzungöl Nature Park’s lake view, an international tourist destination, were estimated using the hedonic pricing method. In the study, 188 questionnaires were conducted with 89 businesses, and the hedonic price function (HPF) was determined based on the study data collected from the businesses in Uzungöl Nature Park. It was estimated that the mean lake view in-room accommodation price for the hotels in Uzungöl Nature Park was USD 207.38 and the lake causes an increase of $2.8 per square meter and $144.67 in total on the room price of the hotels. The study findings demonstrated that the lake view was a desirable quality for hotel rooms, which is reflected in the prices in Uzungöl. The significant contribution of the lake view to room prices would support the planning and management of protected areas that are usually rich in natural resources. Determining the economic value of the lake view will enable business owners operating in the region or those planning to establish new businesses to make more informed pricing strategies. It will also strengthen hotel owners’ marketing campaigns and enable them to think more rationally about new investments (such as adding rooms or services). Business owners will be able to optimize their rooms based on lake views in order to offer more lake-view rooms to customers. Determining the economic value of the lake view will raise awareness about the protection of natural areas. By investing in eco-friendly and sustainable practices, hotel owners will contribute to the conservation of natural resources. The value estimates determined in the present study would also contribute to the employment of total forest value calculations and resource accounting systems. Full article

The transformation of traditional food markets into urban tourism destinations has garnered increasing attention, yet the mechanisms driving tourist motivations remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a host–guest sharing model grounded in the Theory of Self-Regulation (TSR). Employing a mixed-methods approach, we first conducted grounded theory analysis on 358,700 words of travelogues, identifying six TSR-based constructs: host–guest sharing, sense of place, behavior attitude, desire, subjective norms, and behavioral intention. These constructs were then validated through structural equation modeling (SEM) using survey data from 416 tourists. Results indicate that host–guest sharing (β = 0.925) and sense of place (β = 0.947) are the primary drivers of tourist intention, mediated by behavior attitude (β = 0.662) and desire (β = 0.861). Subjective norms (β = 0.724) further reinforce intention formation. The findings highlight the centrality of authentic cultural experiences and resident–tourist interactions in shaping food market tourism. This research extends the TSR framework by integrating geographical and psychological perspectives and offering actionable insights for urban planners to enhance food markets as sustainable tourism attractions through improved service quality, cultural storytelling, and equitable space design. Full article

The increasing adoption of Internet of Things devices has led to a significant demand for cloud services, where latency and bandwidth play a crucial role in shaping users’ perception of network service quality. However, the use of cloud services with the desired quality is not always available to all users. Furthermore, uneven network coverage in urban and rural areas has created “digital deserts”, which are characterized by a lack of connectivity resources, complicating access to cloud services. In this scenario, edge computing emerges as a promising alternative for service provision. Edge computing leverages data processing at or near the source where it is generated rather than sending it to the cloud for processing. It can lead to several advantages, such as reduced latency and lower bandwidth usage. This paper addresses the need to ensure consistent quality of experience (QoE) and quality of service (QoS) in dynamic network environments, particularly in remote regions with limited infrastructure. We propose an orchestration service called Ubunye, which operates at the network edge and selects the most appropriate edge node to fulfill a given application request while satisfying its quality requirements. Ubunye considers factors such as latency and available bandwidth when selecting a node to execute the requested service. It implements a service classification system based on machine learning (ML) techniques. The ideal edge node is chosen through a multi-faceted evaluation, which includes current CPU load, memory availability, and other relevant parameters. Experiment results show that Ubunye effectively orchestrates resources at the network edge, enhancing QoE and QoS for services that demand low latency and high bandwidth. Additionally, it showcases the ability to classify services and allocate resources under challenging network conditions. Full article

The evolution towards sixth-generation (6G) networks requires new architecture enhancements to support the broad device ecosystem, comprising users, machines, autonomous vehicles, and Internet-of-things devices. Moreover, high heterogeneity in the desired quality-of-service (QoS) is expected, as 6G networks will offer extremely low-latency and high-throughput services and error-free communication. This complex environment raises significant challenges in resource management while adhering to security and privacy constraints due to the plethora of data generation endpoints. Considering the advances in AI/ML-aided integration in wireless networks and recent efforts on the network data analytics function (NWDAF) by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), this work presents an AI/ML-aided distributed trustable engine (DTE), collecting data from diverse sources of the 6G infrastructure and deploying ML methods for anomaly detection against diverse threat types. Moreover, we present the DTE architecture and its components, providing data management, AI/ML model training, and classification capabilities for anomaly detection. To promote privacy-aware networking, a federated learning (FL) framework to extend the DTE is discussed. Then, the anomaly detection capabilities of the AI/ML-aided DTE are presented in detail, together with the ML model training process, which considers various ML models. For this purpose, we use two open datasets representing attack scenarios in the core and the edge parts of the network. Experimental results, including an ensemble learning method and different supervised learning alternatives, show that the AI/ML-aided DTE can efficiently train ML models with reduced dimensionality and deploy them in diverse cybersecurity scenarios to improve anomaly detection in 6G networks. Full article

Chinese rural elderly care services face challenges such as low levels of pensions and social security, as well as high proportions of the elderly living alone and those who are incapacitated and lack assistance. The rural elderly surrounding megacities have been more significantly impacted by urbanization (with relatives moving away to the megacities for jobs) than in other areas, so the well-being of this particular group deserves even more attention. However, existing major studies in China are mainly limited to those in need in specific regions, and there is little research on the well-being of special age groups. To fill the research gap, this study constructs an indicator system for the well-being assessment with five dimensions and explores the well-being of the rural elderly surrounding Xi’an and its obstacles using questionnaire data. The results indicate that (1) the well-being index of the rural elderly surrounding Xi’an in each dimension, in descending order, are medical health, spiritual fulfillment (the pursuit of the spiritual world of the elderly and their desire for a better life), quality of life, social relationships, and economic income status; (2) the comprehensive well-being of the rural elderly varies considerably in the northern counties and districts of Xi’an, and is relatively low in the south; and (3) spiritual fulfillment and medical health are the main obstacles to the improvement of well-being of the rural elderly surrounding Xi’an. Based on these findings, corresponding policy implications are proposed on the five dimensions of well-being, such as improving the rural social old-age insurance and medical insurance systems, providing old-age support for the families of the rural elderly, establishing a model of village old-age care, and promoting the rural habitation renovation, to provide guarantees for the improvement of the well-being of the rural elderly surrounding megacities. Full article