Search Results (11,819)

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), formalized by Calthorpe and Poticha in 1993, emerged to counter urban sprawl, reduce car dependency, and revitalize historical community centers. Rooted in “new urbanism”, TOD emphasizes integrated regional land-use planning and high-capacity public transportation. In the Middle East, TOD implementation remains understudied, particularly regarding heritage integration and social equity in arid climates. Doha’s rapid social and economic transformation presents both opportunities and risks: growth offers urban revitalization yet threatens to displace communities and dilute cultural identity. Shifts in urban planning have aimed to address sustainability, connectivity, and heritage preservation. This study examines Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) to assess how TOD can restore historic districts while managing gentrification, enhancing accessibility and promoting inclusiveness. A mixed-methods approach was applied, including 12 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders (Qatar Rail, Msheireb Properties, Ministry of Municipality and Environment), purposive surveys of 80 urban users, site observations, and spatial mapping. Using the Node-Place-People (NPP) model, the study evaluates TOD effectiveness across transportation connectivity (node), built environment quality (place), and equity metrics (people). The findings show that MDD successfully implements fundamental TOD principles through its design, which enhances connectivity, walkability, social inclusiveness, and heritage preservation. However, multiple obstacles remain: the “peripheral island effect” limits benefits to the core, pedestrian–vehicular balance is unresolved, and commercial gentrification is on the rise. This research provides evidence-based knowledge for GCC cities pursuing sustainable urban regeneration by demonstrating both the advantages of TOD and the necessity for critical, context-sensitive implementation that focuses on social equity together with physical transformation. Full article

Digital inclusion has become an essential component in ensuring the autonomy, social participation, and well-being of older adults. However, their learning of digital skills depends to a large extent on the quality of support provided by the facilitator, whose age, training, and experience directly influence teaching processes and how older adults relate to technology. This study compares the digital competences, and ICT skills of 107 facilitators of digital literacy programs, classified into three groups: peer educators (PEERS), young students without gerontological training (YOS), and young gerontology specialists (YGS). A quantitative design was used. Statistical analyses included non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney, Kendall’s Tau) and parametric tests (ANOVA, t-tests), to examine associations between socio-demographic variables, the level of digital competence, and ICT skills for teachers (technological and pedagogical). The results show clear differences between profiles. YOS achieved the highest scores in digital competence, especially in problem-solving and tool handling. The YGS achieved a balanced profile, combining competent levels of digital skills with pedagogical strengths linked to their gerontological training. In contrast, PEERS recorded the lowest levels of digital competence, particularly in security and information management; nevertheless, their role remains relevant for fostering trust and closeness in training processes among people of the same age. It was also found that educational level is positively associated with digital competence in all three profiles, while age showed a negative relationship only among PEERS. The findings highlight the importance of creating targeted training courses focusing on digital, technological, and pedagogical skills to ensure effective, tailored teaching methods for older adults. Full article

The current debate on digital education is at a crossroads between the need for technological innovation and the growing concern about the impact of passive screen use. In this context, identifying sustainable pedagogical models that integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in a meaningful and inclusive way is an urgent need. This article presents a case study of the Amara Berri System (ABS), aiming to analyze how inclusive and sustainable digital innovation is operationalized within the system and whether teachers’ length of service is associated with the implementation and perceived impact of inclusive ICT practices. The investigation is based on a mixed-methods sequential design. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 292 teachers to collect data on their practices and perceptions. Subsequently, a focus group with eight teachers was conducted to further explore the meaning of their practices. Quantitative results show that the implementation and positive evaluation of inclusive ICT practices correlate significantly with teachers’ seniority within the system, which suggests that the model is formative in itself. Qualitative analysis shows that ICTs are not an end in themselves within the ABS, but an empowering tool for the students. The “Audiovisual Media Room”, managed by students, functions as a space for social and creative production that gives technology a pedagogical purpose. The study concludes that the sustainability of digital innovation requires coherence with the pedagogical project. Findings offer valuable implications for the design of teacher training contexts that foster the integration of technology within a framework of truly inclusive education. Full article

Pragmatic language is a core component of school-based social participation, yet children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social Communication Disorder (SCD) frequently experience persistent difficulties in using language appropriately across everyday learning contexts. This study investigated the effectiveness of a culturally adapted, school-based immersive Virtual Reality (VR) learning program designed to enhance pragmatic language and social communication skills among Thai primary school children. Eleven participants aged 7–12 years completed a three-week, ten-session VR program that simulated authentic classroom, playground, and canteen interactions aligned with Thai sociocultural norms. Outcomes were measured using the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Pragmatic Behavior Observation Checklist (PBOC). While SCQ scores showed a small, non-significant reduction (p = 0.092), PBOC results demonstrated significant improvements in three foundational pragmatic domains: Initiation and Responsiveness (p = 0.032), Turn-Taking and Conversational Flow (p = 0.037), and Politeness and Register (p = 0.010). Other domains showed no significant changes. These findings suggest that immersive, culturally relevant VR environments can support early gains in core pragmatic language behaviors within educational settings, although broader social communication outcomes may require longer or more intensive learning experiences. Full article

Background: Adolescence is a sensitive period for psychological, academic, and social development, and sports participation has been described as a potential protective factor for academic performance and psychological well-being. However, limited research has examined the combined influence of sports involvement, sport type, and family background on adolescents’ academic and psychological outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the associations between organized sport participation, sport type (football vs. judo), psychological well-being, psychosomatic symptoms, academic performance, and family socioeconomic background among adolescent boys. Methods: The sample consisted of 52 boys aged 11–14 years from a rural school, divided into football players (n = 13), judo athletes (n = 13), non-athletes (n = 13), and a contextual subgroup of students with special educational needs (SEN; n = 13), with the latter included for exploratory purposes only. Data included school-record-based academic performance and validated self-report measures of life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, psychosomatic complaints, perceived physical fitness, and socioeconomic background. Results: Athletes demonstrated significantly higher academic achievement than non-athletes in overall grade point average (p < 0.001), mathematics (p < 0.001), Romanian (p < 0.001), English (p = 0.03), and Hungarian (p < 0.001). They also reported higher life satisfaction (p < 0.001) but simultaneously showed slightly elevated depressive symptom scores (p < 0.001), indicating a paradoxical pattern of concurrent psychosocial benefits and psychological strain. Parental education (p < 0.001), parental occupational status (p = 0.01), and fathers’ occupational position (p = 0.02) were significantly higher among athletes’ families. Perceived physical fitness was also rated higher by athletes (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in body mass index, family structure, or most psychosomatic symptoms. Conclusions: Sport participation was associated with more favorable academic and psychological indicators, yet also with elevated depressive symptoms, highlighting the dual nature of organized sport during adolescence. Future research should apply longitudinal designs, include female participants, and incorporate objective indicators of training load. Full article

This study proposes a process model for sharing ambiguous category concepts in virtual reality (VR) using an active inference framework. The model executes a dual-layer Bayesian update after observing both self and partner actions and predicts actions that minimize free energy. To incorporate agreement-seeking with others into active inference, we added disagreement in category judgments as a risk term in the free energy, weighted by gaze synchrony measured using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), which is assumed to reflect joint attention. To validate the model, an object classification task in VR including ambiguous items was created. The experiment was conducted first under a bot avatar condition, in which ambiguous category judgments were always incorrect, and then under a human–human pair condition. This design allowed verification of the collaborative learning process by which human pairs reached agreement from the same degree of ambiguity. Analysis of experimental data from 14 participants showed that the model achieved high prediction accuracy for observed values as learning progressed. Introducing gaze synchrony weighting (${\gamma }_0\ge 0.5$) further improved prediction accuracy, yielding optimal performance. This approach provides a new framework for modeling socially shared cognition using active inference in human–robot interaction contexts. Full article

Rural transport remains a critical factor of social inclusion in South Africa, particularly for people with disabilities who rely on public transport. This study explores the experiences of minibus taxi drivers in transporting passengers with disabilities in Mt Elias, a rural community in the KwaZulu-Natal province. A qualitative research design was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with 15 drivers operating between Dalton and Mt Elias route. Thematic analysis was conducted using ATLAS.ti to identify key patterns and relationships across the dataset. The four key themes that emerged from the dataset are: infrastructure and environmental challenges, accessibility and support for passengers, operational and economic constraints, and human interactions and attitudes. Findings reveal that drivers face multiple barriers, including poor road conditions, limited vehicle space, and a lack of formal training, yet many demonstrate empathy and commitment to assisting passengers with disabilities. The study highlights the need for targeted policy interventions to improve road infrastructure, provide disability awareness training for drivers, and redesign vehicles for accessibility. Promoting inclusive rural transport requires coordinated action among government spheres, taxi associations, and disability advocacy groups. This research contributes new insights into the lived realities of rural drivers and promotes the importance of inclusive mobility as a component of social justice. Full article

The accelerating low-carbon transition requires decision-support approaches capable of addressing complex, interdependent sustainability challenges across multiple sectors. While Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) techniques are gaining popularity in assessing sustainability within energy and agricultural systems, their current application remains fragmented, sector-focused, and poorly aligned with the fundamental system characteristics of uncertainty, circularity, and social equity. This Perspective employs a systematized conceptual analysis to integrate different MCDM techniques, methodological trends, and integration challenges in energy and agricultural systems. Through a literature review, this work provides a critical view of the predominant structural deficiencies, which stem from methodological isolation, the use of disparate and heterogeneous datasets, ad hoc treatment of uncertainty, and the lack of incorporation of the circular economy (CE) and equity dimensions in the analysis. Given the presence of multifunctionality, circularity, climate sensitivity, and strong social characteristics, the analysis underscores that agriculture is a prime candidate to serve as a system-level testbed for the development of integrated MCDM frameworks. Based on this analysis, the paper articulates the fundamental characteristics of next-generation MCDM frameworks that are cross-sectoral, flexible, adaptive, uncertainty-resilient, and actionable. In doing so, it prioritizes integrated approaches that combine MCDM with life cycle assessment (LCA), data analytics, and nexus modelling. This paper stresses that structural deficiencies need to be addressed for MCDM to evolve from sectoral and fragmented analytical frameworks to cohesive decision-support systems that can guide energy and agricultural systems transitions towards equity, circularity, and climate change adaptation. As a perspective, this paper does not aim to provide empirical validation but instead articulates conceptual design principles for next-generation MCDM frameworks that integrate uncertainty, circularity, and social equity across energy and agricultural systems. Full article

Service-learning has emerged as a promising pedagogical approach to address social challenges while fostering students’ academic, socioemotional, and civic development. Despite the growing body of literature, there is a lack of systematic reviews evaluating its effectiveness in secondary education beyond the United States. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to synthesize the available empirical research on service-learning interventions implemented with secondary education students (grades 7–10) outside United States. Following The Campbell Collaboration guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across Web of Science and ProQuest, supplemented by other resources (general web search, hand searches, ongoing research, open access and relevant institutions and networks). Inclusion criteria required quantitative empirical studies (randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, or pretest–posttest designs) published from 2008 to June 2025 that measured academic, cognitive, socio-emotional, civic, and community outcomes using quantitative procedures. After screening, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings indicate that service-learning programs can generate positive outcomes on academic performance and non-cognitive skills. Nevertheless, methodological weaknesses and heterogeneity across studies prevent drawing robust conclusions. The review highlights the need for more rigorous research to strengthen the evidence base for service-learning among adolescents in systems worldwide. Full article

The application of social cognitive theory has expanded to the boundaries of human-computer interaction research. However, existing research has scarcely addressed mutual cognitive facilitation between humans and personalized educational large language model (LLM) agents. This study explored how educational LLM agents influence teachers’ curriculum design and content creation, based on a sample of 464 teachers from coastal regions of China, along with semi-structured interviews with 23 participants. Quantitative analysis of the survey data revealed that the involvement of educational LLM agents positively predicts teachers’ ability to create content in curriculum design. Additionally, teachers’ self-efficacy mediated this relationship, while both school support and self-efficacy together created a chain mediation effect. Qualitative findings from the interviews supported the quantitative results and further highlighted individual differences and contextual nuances in teachers’ use of educational LLM agents. In summary, the findings indicated that educational LLM agents positively impact teachers’ curriculum design and content creation, with school support and teachers’ self-efficacy acting as a chain mediator in this process. Full article

This study examines how inclusive finance organisations are adapting to the European Union (EU)’s digital–green twin transition and how regulatory design can reinforce this alignment. Drawing on qualitative insights from 26 institutions—including microfinance organisations, small and medium-sized enterprise finance providers and socially oriented fintechs—across the EU and neighbouring countries, the analysis identifies how digitalisation, financial inclusion and environmental sustainability are being integrated into organisational strategies. The findings show that hybrid models, built on partnerships between nationally rooted microfinance institutions and cross-border fintech platforms, enable scalable, high-tech, high-touch ecosystems that align closely with sustainability objectives. The study argues that a coordinated EU-wide regulatory sandbox would advance inclusive, green financial innovation and build resilience across the inclusive finance ecosystem. Full article

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDSs) are essential for stormwater management in urban areas, with varying hydrological, social, ecological, and economic benefits. Nevertheless, choosing the SUDS most appropriate for public spaces poses a challenge when balancing details/specifications against community decisions, primarily social implications and perceptions. Building on the SUDS design pillar of the amenity, this study outlines a three-phase methodological framework for selecting SUDS based on social facilitation. The first phase introduces the application of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Classificatory Expectation–Maximization (CEM) techniques by modeling complex social interdependencies to find critical components related to urban planning. A Likert scale survey was also conducted with 440 urban dwellers in Tunja (Colombia), which identified three dimensions: Residential Satisfaction (RS), Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change (RACC), and Community Participation (CP). In the second phase, the factors identified above were transformed into eight operational criteria, which were weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the collaboration of 35 international experts in SUDS planning and implementation. In the third phase, these weighted criteria were used to evaluate and classify 13 types of SUDSs based on the experts’ assessments of their sub-criteria. The results deliver a clear message: cities must concentrate on solutions that will guarantee that water is managed to the best of their ability, not just safely, and that also enhance climate resilience, energy efficiency, and the ways in which public space is used. Among those options considered, infiltration ponds, green roofs, rain gardens, wetlands, and the like were the best-performing options, providing real and concrete uses in promoting a more resilient and sustainable urban water system. The methodology was also used in a real case in Tunja, Colombia. In its results, this approach proved not only pragmatic but also useful for all concerned, showing that the socio-cultural dimensions can be truly integrated into planning SUDSs and ensuring success. Full article

Pedestrian trajectory prediction plays a vital role in autonomous driving and intelligent surveillance systems. Graph neural networks (GNNs) have shown remarkable effectiveness in this task by explicitly modeling social interactions among pedestrians. However, existing methods suffer from two key limitations. First, they face difficulty in balancing the reduction in redundant connections with the preservation of critical interaction relationships in spatial graph construction. Second, higher-order graph convolution methods lack adaptability to varying crowd densities. To address these limitations, we propose a pedestrian trajectory prediction method based on Delaunay triangulation and density-adaptive higher-order graph convolution. First, we leverage Delaunay triangulation to construct a sparse, geometrically principled adjacency structure for spatial interaction graphs, which effectively eliminates redundant connections while preserving essential proximity relationships. Second, we design a density-adaptive order selection mechanism that dynamically adjusts the graph convolution order according to pedestrian density. Experiments on the ETH/UCY datasets show that our method achieves 5.6% and 9.4% reductions in average displacement error (ADE) and final displacement error (FDE), respectively, compared with the recent graph convolution-based method DSTIGCN, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Full article

The Immersive Decentralized Digital space (IDDs), derived from blockchain technology and Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), enables real-time multisensory interactions that support social connection under metaverse concepts. Although recognized as a technology with significant potential for educational innovation, IDDs remain underutilized in health professions education. Health profession students are often unaware of how IDDs’ features can be applied to their learning through in- or after-classroom activities. This study employs a quantitative research design to evaluate students’ perceptions of next-generation digital learning without any prior exposure to IDDs. An electronic survey was developed to examine four dimensions of learning facilitation: “Remote Learning” for capturing past experiences with digital competence during the COVID-19 era; “Digital Evolution,” reflecting preferences in utilizing digital spaces; “Interactive Communication” and “Knowledge Application” for applicability of IDDs in the health professions education. Statistical analyses revealed no significant differences in perceptions based on gender or major on all factors. Nevertheless, significant differences emerged based on nationality in “Digital Evolution”, “Interactive Communication”, and “Knowledge Application”, highlighting the influence of cultural and educational backgrounds on receptiveness to virtual learning environments. By recognizing the discrepancies and addressing barriers to digital inclusion, IDDs hold strong potential to enhance health professional learning experiences and educational outcomes. Full article

Communication in mammals constitutes a complex, multimodal system that integrates visual, acoustic, tactile, and chemical signals whose functions extend beyond simple information transfer to include the regulation of social relationships, coordination of behaviour, and expression of emotional states. This article examines the fundamental mechanisms of communication from biological, neuroethological, and behavioural perspectives, with particular emphasis on domesticated and farmed species. Analysis of sensory signals demonstrates that their perception and interpretation are closely linked to the physiology of sensory organs as well as to social experience and environmental context. In companion animals such as dogs and cats, domestication has significantly modified communicative repertoires ranging from the development of specialised facial musculature in dogs to adaptive diversification of vocalisations in cats. The neurobiological foundations of communication, including the activity of the amygdala, limbic structures, and mirror-neuron systems, provide evidence for homologous mechanisms of emotion recognition across species. The article also highlights the role of communication in shaping social structures and the influence of husbandry conditions on the behaviour of farm animals. In intensive production environments, acoustic, visual, and chemical signals are often shaped or distorted by crowding, noise, and chronic stress, with direct consequences for welfare. Furthermore, the growing importance of multimodal technologies such as Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) and Animal–Computer Interaction (ACI) is discussed, particularly their role in enabling objective monitoring of emotional states and behaviour and supporting individualised care. Overall, the analysis underscores that communication forms the foundation of social functioning in mammals, and that understanding this complexity is essential for ethology, animal welfare, training practices, and the design of modern technologies facilitating human–animal interaction. Full article