Search Results (2,329)

Outdoor ecological practice is essential for cultivating ecological literacy; however, there is currently a relative lack of comprehensive outdoor practical teaching case designs for class-based teaching. This study describes the design of an experimental teaching case for ecological education involving UAV-based field data collection. For the scheme, we selected the Xinhui Tangerine Peel Germplasm Resources Conservation Center in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province as the study area, utilizing the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, which serves as the equipment for experimental teaching. The experiment is structured into three phases: indoor preparation, field execution, and data processing. Students from four groups collaboratively conducted aerial surveys across 24 partitioned plots, with flight altitudes stratified between groups to ensure safety and data integrity. (1) In the indoor preparation phase, appropriate single-flight operational units were defined. QGIS software (version 3.26.2) was employed for zonal mission planning, and suitable flight altitudes were estimated using contour data. (2) Field experiment phase. This involved conducting a comprehensive survey of the on-site environment, selecting suitable takeoff and landing points, dividing students into teams to carry out UAV-image-acquisition tasks, and assigning different altitudes for flight routes among the teams. (3) After the fieldwork, students processed imagery using Agisoft Metashape (version 2.0.1) to generate orthomosaics and digital surface models, and engaged in ecological interpretation of the results. The experimental design ensured orderly execution, complete data coverage, and active student participation. The results indicate the approach effectively enhanced students’ UAV operational skills, outdoor problem-solving abilities, and teamwork capabilities, while deepening their ecological understanding through real-world inquiry. This case provides a replicable model for integrating UAV technology into ecological education, contributing to the transformation of ecological awareness into actionable practice. Full article

Background: The purpose of this article is to identify the expectations of Generation Z representatives regarding organizational changes and directions of innovation supporting sustainable development of enterprises, considering social and environmental aspects of working conditions. Methods: The study was conducted in the form of an online survey from 2024–2025. The research sample included 310 people selected using a purposive sampling method, with inclusion criteria covering membership of Generation Z (people born after 1995). In the research questionnaire, “organizational innovations” were operationalized through flexible work arrangements, process digitalization, new models of team collaboration, the development of digital competencies, and solutions supporting work–life balance. “Sustainable development” was conceptualized across three dimensions: social (well-being, inclusivity, CSR), organizational (development opportunities, employment stability), and environmental (ecological responsibility). The Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis test were used to analyze intergroup differences. Results: Descriptive results (mean scores) indicate that respondents rated flexible work arrangements, opportunities for professional development, and effective team collaboration as the most crucial factors supporting sustainable organizational development. The Mann–Whitney U test showed that women rated the importance of well-being (p = 0.003), work–life balance (p = 0.001), diversity and inclusivity (p = 0.012), and corporate social responsibility (p = 0.008) significantly higher than men. Educational and professional status differentiated the assessment of employment stability (Kruskal–Wallis test, p = 0.021). Although social and environmental aspects are recognized, for the younger generation, the most crucial factors remain direct working conditions and development opportunities that foster innovation. Conclusions: The results of the study may be useful for employers (entrepreneurs and HR managers) in shaping modern HR strategies. This applies to the design of attractive working conditions in the realities of the digital economy. The research fills a gap in understanding the values that young people appreciate in terms of ensuring high-quality working conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: The success of cardiopulmonary resuscitation relies on both technical and non-technical skills. Cognitive aids, such as checklists, have been shown to enhance technical performance in emergencies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capabilities of a cognitive aid app (CA-App) in improving non-technical skills. Methods: In this single-centre randomised controlled trial, 62 teams, each consisting of an experienced physician and a specialised nurse, were randomised either to CA-App or control (No-App) groups performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The study was registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) on 4 November 2025 (DRKS00038336). The primary outcome was the team leader’s performance in non-technical skills, assessed via the validated Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM™) questionnaire by two raters. Secondary analyses examined TEAM™ subdomains (leadership, teamwork, task management) and the correlation between app usage duration and performance. Results: 62 out of 67 teams were finally randomised, with 31 teams in each group. The CA-App group demonstrated a marginally elevated median TEAM™ total score (83.33%) in comparison to the control group (79.33%), although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.190). The leadership subgroup score was significantly higher in the app group (p = 0.006). There was no significant correlation between the time spent using the app and improved team performance (r = 0.260, p = 0.166). Conclusions: The CA-App demonstrated potential for improving leadership skills, a critical component of non-technical skills in emergency scenarios. These findings highlight the potential capability of cognitive aids to improve non-technical skills and the need for further research to explore their optimal design and integration into clinical practice to enhance team performance and patient safety. Full article

Public project performance is shaped by both organisational capability and governance controls, yet the interaction between these factors remains underexamined in decentralised public administration contexts. This study examines the direct effects of team capability and ethical compliance on project performance, and tests whether ethical compliance conditions the capability–performance relationship. A quantitative explanatory survey design was adopted. Structured questionnaires were administered to 320 senior officers involved in project evaluation, procurement, budgeting and technical oversight, and the data were analysed using PLS-SEM to estimate the hypothesised direct and moderating relationships. Team capability and ethical compliance each have a significant positive effect on project performance, and team capability is positively associated with ethical compliance. The moderating effect of ethical compliance is significant but small in magnitude, indicating that higher levels of compliance modestly attenuate the marginal performance gains associated with greater team capability. These findings suggest that while compliance mechanisms strengthen accountability and directly support performance, they may simultaneously constrain the discretionary flexibility through which capable teams generate incremental improvements. The study contributes to public management research by empirically demonstrating a conditional capability–governance relationship in a local government project context. Given the moderate explanatory power of the model, future research should incorporate additional institutional and political variables to further clarify performance drivers in public-sector project systems. Full article

The aim was to assess the effect of changes in both the net height and the court size, as well as serve limitations on the manner of execution of the technical-tactical actions in youth volleyball. A total of 29 female under-14 volleyball players from three regional club teams participated in the study. A quasi-experimental design was applied. The independent variables included: (a) Tournament following the standard rules, (b) Experimental Tournament 1 (lowering of the net height from 2.10 m to 2 m, no jump serves, and a two serve per-player and -rotation maximum), and (c) Experimental Tournament 2 (lowering of net height from 2.10 m to 2 m, reduced court size from 9 × 9 m to 8 × 8 m, no jump serves, and a two serve per-player and -rotation maximum). Experimental Tournament 1 involved reductions in ball control, duration of the game phases, the occurrence of actions, and their efficacy. Experimental Tournament 2 involved increases in ball control, the duration of the game phase, the occurrence and variability of actions, and their efficacy. Lowering the net height and reducing the court size while adapting the serve rules (Experimental Tournament 2) resulted in situations that were better adapted to this population. Full article

Digitalisation is transforming organisational practices, making digital readiness essential for strategic planning. However, customised digital maturity tools for the Irish Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) sector remain limited. This paper presents the development and validation of a Digital Maturity Gap Analysis Toolkit (DMGAT) for the Irish AECO sector. The toolkit assesses digital maturity across three dimensions—people, process and culture; technology; and policy and governance—covering 16 sub-dimensions and 69 assessment questions. Unlike existing tools such as the BIM Maturity Matrix, VDC BIM Scorecard, and Maturity Scan, the DMGAT uniquely integrates ISO 19650 maturity stages with a comprehensive maturity level matrix across three key dimensions, offering a customised, industry-specific assessment for the Irish AECO sector that combines structured benchmarking with actionable gap analysis. The toolkit supports gap analysis by comparing an organisation’s current maturity profile with the detailed descriptors of higher maturity levels (maturity level matrix), thereby enabling prioritised and context-specific improvement planning rather than pursuit of a uniform maximum level. The study uses a mixed-methods approach within a Design Science Research (DSR) framework, developing the tool across six phases: literature review, defining dimensions and key performance indicators (KPIs), prototype development, testing, refining and finalisation, and deployment for practical application and empirical evaluation within real organisational contexts in the Irish AECO sector, demonstrating its use as an operational diagnostic and learning tool. Alpha testing by the organisational research team refined structural enhancements including maturity stages, KPIs, and maturity matrix. Beta testing with 20 Irish AECO organisations confirmed the toolkit’s relevance, scope, and coverage. Participants highlighted its clarity and industry alignment, while suggesting minor improvements in wording, visuals, and support materials. This study concludes that DMGAT is a useful resource for informed decision-making and digital innovation in the Irish AECO sector. Full article

Ensuring the safety and effectiveness of first responder teams during critical missions requires real-time health monitoring and responsive intervention systems. This study presents a novel system comprising a multimodal wearable device integrated with a remote command centre, designed to support the physiological monitoring and guidance of first responders in the field. The wearable device includes three main components: a physiological and biochemical signal acquisition unit, an electrotactile stimulation unit and a powerful communication interface. The acquisition unit continuously samples heart rate, body temperature, and biochemical markers from sweat, transmitting this data wirelessly to the remote command centre. The transmitted physiological data could be analyzed at the command centre and, based on the inferred first responder condition, appropriate feedback commands could be issued back to the corresponding wearer. The commands are then executed by the electrotactile stimulation unit on the wearable device. Initial testing in laboratory settings confirmed the system’s ability to generate accurate electrochemical readings and dehydration assessment through changes in bulk ionic conductivity. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed good agreement with a commercial potentiostat. Heart rate and temperature readings demonstrated satisfying accuracy with minor removable artifacts. Field trials with first responders validated continuous signal transmission and electrotactile feedback with over 80% success. These results confirm the system’s robustness and modularity, supporting its application in operational environments. Full article

This paper presents the H-CoRE (Heterogeneous Cooperative Multi-Robot Execution) framework designed to enable autonomous multi-robot operations in GNSS-denied environments. Built on an ROS 2-based architecture, H-CoRE enables collaborative, structured task execution through standardized software stacks. Each robot’s stack combines a high-level executive system with an agent-specific motion layer and leverages multi-sensor fusion for localization and mapping. The framework is inherently reconfigurable, allowing individual agents to operate autonomously or as part of a multi-robot team for collaborative missions. In the considered scenario, the system integrates aerial and ground vehicles, a fixed pan–tilt–zoom camera, and a human supervisory interface within a unified, modular infrastructure. The proposed system has been deployed in indoor, GNSS-denied environments, demonstrating autonomous navigation, cooperative area coverage, and real-time information sharing across multiple agents. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of H-CoRE in maintaining general awareness and mission continuity, paving the way for future applications in search-and-rescue, inspection, and exploration tasks. Full article

The aim of this study was to examine temporal changes in eccentric hamstring strength, impulse-based mechanical outputs, and interlimb asymmetry in professional football players performing a football-specific eccentric hamstring training program. Forty male football players (18–25 years) from two teams competing in the Turkish Second Professional Football League participated in this longitudinal cohort study. Eccentric hamstring performance was assessed at three time points (pre-, mid-, and post-season) using the NordBord Hamstring Testing System. Mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of time and significant time × Team interactions for left and right maximal impulse values (p < 0.05). In contrast, maximal eccentric force variables showed no significant time effects, although significant time × Team interactions were observed for both limbs (p < 0.05). Interlimb maximal force asymmetry and mean asymmetry demonstrated significant time effects, while Team effects and interaction terms were not significant. Overall, these findings indicate that temporal changes in eccentric hamstring performance in professional football players may be more clearly reflected in force–time–dependent metrics, particularly impulse, rather than peak force outputs. Accordingly, impulse-based measures may provide additional insight into eccentric hamstring performance changes in professional football players. Full article

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of acute caffeine intake on maximal aerobic speed (MAS) assessed using the 30–15 Intermittent Fitness Test (IFT) in university soccer players. An experimental, randomized, double-blind, crossover design was employed, involving 26 male university team players (n = 26). Each participant completed the test under two conditions: caffeine supplementation (220 mg; 2.85 ± 0.27 mg/kg, range 2.60–3.16 mg/kg) and placebo, separated by a 72 h washout period. The final running speed achieved (VIFT) was used as an estimator of MAS. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, normality testing, and paired Student’s t-test, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. The results revealed a significant improvement in VIFT under the caffeine condition (19.94 ± 1.67 km/h) compared with placebo (18.72 ± 1.50 km/h), with a mean difference of 1.22 km/h (6.5%) and a large effect size (dz = 1.24; p < 0.001). It is concluded that acute caffeine intake was associated with a significant improvement in intermittent aerobic performance in university soccer players under the conditions of the present study, suggesting that caffeine may represent a potentially useful strategy in similar applied contexts. Full article

Background: Ultimate Frisbee (UF) is an intermittent team sport with distinct positional roles (cutters and handlers), yet evidence integrating anthropometric, body composition, and physical performance profiles by playing position remains limited. This study aimed to examine positional differences in these variables among male UF players. Methods: Forty male players (age: 25.13 ± 3.76 years; 7.0 ± 2.5 years of training experience) participated in this cross-sectional design, including 20 cutters and 20 handlers. Anthropometry, body composition, and dynamic balance variables were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests or Mann–Whitney U tests, as appropriate. Positional differences in somatotype and physical performance were analyzed using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: No positional differences were observed in general anthropometric variables (p > 0.05). However, handlers exhibited higher body fat percentage (14.32 ± 2.37 vs. 11.95 ± 2.45; p = 0.028), fat mass (11.08 ± 2.51 vs. 8.95 ± 2.67 kg; p = 0.049), and endomorphy (4.15 ± 1.22 vs. 2.99 ± 1.30; p = 0.002) than cutters. In contrast, cutters demonstrated higher speed (20 m sprint: 3.11 ± 0.17 vs. 3.21 ± 0.15 s; p < 0.05), agility (10.16 ± 0.69 vs. 10.69 ± 0.61 s; p < 0.05), and vertical jump performance (Counter Movement Jump: 40.93 ± 6.54 vs. 36.38 ± 4.71 cm; p < 0.05; Abalakov: 46.39 ± 7.88 vs. 40.20 ± 4.68 cm; p < 0.01). No differences were found in intermittent endurance (Yo-Yo Intermitent Recovery Test1): 982 ± 354 vs. 940 ± 348 m), upper-limb power, or dynamic balance. Conclusions: These findings indicate that playing position in UF is characterized by distinct body composition and lower-limb neuromuscular performance profiles, whereas intermittent endurance, upper-limb power, and balance represent shared physical requirements across positions. Full article

Digital platforms became central to institutional participation during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about how participants experience digitally mediated decision-making processes and which conditions foster high-quality deliberation. Guided by an ecological perspective from community psychology, this study examined university staff’s experiences with platform-based participation, focusing on the relationship between online participation practices, digital empowerment, and perceived deliberative quality. In November 2021, faculty and technical/administrative staff at an Italian university (N = 673) completed an online questionnaire assessing platform use (Microsoft Teams), participation practices, perceived benefits and limitations of digital platforms, digital empowerment, and deliberative quality (critical awareness and engagement). Exploratory factor analyses supported multidimensional measures of platform perceptions and deliberative quality. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that interaction rules and perceived improvements in participation processes were the strongest predictors of deliberative quality. Platform benefits related to participatory quality were positively associated with both outcomes, while efficiency-related benefits showed a small negative association with critical awareness. Digital empowerment uniquely predicted deliberative engagement above and beyond participation practices. Overall, results suggest that deliberative quality in digital institutional settings depends more on structured interaction and empowerment-supportive conditions than on platform use frequency, with implications for designing sustainable online and hybrid participatory processes. Full article

Background: Congested tournament schedules impose substantial physiological stress in team sports; however, the integrated endocrine and inflammatory responses to real competitive match load in female handball players remain insufficiently characterized. Objective: This study aimed to characterize the acute biochemical responses, including hormonal, inflammatory, muscle damage, and bone metabolism markers, elicited by competitive tournament load in female handball players and to provide practical insights for optimizing recovery strategies and load management during short-term competitive periods. Methods: In a pre–post study design, venous blood samples were collected from competitive female athletes (n = 8; age 20.83 ± 2.93 years) before the first match and after the fourth consecutive match of an official university qualification tournament. Biochemical analyses included cortisol, insulin, IL-6, creatine kinase (CK), IGF-1, irisin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), osteocalcin, and testosterone. Pre-to-post changes were assessed using paired t-tests and effect sizes. Results: Tournament load induced substantial multisystem physiological perturbations. Significant increases were observed in cortisol (p < 0.001), insulin (p = 0.044), IL-6 (p < 0.001), CK (p < 0.001), and osteocalcin (p = 0.005), indicating activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, systemic inflammation, muscle membrane disruption, and enhanced bone turnover. Conversely, IGF-1 (p < 0.001) and testosterone (p = 0.004) significantly decreased, reflecting suppression of anabolic signaling and a shift toward a catabolic hormonal environment under cumulative match stress. LDH significantly decreased (p = 0.002), while irisin showed no significant change (p > 0.05). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that congested tournament schedules provoke an integrated endocrine–inflammatory stress response in female handball players. Importantly, the observed anabolic–catabolic imbalance highlights the need for individualized recovery strategies, optimized load management, and adequate recovery periods to mitigate maladaptation and reduce injury risk during short-term competitive tournaments. Full article

Radio Frequency Fingerprinting (RFF) would be a promising Physical Layer Security (PLS) solution for the Internet of Things (IoT) that requires robust, low-overhead security techniques. However, practical implementation of RFF may pose challenges, in particular, performance instability and ethical-regulatory conflicts. Based on authors’ previous research, this paper elaborates these challenges in potential deployment of a resilient and compliant RFF system. First, we analytically show how hardware-induced feature drift, primarily driven by device aging and temperature variations, degrades RFF performance. We then critically survey existing temperature variation and aging models, one of which is being studied by one of the authors’ research team. We look into this from a purely hardware-design perspective, and then compensation methods for an RFF perspective. This reveals a significant gap: current techniques are insufficient to maintain the long-term, high-accuracy RFF for real-world IoT security requirements. Finally, we introduce inherent privacy risks by enabling device tracking. This property conflicts with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandates, raising significant regulatory challenges and privacy risks. Overall, this work highlights the key technical and legal challenges that must be addressed for RFF to evolve into a robust, privacy-compliant and deployable security primitive for IoT and future wireless systems. Full article

Professional basketball entails high physical demands and a complex injury profile in which injury burden and time-loss distribution critically affect player availability. This study explored the association between preseason anthropometric body composition and in-season injury burden in male professional basketball and explored body phenotypes linked to greater injury accumulation. A retrospective longitudinal cohort design was applied using official injury records and standardized ISAK anthropometric assessments collected during preseason. Players from two male professional teams (first team, ACB; second team, LEB Plata) were included. Outcomes were the number of injuries and observed days lost during the season. Associations were assessed using Pearson correlations, principal component analysis (PCA), team-stratified logistic regression, and unsupervised k-means clustering. Injury burden demonstrated a highly skewed distribution, with a small subset of players accounting for a large proportion of total days lost. Preseason adiposity markers showed strong internal coherence, with PCA identifying a dominant component reflecting an adiposity gradient. Higher preseason body fat percentage was associated with a greater likelihood of high injury burden (≥3 injuries/season) in both teams. Clustering revealed two phenotypes: a higher-adiposity, higher-burden profile and a lower-adiposity, lower-burden profile. These exploratory findings suggest that preseason body composition, particularly adiposity, may be related to injury burden in male professional basketball. However, given the limited sample size and exploratory design, the results should be interpreted cautiously and considered hypothesis-generating. Precompetitive body phenotyping may therefore provide preliminary information for identifying players potentially at elevated risk of recurrent injury accumulation and reduced competitive availability. Full article