Search Results (785)

Background: Padel is currently played in more than 150 countries, leading to a substantial increase in performance analysis research in recent years. Examining shot effectiveness (winners vs. errors) provides valuable information for players and coaches to better understand match and competition performance. Objectives: This study aimed to (i) analyze winners, forced errors, unforced errors, and forced error generators according to set results and serving situation; (ii) examine differences in shot types and effectiveness between set-winning and set-losing pairs; and (iii) identify differences in shot types that generate forced errors between set-winning and set-losing pairs. Methods: Data were collected from 41 professional matches (men’s and women’s) available on the World Padel Tour Finland Padel Open website. Descriptive (frequency and percentage) and inferential analyses (chi-square (χ²), Cramer’s V coefficient (Vc), subsequent Z-tests, and corrected standardized residuals (CSR)) were performed. Results: Pairs produced more winners and forced error generators when serving, while forced errors were more frequent when returning. Winning pairs achieved more winners (men: CSR = 7.7; women: CSR = 7.4), whereas losing pairs committed more errors (men: forced errors, CSR = 4.3; unforced errors, CSR = 3.8; women: forced errors, CSR = 4.8; unforced errors, CSR = 2.8). Additionally, winning pairs generated a higher proportion of forced errors (men: 56.5%; women: 60.0%) compared with losing pairs (men: 43.5%; women: 40.0%). Conclusions: These findings are crucial for coaches and players, as they provide insights into sex-specific technical and tactical patterns, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of training design and match preparation strategies. Full article

Food loss and food waste (FLFW) constitute a major global challenge with profound economic, environmental, and social consequences. This study examines how businesses in Greece’s food service and retail sectors perceive and manage food waste, integrating the triple bottom line framework—economic, environmental, and social sustainability—as the guiding analytical lens. The research aims to: (1) analyze perceptions, practices, and barriers to food waste reduction among businesses; (2) explore the relationship between awareness, business policies, technological adoption, and consumer-oriented strategies; and (3) situate the Greek experience within broader European and international contexts to identify transferable lessons for policy and business innovation. Drawing on a structured survey of 250 industry representatives and comparative international evidence, the study finds that although awareness of food waste is widespread, it remains weakly connected to structured policies, technology adoption, or operational practices. Businesses recognize economic opportunities in waste reduction—such as supply chain optimization and near-expiry discounting—but these remain underexploited due to a lack of strong regulatory and financial incentives. The findings highlight that addressing food waste is not only an environmental and ethical necessity but also a strategic opportunity to enhance economic resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability within the agri-food sector. Full article

The diversity of forest tree life strategies is fundamental to species coexistence in mixed stands. Growth rate is one of the most important elements of a species’ life strategy. This aspect has been relatively well recognised in even-aged stands. However, the situation is different in uneven-aged stands, particularly in multi-species stands comprising species with different light demands. In this study, we aimed to compare stem basal area increment (BAI) in regard to five species forming multi-species, uneven-aged deciduous forests in Central Europe as an important element of their growth strategy. Particular attention was paid to the relationship between this feature and tree height and competitive status. These relationships were analysed using a linear mixed model. The BAI was positively correlated with tree height, while a negative correlation was observed between BAI and increasing competitive level. However, the observed variations in the trends of these relationships were not associated with the light demands of the compared species. In general, the majority of the studied species demonstrated similar growth dynamics. This may suggest that the role of this trait in shaping species coexistence is modulated by other life-history strategy components and by specific growth conditions. An exception to this is the most light-demanding species, black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertner), which, contrary to expectations, exhibits a lower basal area increment under uneven-aged conditions. Full article

Space technology, a frontier of global scientific innovation, is crucial for competitive edges and national tech innovation. Amid intensified international competition and rapid technological change, scientifically evaluating a country’s Scientific and Technological Strength in Space Technology (STSST) is vital. A model is innovatively proposed in this study called “Analytic Hierarchy Process-Maximum Entropy-Induced Ordered Weighted Average (AHP-ME-IOWA)” for the assessment of STSST. First, an STSST assessment indicator system is developed with four sub-dimensions: scientific research, industrial operation, innovation output, and policy resources. Second, the AHP model is used to convert experts’ qualitative judgments on indicator importance into initial individual weight vectors. Subsequently, the IOWA operator is employed to aggregate these individual weight vectors, thereby mitigating the impact of outliers and enhancing the robustness of the weights. Specifically, the weights are reordered using the cosine similarity between each expert’s weight vector and the temporary group mean as the induced value. Position weights are then determined via the ME method, and consensus weights are derived through re-aggregation. A systematic evaluation of the United States’ STSST was conducted using this method. The results show that the United States achieved a comprehensive STSST score of 8.73 (out of 10), which is in line with the actual situation, thereby providing empirical validation for the proposed method. Full article

Schoolyards are increasingly recognized as critical spaces for inclusion, yet research on their role in addressing gender and disability remains limited. This study examines Greek teachers’ perceptions of schoolyard inclusivity, analyzing how views differ across teaching levels, professional experience, and institutional contexts. A quantitative survey design was employed, applying an intersectional framework seldom used in schoolyard research to capture both structural and cultural dimensions of exclusion. Teachers identified barriers such as uneven surfaces, limited adaptive equipment, and the absence of sensory-friendly areas, alongside cultural dynamics, particularly the dominance of competitive sports in central spaces, that marginalize girls and students with disabilities. Findings indicate that educators with longer service, advanced academic qualifications, and training in Special Education were more sensitive to issues of equity and accessibility, while secondary-level teachers were more critical than primary colleagues, reflecting adolescence as a period of intensified gendered exclusion. Situating these results within international debates on playground design, hidden curriculum, and Universal Design for Learning, the article concludes that inclusive schoolyards require not only physical redesign, but also cultural transformation, participatory co-design, and teacher-led practices aligned with global sustainability agendas. Full article

The rising cost of traditional energy sources is forcing us to seek alternatives that enable energy self-sufficiency. At the Madrid Zoo Aquarium (Spain), the production of biomethane through the anaerobic digestion of organic waste is being considered, improving environmental management and achieving a competitive advantage in the energy management process. This opportunity also carries with it the possibility of explosions, fires or polluting environments, which requires the establishment of preventive measures to minimize these risks. To respond to this type of contingency, this study develops both empirical equation and charts that allow the establishment of dangerous distances that must be considered due to the presence of flammable gases escaping into the atmosphere and the duration of the danger, taking into account the influence of environmental conditions and dilution. Different risk situations are considered, both during the operation of the facility and during the cleaning and maintenance of tanks and equipment, as well as in the management of waste generated at the end of treatment. Full article

Gamified recommender systems, which mix game design with recommendation frameworks, are a new way to increase user involvement and satisfaction. Even though they have a lot of potential, there has not been any systematic research on how their design affects how people use them. This study introduces a fuzzy DEMATEL-based framework for the assessment and enhancement of gamified recommender systems. Four theoretically grounded gamified recommender system prototypes were developed as a novel contribution, as no readily available systems exist for these designs. The assessment utilized nine user-centric criteria—Effectiveness, Transparency, Persuasiveness, Satisfaction, Trust, Usefulness, Ease of Use, Efficiency, and Education—systematically derived from a PRISMA-guided literature review. This study integrates gamification theory, systematic review, and fuzzy decision-making to formulate a comprehensive framework for identifying the key factors influencing adoption. The fuzzy DEMATEL was applied to evaluate feedback from 25 end-users, and it was found that usefulness and ease of use were the most essential factors for satisfaction and system effectiveness. Analysis of design showed that competition in Points, Badges, and Leaderboards (PBL) design boosts short-term motivation, Acknowledgments, Objectives, and Progression (AOP) boosts progress and openness, Acknowledgments, Competition, and Time Pressure (ACT) boosts efficiency in competitive situations but might lower satisfaction, and Acknowledgments, Objectives, and Social Pressure (AOS) depends on social influence and accountability. Full article

As a fundamental information carrier in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), electromagnetic spectrum data presents critical challenges for efficient spectrum sensing and situational awareness in smart industrial cognitive radio systems. Addressing sparse sampling limitations caused by energy-constrained transceiver nodes in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) spectrum monitoring, this paper proposes a compressive sensing-based 3D spectrum tensor completion framework for extrapolative reconstruction in obstructed areas (e.g., building occlusions). First, a Sparse Coding Neural Gas (SCNG) algorithm constructs an overcomplete dictionary adaptive to wide-range spectral fluctuations. Subsequently, a Bag of Pursuits-optimized Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (BoP-OOMP) framework enables adaptive key-point sampling through multi-path tree search and temporary orthogonal matrix dimensionality reduction. Finally, a Neural Gas competitive learning strategy leverages intermediate BoP solutions for gradient-weighted dictionary updates, eliminating computational redundancy. Benchmark results demonstrate 43.2% reconstruction error reduction at sampling ratios r ≤ 20% across full-space measurements, while achieving decoupling of highly correlated overlapping subspaces—validating superior estimation accuracy and computational efficiency. Full article

The existence of fixed-sum output constraints in real-world situations is widespread, such as market share and carbon dioxide emissions, etc. However, existing fixed-sum output data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods mostly focus on individual decision-making units (DMUs) and ignore the interactions between groups. Therefore, this study first establishes a systematic framework to quantify group performance by the average criterion, and constructs the equilibrium efficient frontier (EEF) to evaluate all groups on a common platform. To address the non-uniqueness issue of EEF, we further introduce the aggressive cross-efficiency mechanism, ultimately proposing a novel group cross-EEF methodology that explicitly accounts for competitive intergroup dynamics. The proposed method is applied in the assessment of carbon emission efficiency in the industrial sector for 30 provinces in China, and the validity of the method is verified. The result shows that (1) even though the average industrial carbon efficiency stands at 1.2015, half of the provinces exhibit values below 1; (2) significant regional heterogeneity is observed, with North China and East China exhibiting higher efficiency levels, while the Northeast and Northwest regions lag behind; (3) provinces such as Beijing, Guangdong, and Zhejiang demonstrate superior performance, in contrast to Ningxia, Hebei, and Qinghai, which remain at relatively low efficiency levels. This study provides theoretical and policy insights to support the advancement of low-carbon development in China’s industrial sector. Full article

The proliferation of counterfeit products poses a substantial threat to numerous industries. Blockchain technology (BCT) offers an effective solution for product traceability, providing a means to combat counterfeiting. However, BCT can verify the authenticity of the information but cannot confirm the veracity of the product itself, a problem known as counterfeiting at the source. To our knowledge, this issue has yet to be studied. The security level of BCT traceability is used to indicate its ability to combat counterfeiting. We establish game-theoretical models to investigate BCT adoption strategies for a typically authentic firm and a premium firm to fight counterfeiting in a vertically differentiated competition. This study demonstrates that BCT reduces deceptive counterfeiters’ incentive to pool with the branded firm and mitigates the negative impact of asymmetric information on the prices, market share, and profits of authentic products in a monopoly. In instances where the proportion of counterfeits is substantial, premium products will lose market share, a phenomenon often referred to as “bad money driving out good money.” In a vertically differentiated competition, if the quality of the premium product is below a certain threshold, it is recommended that the premium firm be the first to adopt BCT, while the typically authentic firm should not follow (Scenario NB). That is, Scenario NB is a win-win situation for both firms in the competition. The premium firm that has adopted BCT can offer a “free ride” to the typically authentic firm. Full article

This paper addresses green supply chain financing decisions based on inter-chain competition and implicit equity considerations. First, considering the different situations of green supply chain members when facing green investment costs, it separately establishes green supply chain revenue Cournot competition models under the three models of no-financing, manufacturer financing, and retailer financing, as well as two implicit equity holding models. Second, it calculates the optimal order quantity and product greenness of the green supply chain under different scenarios. Finally, mathematical derivation and numerical simulation explore the effects of consumers’ green preference, capital opportunity costs, and other factors on product greenness, optimal order quantity, and supply chain members’ revenue. The results of this paper show that regardless of the financing model or who owns the implicit equity, there are optimal order quantities and optimal product greenness in the green supply chain. Furthermore, under inter-chain competition and implicit equity considerations, the manufacturer in the green supply chain always has financing motivations, but it prefers to be financed by the well-funded retailer. However, the retailer will consider financing only when consumer preference for green products in the green supply chain is below a specific threshold. Moreover, compared to the manufacturer financing model, the product greenness under the retailer financing model is high. It performs better in terms of environmental protection, which contributes to improving the entire supply chain and environmental performance. Full article

Are people more afraid of peers living in hardship or peers driving luxury cars? Tri-Reference Point theory posits that individuals prioritize others’ minimum requirements over their goals. This suggests people should be less willing to accept peers’ minimum requirements are not being met (i.e., living in hardship) than peers achieving goals (i.e., driving luxury cars). However, four experiments (N = 648) revealed that in social comparison contexts, people exhibit greater reluctance toward peers “driving luxury cars” (Experiments 1–4). This phenomenon occurs because peers “driving luxury cars” triggers stronger relative deprivation in individuals (Experiments 1–2). When situational competitiveness diminishes or demonstrating peers’ effort, willingness to accept peers “driving luxury cars” increases (Experiments 3–4). Theoretically, these findings indicate that under social comparison, the psychological weighting of others’ goals versus minimum requirements reverses—individuals become more concerned with whether others achieve goals than whether they meet minimum requirements. Practically, this study offers insights for enhancing the acceptance of others’ high achievement and promoting team harmony. Full article

While agriculture is experiencing localized crises, its indispensable role as the foundation of humanity’s food supply requires its uninterrupted functioning. This conventional system is therefore in a state of competition with alternative models, particularly agroecology, which offers a different paradigm for food production. Given this situation and the need to gather reliable information on regenerative agriculture (RA), this article provides a literature review on its principles, objectives, and edaphic benefits. Additionally, it presents a case study that offers practical knowledge of the techniques and actions implemented by an agroforestry farm in central Spain. With this goal, this article addresses key aspects of RA, such as the use of cover crops, and the integration of livestock, emphasizing its role in improving soil quality and increasing biodiversity, among other benefits. After reviewing numerous scientific articles, and despite widespread interest in RA, there is no commonly accepted definition, so there is a wide range of ways to define RA. Until a generalized definition is accepted, we advocate making proposals and implementing methods with extreme caution and based on the regional or local context in which it is defined. In this sense, based on the implementation of RA at the Kerbest Foundation farm, we propose regenerative agriculture as a set of agroecological actions and processes that fundamentally provide functional soil quality, food quality, ecosystem services, and, especially, healthy and economically profitable livestock farming. Based on all of the above, we can argue that RA is no longer merely a commitment made by farmers but, rather, an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable solution grounded in scientific knowledge and technical experience. Full article

The purpose of this study is to propose and critically assess a sustainable urban regeneration model for the redevelopment of the former K-2 military airbase in Daegu, Korea. Large-scale idle military sites pose significant challenges in terms of ecological remediation, social integration, and economic transformation, but also offer opportunities for redefining urban identity and global competitiveness. To address this, we develop the concept of the “Global Contents City,” a planning framework that integrates cultural exchange, creative industries, education, and tourism within a sustainable urban ecosystem. The research employs a qualitative methodology that combines theoretical review, comparative analysis of international precedents (e.g., Munich-Riem, Tempelhof, Stapleton, and Toronto), and design-oriented masterplanning. The findings highlight design strategies that spatially interconnect cultural, educational, industrial, and ecological functions while reinforcing low-carbon infrastructure and green open space. By situating the Daegu K-2 case in an international context, the study demonstrates how lessons from post-military redevelopments can be adapted to Korea, contributing to both scholarly debates and practical frameworks for sustainable city-making. Full article

Meeting the demands for advanced technology and superior quality in the automotive industry has become essential. Continuous evolution requires a rigorous analysis of every step taken. Customers demand high performance in the technology, design, and digitalization, as well as, of course, quality at a competitive price. To meet these expectations, engineers ensure transparency and trust at every stage of the project, guaranteeing flawless execution. This paper aims to highlight a clear and transparent approach to the 8D analysis method, demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying and solving engineering problems. Furthermore, quality planning and 8D analysis are fundamental pillars of quality management in the automotive industry. To ensure a comprehensive and well-founded approach, this paper combines several research methods: a review of the specialized literature, a hypothetical case study approach, and comparative analysis. The proposed methodology allows for a deep understanding of the concepts addressed, facilitating their applicability in real situations. The main conclusions drawn from this research are that quality planning in an automotive buckle development project has proven to be an essential and complex process, directly influencing the success of the project, the safety of end users, and their satisfaction. The analysis of the implementation of the quality planning process, as previously described, has highlighted several fundamental aspects that must be considered to ensure the success and performance of such a project. Full article