Search Results (38,012)

Background/Objectives: Masters athletes are adults aged ≥40 who compete in sport, exhibiting superior physical function and healthier aging than their sedentary peers. However, even highly trained masters athletes experience age-related performance declines. Women masters athletes represent a growing yet understudied population who may face unique physiological challenges. This scoping review synthesizes literature from 1984 to 2024, examining the impact of age and menopause on determinants of endurance performance in women masters athletes. Methods: Following JBI scoping review methodology, six databases were searched (Medline, Embase, Central, CINAHL, SPORTdiscus, Scopus). Studies were evaluated for population characteristics, methodological approaches, and physiological determinants of performance (i.e., aerobic capacity, lactate kinetics, and exercise economy). Results: Twenty-nine studies were included. Most (n = 28) assessed aerobic capacity, reporting declines between 0.36 and 0.84 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹·year⁻¹ (0.5–2.4%·year⁻¹). These reductions were primarily associated with decreased cardiac output followed by changes in body composition. Training volume emerged as a predictor of aerobic capacity, but the effects of menopause were unclear. Findings on lactate kinetics and exercise economy were mixed but preliminary research indicated that lactate threshold relative to VO₂max generally increased, peak lactate remained stable and energy cost increased with age. Fitness and health characteristics among women athletes differed from sedentary populations, emphasizing the need for athlete-specific data to support training and health decisions. Conclusions: Aging is associated with decreased aerobic capacity and variable changes in lactate kinetics and exercise economy. While training volume may attenuate performance decrements, the impact of menopause remains uncertain, underscoring the need for longitudinal research to better support this growing segment of the population. Full article

Phosphorus is an essential and finite resource critical for global food production, yet its inefficient use and discharge from wastewater systems contribute to eutrophication and resource depletion. The transition from conventional wastewater treatment plants to water resource recovery facilities has intensified interest in technologies that enable phosphorus recovery within a circular economy framework. This review provides a critical and up-to-date synthesis of phosphorus recovery strategies from wastewater, with primary emphasis on struvite (MgNH₄PO₄·6H₂O) crystallization as one of the most mature and practically implemented recovery routes. The occurrence and chemical forms of phosphorus in wastewater streams are discussed alongside conventional approaches, such as enhanced biological phosphorus removal and chemical precipitation, in order to position struvite recovery within the broader phosphorus management landscape. In addition to struvite crystallization, selected competing and complementary recovery pathways, including electrochemical systems, biochar-assisted processes, and sludge ash recovery, are discussed to compare technological maturity, recovery potential, and practical applicability. Particular attention is given to reactor configurations, full-scale applications, and commercial technologies to assess operational reliability, recovery performance, and fertilizer product quality. Life-cycle assessment results and regulatory developments are also discussed to contextualize sustainability claims, technology selection, and market integration. The review identifies key technical and economic challenges, particularly regarding magnesium supply, competing ions, wastewater matrix effects, and the feasibility of mainstream application. Overall, controlled sidestream struvite crystallization appears to offer the most favorable balance between recovery efficiency, operational reliability, and fertilizer product quality under suitable plant conditions. Full article

This study investigates the development of mechanically reprocessed poly(lactic acid) (rPLA) films reinforced with rice husk (RH) and rice husk biochar (RHB) to evaluate their processing behavior, key functional properties, and disintegration under composting conditions. rPLA was produced from PLA through an additional processing cycle to simulate the valorization of industrial PLA waste, while composites containing 1 and 3 wt.% RH or RHB 500 µm sized particles were manufactured by melt extrusion followed by a compression molding process. Reprocessing increased the melt flow index and decreased intrinsic viscosity and viscosimetric molecular weight, evidencing the occurrence of chain scission during mechanical reprocessing. The addition of RH slightly restricted melt flow and promoted higher surface hydrophilicity, whereas RHB showed a filler-loading-dependent effect on melt flow and increased surface hydrophobicity at low content, consistent with its carbonized and less polar nature. Both RH and RHB promote a nucleating effect, with increased crystallinity in RHB-containing films, and tensile tests showing that filler incorporation mainly reduced ductility compared with unfilled rPLA, while stiffness and strength was maintained or exhibited more moderate variations. Despite these contrasting trends in surface properties and thermo-mechanical performance, all formulations achieved complete disintegration within 21 days under composting conditions at laboratory scale level. Overall, RH and RHB provide a viable route to valorize agro-industrial residues in rPLA films and to tune structure–property relationships within the circular economy framework. Full article

Understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying consumer loyalty behavior constitutes a central challenge for the behavioral sciences. Despite growing research on experiential marketing, limited attention has been directed toward understanding the conditional cognitive mechanisms that determine when and how consumption experiences translate into stable loyalty patterns, particularly in emerging market contexts where consumer behavior dynamics differ substantially from those in mature economies. The present study examines how experiential processing influences the formation of behavioral loyalty patterns, considering the moderating role of cognitive value evaluation. A quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional design was employed with a sample of 500 consumers from retail businesses in Pueblo Nuevo, Peru. The instruments demonstrated adequate psychometric properties (α > 0.88; AVE > 0.50). The results of the moderation analysis using PROCESS Model 1 revealed that the model explains 79.9% of the variance in loyalty behavior (R² = 0.799, p < 0.001). The interaction effect was significant (B = 0.10, p < 0.001), confirming that cognitive value evaluation moderates the relationship between experiential processing and behavioral loyalty. Simple slopes analysis showed that the effect of experiential processing on loyalty intensifies as perceived value increases, ranging from B = 0.56 at low levels to B = 0.77 at high levels. The Johnson–Neyman criterion identified the transition point at 14.80. These findings contribute to consumer behavior theory by demonstrating that consumption experiences require a favorable cognitive evaluation to translate into stable behavioral loyalty patterns, with implications for Sustainable Development Goal 8 concerning sustainable economic growth. These results advance consumer behavior theory by providing an integrative moderating framework applicable beyond the Peruvian context, and offer retail managers a diagnostic tool for calibrating experiential strategies based on consumer value perception thresholds. Full article

Corporate sustainability has emerged as a critical strategic imperative for organizations seeking to mitigate their environmental impacts amid escalating climate pressures and growing stakeholder demands. This study examines corporate strategies aimed at reducing environmental footprints—including circular economy models, energy efficiency measures, and digitalization—and investigates how young adults perceive and evaluate corporate sustainability commitments, with particular emphasis on greenwashing skepticism. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was administered to 150 university students and young professionals aged 18–25 years in Spain. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and linear regression to examine the influence of prior sustainability knowledge, academic background, age, and sectoral context on perceived corporate sustainability commitment, greenwashing perception, and willingness to consume sustainable products. The findings reveal that prior sustainability knowledge significantly and positively predicts higher evaluations of corporate environmental commitment, while age and academic background—particularly among students in Economics and Business—are associated with heightened greenwashing skepticism. Perceived corporate sustainability commitment is found to exert a significant positive influence on sustainable consumption intention, and production-intensive sectors are consistently perceived as more environmentally harmful than service-oriented industries. These findings underscore the importance of transparent, credible, and verifiable sustainability strategies in building legitimacy and trust among younger generations, and contribute to the growing literature on stakeholder perceptions of corporate environmental responsibility. Full article

The rapid growth of the digital economy has transformed the tourism industry, yet the industrial linkages and environmental impacts of this integration remain underexplored. This study employs an input–output framework to examine the interactions between the digital economy and tourism and their carbon footprint effects in China. Multi-year digital economy–tourism input–output tables for 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023 are constructed using sectoral disaggregation and the RAS updating method. Results indicate increasing integration, with tourism more dependent on the digital economy sectors and both industries exerting the strongest influence on the secondary sector. The digital economy shows a gradual shift from hardware manufacturing to information services. Structural decomposition analysis and structural path analysis reveal that technological progress significantly reduces emissions, whereas population growth drives increases. These findings offer empirical evidence for guiding digital–tourism integration and supporting low-carbon strategies in the tourism sector. Full article

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are key biomarkers of gut microbiota activity; however, routine quantification in fecal samples relies largely on chromatography, which is instrument-intensive and throughput-limited chromatography techniques. Herein, we present a rapid machine-learning-assisted electroanalysis platform for SCFAs profiling that integrates a disposable three-electrode planar gold chip with voltammetric fingerprinting and artificial neural network (ANN)-based signal decoupling. To generate orthogonal chemical information and improve the discrimination of structurally similar species, a dual pretreatment strategy combining acid-catalyzed esterification and alkaline dissociation was employed prior to electrochemical analyses. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed to acquire high-dimensional fingerprints, from which current-, potential-, and area-based descriptors were extracted using a cross-information feature strategy. A hierarchical modeling framework improved total SCFAs prediction by incorporating ANN-predicted propionate and butyrate concentrations as auxiliary inputs. While linear calibration was achievable in standard mixtures, direct linear models performed poorly in real fecal matrices due to strong sample-dependent matrix interference. In contrast, the ANN captured nonlinear relationships among multifeature inputs and suppressed matrix effects. Validation against gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in an independent fecal test cohort (n = 30) demonstrated excellent agreement and low prediction errors, with mean absolute error/root mean square error values of 0.063/0.072 mM (propionic acid), 0.029/0.034 mM (butyric acid), and 0.135/0.202 mM (total SCFAs). The DPV/CV acquisition requires only minutes per sample, whereas pretreatment takes 1~3 h depending on the target route but can be performed in parallel for batch processing; thus, overall throughput is determined mainly by batch pretreatment rather than per-sample instrument time. This electrochemical–ANN workflow provides a portable, high-throughput alternative to chromatography for fecal SCFAs profiling in clinical screening and microbiome research. Full article

Water scarcity and pollution from anthropogenic activities are major challenges, increasing the need for sustainable wastewater treatment solutions. Constructed wetlands mimic natural wetland ecosystems using macrophytes and substrates, representing a possible nature-based solution aligned with circular economy principles and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. So, this revision integrates recent literature, providing an overview of natural wetlands and examining the design and operation of constructed wetland systems. Also, incorporates a case study that focuses on a constructed wetland implemented at an eco-friendly dog shelter in Portugal—a unique example globally—demonstrating practical wastewater treatment and small-scale water reuse, and offering insights for sustainable management. Performance assessment based on previous work indicates that the system effectively reduces most water quality parameters to levels compliant with national and European irrigation standards. Removal efficiencies exceeded 97% for chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and turbidity, while maintaining low energy consumption and minimal maintenance. Overall, constructed wetlands emerge as a sustainable alternative to conventional wastewater treatment systems; however, several challenges remain to be addressed. Future research should focus on improved aeration strategies, optimized substrate–macrophyte combinations, and long-term monitoring under climate variability, with floating wetlands offering promising opportunities to further enhance treatment efficiency. Full article

This study systematically examines the low-carbon transition challenges faced by the Yellow River Basin, a core strategic energy base in China with a coal-dominated energy system, under the dual carbon goals. Existing studies based on traditional econometric models or single-province analyses are mostly limited to static analysis, failing to simultaneously capture the nonlinear spatiotemporal evolution, cross-regional spillover effects, and long-term changing trends of carbon emissions in the basin. To fill this gap, this study builds an Energy–Economy–Carbon (EEC) analytical framework, and develops an integrated TFT-ASTGCN deep learning framework. Specifically, we employ the Temporal Fusion Transformer (TFT) for high-precision multivariate time-series simulation and peak forecasting, while the Attention-based Spatial–Temporal Graph Convolutional Network (ASTGCN) is used to identify complex spatial dependencies of inter-provincial emissions. The empirical results confirm that: (1) Basin carbon emissions show significant coal-driven carbon lock-in, with initial decoupling between economic growth and emissions. (2) Most provinces will maintain rising emissions under the current development mode, posing severe challenges to carbon peaking. (3) Asymmetric spatial spillover effects are prominent, underscoring cross-regional collaborative governance as a critical pathway for achieving an early and stable carbon peak in the basin. Full article

Against the backdrop of high uncertainty in the economic environment, corporate resilience is not only a key guarantee for enterprises to build their own competitive advantages, but also a vital cornerstone for China’s economy to achieve high-quality development. Sampling from China’s A-share listed companies ranging from 2009 to 2023, this paper employs the Difference-in-Differences (DID) model to examine the association between the Fair Competition Review System (FCRS) and corporate resilience. The empirical results reveal that the application of the FCRS can significantly improve corporate resilience. A mechanism analysis indicates that the FCRS enhances corporate resilience by alleviating credit misallocation and reducing agency costs. Further analysis suggests that the positive impact of the FCRS on corporate resilience is more remarkable in samples with low market competition intensity, high rule-of-law levels, and eastern and central regions. The findings not only provide a practicable path for the deep combination of competition policy and corporate resilience, but also offer useful implications for promoting corporate sustainable development. Full article

This study developed internally consistent scenarios for tourism village development to strengthen destination competitiveness and support the local economy. Using an exploratory–constructive design and the Cross-Impact Balance method, the study structured the relationships among development elements, competitiveness, and local economic development into 13 descriptors with 52 states. Expert judgment was used to construct a cross-impact matrix, and ScenarioWizard identified 18 consistent scenarios and their Total Impact Scores. Four scenarios showed positive consistency scores, with one high-road scenario emerging as the most consistent pathway toward very high competitiveness and a stronger role for tourism villages in the local economy. This scenario was characterized by a clear value proposition, full integration of local MSMEs and products, diversified revenue sources, equitable benefit distribution, strong managerial and digital capacity, transparent governance, multi-stakeholder partnerships, strategic use of public funds, and a structured digital marketing and booking system. These findings suggest that policy efforts should prioritize coordinated improvements in value proposition, MSME integration, revenue diversification, governance, partnerships, and digital management to move tourism villages toward the high-road scenario. Full article

The stability of Indonesia’s banking sector is closely linked to the effectiveness of capital regulations, particularly as a country that aligns its policies with Basel III standards. Ensuring that banks have adequate capital buffers is crucial for mitigating systemic risk. However, the interaction between regulatory requirements and actual banking behavior in developing countries remains poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the impact of Indonesia’s capital requirement instruments, including the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB), the capital conservation buffer (CCB), and the capital surcharge, on credit performance and financial stability across various bank categories. Using a quantitative approach, the analysis utilizes panel data from commercial banks, state-owned banks and regional development banks over several periods, using the panel regression method and Difference-in-Differences (DID) to assess how changes in buffer levels affect credit growth, Non-Performing Loans (NPLs), and the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR). The results show that capital buffers have a statistically significant effect on lending behavior: a 1% increase in buffer levels is associated with a measurable decrease in credit expansion across several bank groups, while CCBs exhibit a stronger stabilizing effect than CCyBs. Although these instruments do not eliminate financial uncertainty, they contribute to more prudent risk-taking. This study also revealed that the CCyB rate increases when the financial cycle is in an expansionary phase. Conversely, if the economy slows (as during the pandemic), the CCyB rate can be lowered back to 0% to encourage bank intermediation, thus shaping the bank’s responses to regulation. Several implications of implementing a capital buffer in Indonesia include the benefits of resilience and bank behavior during credit expansion. Overall, this study concludes that aligning regulatory frameworks with real-world banking behavior is crucial for enhancing financial stability in developing countries, such as Indonesia. Full article

Cardiovascular diseases are a growing public health challenge in Ethiopia, worsened by limited access to diagnostics, including ECG, and shortages of specialized expertise. AI-powered ECG offers potential to improve diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and access in resource-limited settings, but its adoption is influenced by policy, regulatory, financing, and governance factors, which are not well understood in Ethiopia. This study explored these system-level determinants using qualitative methods from September to October 2025 across federal institutions, four regions, and five tertiary hospitals. Twenty-five stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators, digital health experts, and hospital leaders, were interviewed. Data were transcribed verbatim, coded inductively, and analyzed thematically. Six themes emerged: policy and governance, regulatory frameworks, financing and cost considerations, data governance and bias, integration barriers, and sustainability recommendations. Findings showed AI-powered ECG interpretation aligns with Ethiopia’s digital health and noncommunicable disease priorities, but the country lacks AI-specific health policies, clear regulations, and dedicated budgets. Financing is largely donor-dependent, data governance and algorithmic bias remain concerns, and infrastructure gaps and digital skill shortages limit readiness. Study participants recommended learning from prior digital health projects, coordinated scale-up, phased implementation, and continuous monitoring. Effective adoption will require context-specific policies, sustainable financing, robust regulation, strong data governance, and careful system integration to ensure equitable, responsible, and sustainable use. Full article

In the last decade, as cities increasingly seek sustainable development pathways within the cultural and creative economy, cultural-creative events have gained prominence as strategic instruments for urban transformation. Among them, city design weeks have emerged as complex service systems that connect creative industries, urban governance, and tourism development. This research aims to understand how cultural-creative events (represented by design weeks) facilitate sustainable tourism development from a service design perspective. Adopting a qualitative comparative research design, the study examines 30 design weeks selected through a cross-validated process with the World Design Weeks global network and UNESCO City of Design network. Data from 2020 to 2025 is collected primarily through expert interviews, official reports, and media materials in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Grounded in the service design perspective, four Service Design Levels are summarized into 17 assessment dimensions, and experts applied Likert scale to evaluate the relative service intensity of each case. Through cross-case analysis, the findings reveal four distinct models of design weeks, reflecting different configurations of service intensity and strategic orientation. The study contributes theoretically by extending service design theory to cultural-creative tourism research, and practically by providing guidance for the organizers of cultural-creative events seeking to support sustainable city tourism development. Future research may incorporate quantitative impact assessments to further refine these models. Full article

Long-term stability of dam infrastructure is crucial for flood protection, water resource management, and drinking water supply. In many regions, the increasing impact of climate change and structural aging necessitates advanced monitoring approaches for embankment and gravity dams. PSI has emerged as a valuable technique for detecting surface deformation rates with millimeter precision. This study presents a comprehensive monitoring concept that combines satellite-based PSI analyses with the first operational use of ECRs at dam sites in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany. Over a period of more than two years, ECRs were observed under real-world conditions using Sentinel-1 data. Compared to traditional passive reflectors, ECRs offer improved signal stability and a compact design, making them particularly suitable for confined or sensitive dam environments. The analysis of displacement time series confirms the suitability of ECRs for long-term deformation monitoring in complex dam settings. Intercomparison of two PSI time series demonstrated high internal consistency (correlation > 0.9, RMSE < 1 mm), while validation against in situ measurements confirmed millimeter-level agreement with RMSE values between 2 and 5 mm and correlations up to 0.7. In addition, a dedicated web-based platform was developed to provide processed ECR-based PSI results to dam operators, offering interactive visualizations, time-series access, and standardized downloads. This integration of advanced interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) methods, innovative hardware, and user-oriented service delivery marks a significant step toward operational dam monitoring using satellite remote sensing. Full article