The economic viability of a photovoltaic (PV) installation depends on regulations regarding administrative, technical and economic conditions associated with self-consumption and the sale of surplus production. Royal Decree (RD) 244/2019 is the Spanish legislation of reference for this case study, in which we analyse and compare PV installation offers by key suppliers. The proposals are not optimal in RD 244/2019 terms and appear not to fully contemplate power generation losses and seem to shift a representative percentage of consumption to the production period. In our case study of a residential dwelling, the best option corresponds to a 5 kWp installation with surplus sale to the market, with a payback period of 18 years and CO₂ emission reductions of 1026 kg/year. Demand-side management offers a potential improvement of 6%–21.8%. Based on the increase in electricity prices since 2020, the best option offers savings of up to €1507.74 and amortization in 4.24 years. Considering costs and savings, sale to the market could be considered as the only feasible regulatory mechanism for managing surpluses, accompanied by measures to facilitate administrative procedures and guarantees for end users.

The number of accidents at level railway crossings, especially crossings without gate barriers/attendants, is still very high due to technical problems, driving culture, and human error. The aim of this research is to provide road maps application based on ergonomic visual displays design that can increase awareness level for drivers before crossing railway crossings. The double awareness driving (DAD) map information system was built based on the waterfall method, which has 4 steps: defining requirements, system and software design, unit testing, and implementation. User needs to include origin-destination location, geolocation, distance & travel time, directions, crossing information, and crossing notifications. The DAD map application was tested using a usability test to determine the ease of using the application used the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire and an Electroencephalogram (EEG) test to determine the increase in concentration in drivers before and immediately crossing a railway crossing. Periodically, the application provides information on the driving zone being passed; green zone for driving distances > 500 m to the crossing, the yellow zone for distances 500m to 100m, and the red zone for distances < 100 m. The DAD map also provides information on the position and speed of the nearest train that will cross the railway crossing. The usability test for 10 respondents giving SUS score = 97.5 (satisfaction category) with a time-based efficiency value = 0.29 goals/s, error rate = 0%, and a success rate of 93.33%. The cognitive ergonomic testing via Electroencephalogram (EEG) produced a focus level of 21.66%. Based on the results of DAD map testing can be implemented to improve the safety of level railroad crossings in an effort to reduce the number of driving accidents.

This study explores the scale efficiency of four star hotels in a small tourist destination in Croatia. The number of overnight stays and the increase in hotel beds are two indicators of the development of a tourist destination. Among the accommodation facilities, hotels play a significant role in the development of a tourist destination, but they are increasingly facing a labor force crisis. Data envelopment analysis is used to rank hotels by efficiency coefficient. The aim of the paper is to investigate the efficiency of the hotel by taking certain inputs and outputs, which are explained in detail in the paper. The paper uses the CCR (Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes) and BCC (Banker, Charnes, and Cooper) models to calculate hotel scale efficiency and also presents an overview of previous research around the world.

This paper describes the significance, content, progress and corresponding basic theory and experimental research methods of micron/nanometer scale thermal science and engineering, which is one of the latest cutting-edge disciplines, and analyzes the effects of micron nanometer devices on the scale effect series of challenging hot issues, discussed the corresponding emergence of some new phenomena and new concepts, pointed out that the micron/nano thermal science aspects of the recent development of several types of theory and experimental technology success and shortcomings, and summed up a number for the exploration of the new ways and new directions, especially on some typical micron/nano-thermal devices and micro-scale biological heat transfer in some important scientific issues and their engineering applications were introduced.

This study developed a specific scale to measure the impact of extrinsic motivations on students’ decisions to pursue online graduate programs at business schools in Latin America. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research proceeded in three stages. In the first stage, the construct was defined by identifying key extrinsic factors motivating students to enroll in online graduate programs, followed by the creation and initial validation of the scale in Colombia. The second stage involved testing the scale in Chile to determine its cross-cultural applicability. In the third stage, the scale’s predictive validity was confirmed, demonstrating its effectiveness in explaining how extrinsic motivations influence students’ intentions to enroll in online graduate programs. The findings indicate that the scale, composed of five dimensions—Cost Reduction, Ability to Study from Any Location, Control Over Learning Pace, Flexibility to Balance Study and Work, and Avoiding Commuting Time—is a reliable predictor of student preferences and intentions in online graduate education. The final scale includes 25 items across these dimensions, measuring extrinsic factors through items related to flexibility, time savings, and global accessibility. Validation in two Latin American countries confirms the scale’s relevance across diverse cultural contexts, enhancing its applicability within the region. This study provides empirical evidence that extrinsic motivation is a key determinant of students’ intentions to enroll in online programs in developing countries. It confirms that extrinsic motivations reflect a preference for flexible learning options compatible with students’ lifestyles and professional needs, linked to their beliefs about time management, professional advancement, and career opportunities associated with earning a graduate degree.

An image adaptive noise reduction enhancement algorithm based on NSCT is proposed to perform image restoration preprocessing on the defocused image obtained under the microscope. Defocused images acquired under micro-nano scale optical microscopy, usually with inconspicuous details, edges and contours, affect the accuracy of subsequent observation tasks. Due to its multi-scale and multi-directionality, the NSCT transform has superior transform functions and can obtain more textures and edges of images. Combined with the characteristics of micro-nanoscale optical defocus images, the NSCT inverse transform is performed on all sub-bands to reconstruct the image. Finally, the experimental results of the standard 500 nm scale grid, conductive probe and triangular probe show that the proposed algorithm has a better image enhancement effect and significantly improves the quality of out-of-focus images.