Cordoba University

ABSTRACT Physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) are complex behaviors influenced by social factors such as relationships with family and friends, linked to mechanisms such as social support. This study implemented a segmentation-based social network intervention which is a promising approach to improving health-behaviors in a network. The objective was to determine the effects of a social network intervention through social support from friends and parents on PA and ST among adolescents. A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 4 schools, 24 classrooms, with 787 adolescents. A segmentation-based social network intervention was implemented over ten weeks in physical education classes. Two components, ClassI involving friends support and ParentsI involving parents support was included. Follow-up was conducted at week ten post-intervention. A mixed-effects model was used to determine the effectiveness. Network mechanisms of perceived social support from friends most associated with PA and ST were explored. Findings indicated a significant increase of 12.2 daily minutes of PA in the intervention group (95% CI: 1.9 to 22.5, p = .02). Main effects suggest sustainability over time. Social support from friends and parents was significant (p < .001), and homophily was positively associated with PA (p < .05). For ST, a reduction of 56.7 minutes was observed in the intervention group (95% CI: −105.2 to −8.1, p = .02). Main effects indicate that the effectiveness for ST was not sustainable over time. Implementing a social support network intervention from friends and parents within physical education classes is effectively increased daily PA and decreased ST among adolescents.

Chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing health problem, especially in urban settings where dietary patterns have undergone significant changes. Several studies have shown that the type and quality of diet is associated with alterations in metabolic biomarkers that predict cardiometabolic risk. The present study aimed to identify dietary patterns in adults and examine their relationship with metabolic biomarkers associated with chronic NCD risk. A descriptive-correlational, population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 267 adults (58% women, 42% men; mean age 45.2 ± 12.6 years). Among them, 147 participants had their blood biomarkers measured, including insulinemia, blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein), LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein), and triglycerides, as well as calculated indices such as the Castelli Index (total cholesterol/HDL-C) and the Atherogenic Index (LDL-C/HDL-C). The covariates for this study included age, sex, nutritional status (BMI), presence of diabetes, and hypertension. Dietary patterns were identified using Principal Component Factor Analysis (PCFA), and associations were explored using multiple logistic regression models adjusted for confounding factors (covariates). Two predominant dietary patterns were identified: the "Snacking Pattern"-characterized by a high intake of refined grain products, processed meats and savory snacks-, and the "Prudent Pattern"-based on fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Greater adherence to the "Snacking Pattern" was associated with elevated total cholesterol levels (OR = 3.05; 95% CI: 1.36-6.82) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.23-6.75). Excess body weight (BMI > 25 kg/m²) was associated with an increased risk of elevated total cholesterol (OR = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.10-6.07), triglycerides (TAG) (OR = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.08-6.73), insulin (OR = 4.10; 95% CI: 3.42-22.37), Castelli Index (OR = 3.45; 95% CI: 1.14-10.41), and Atherogenic Index (OR = 6.06; 95% CI: 1.16-31.62). Age was positively associated with increases in total cholesterol (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01-1.08), LDL-C (OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.08), triglycerides (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00-1.06), and fasting glucose (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01-1.09). Moderate physical activity was associated with an 81% reduction in the risk of low HDL-C (OR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.05-0.60), whereas high physical activity was associated with a 91% reduction in the risk of hyperinsulinemia (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.016-0.53). Female sex was associated with a lower risk of elevated triglycerides (OR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.16-0.99) and hyperglycemia (OR = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.10-0.64). These findings underscore the importance of incorporating dietary patterns (DP) into food policy design, since diet is not simply the result of individual behavior but rather a complex, multidimensional factor that significantly shapes a population's metabolic profile.

Sheep wool is a low-value agricultural by-product with potential to contribute to more sustainable cementitious materials. This study investigates Segureña sheep wool fibres as reinforcement in cement mortars, comparing washed wool (W) and cement-encapsulated wool (E) at the same oven-dry raw wool dosages (0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 g per batch), and benchmarking against polypropylene (PP) fibres. Flexural and compressive strength were evaluated at 1, 7, and 28 days, whereas apparent density, water absorption, and thermal conductivity were assessed at 28 days. An intermediate dosage (1.0 g per batch) provided the most favourable mechanical response, while the highest dosage (3.0 g per batch) reduced performance, plausibly due to dispersion limitations and void formation. At 28 days, W-1 reached 9.65 ± 0.50 MPa in flexure (very close to PP-1) and 59.70 ± 1.05 MPa in compression, exceeding PP-1 in compression. Wool incorporation also reduced apparent density and yielded an observed reduction in thermal conductivity of up to ~18% at the highest dosage (single specimen per series). Overall, optimally dosed washed wool can deliver competitive mechanical performance while improving thermal behaviour, supporting circular-economy valorisation of waste wool in eco-mortars.

Background The assessment of suppression performance is gaining importance due to budget constraints and the increasing prevalence of large wildfires. Aims This study evaluates the effectiveness, cost-benefit, and cost-effectiveness of fire management in Andalusia using indices that combine burned area, suppression costs, and avoided economic damages, while examining the factors influencing these indices. Methods Indices were calculated based on observed wildfire behavior and operational data from the official database (2011–2019), supplemented with simulated fire behavior and economic impacts. Key results Suppression efforts prevented the burning of 67% of the potentially affected area, and each unit of cost invested averted roughly three units of potential economic losses from wildfires. Suppression performance varied across administrative divisions, decreasing with higher fire growth rates but improving with longer control times. Early-season fires were less effectively contained, whereas late-season fires were more cost-effective. Conclusions This novel evaluation in Spain identifies the main drivers of suppression performance, offering insights for fire agency operations. We proposed the modified Management Index (mMI) as a more robust measure of cost-effectiveness. Implications Assessing wildfire suppression effectiveness guides intervention prioritization, adaptive resource allocation, and operational strategies, while providing evidence-based justification for the value of assets protected relative to firefighting investments.

This study analytically investigates the impact of AI-Generated Content (AIGC) on consumer engagement and the ethical challenges arising from the human-AI co-creation process within the specific context of Maharashtra, India. Ever since marketers started to deploy AI-Generated Content (AIGC) on a large scale, some have kept raising the issues of consumer trust, perceived authenticity and moral responsibility, because generative algorithms still operate in a mysterious, "black-box" way. It has been suggested that Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) can serve as a tool to address such concerns through the transparency and understandability of AI-generated outputs. Whether consumers in emerging, digitally evolving markets really appreciate such transparency cues or whether the advantages of AIGC in terms of efficiency and personalization are so great that they make explainability unnecessary, empirical evidence is still scarce. This paper deals with this issue headon by experimentally comparing consumer reactions to disclosed and undisclosed AIGC in the Indian regional context. Taking the state as a major digital commerce hub with somewhat complicated multilingual dynamics (Marathi–Hindi–English), this research is not limited to global studies only, but it goes further to fill the critical gap in understanding regional consumer response to algorithmic marketing. The core theoretical mechanism tested is the Explainable Co-Creation (ECC) Model that suggests Perceived Authenticity (PA) is a mediator between AI Content Transparency (ACT) and ultimate Engagement (CE) whereas Consumer Trust (CT) and Ethical Awareness (EA) are two key moderators. A cross-sectional survey with mixed-methods, stimuli-based, component involving urban consumers in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Nagpur was deployed to carry out this research work. The study tested six foundational hypotheses using PLS-SEM. The preliminary results are anticipated to reveal an important Paradox of Transparency in which a high level of Ethical Awareness could negatively moderate the acceptance of disclosed AIGC. This implies that for a digitally conscious Indian consumer, transparency by itself may not be enough to regain authenticity. The study provides important managerial implications for the creation of a culturally-sensitive, hybrid AI-human content strategy and it also supports the requirement of policy interventions like the introduction of mandatory AI content labeling to facilitate consumer autonomy in the emerging digital markets. This research makes a significant move by extending consumer engagement theory to the non-sentient co-creation domain and by providing a regional AI ethics lens for the future research.

For years, the Caspian Sea has been affected by chemical pollution resulting from human activities. More recently, Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN) has emerged as a new threat, severely impacting fish populations in this aquatic ecosystem. The aim of this study was to evaluate differences between healthy and VNN-infected mullets along the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea. A total of 63 individuals were randomly sampled, including 34 Chelon auratus and 29 Chelon saliens. Viral prevalence was higher in C. saliens. Statistical test revealed clear differences between healthy and infected individuals based on their elemental profiles. Infection with NNV was associated with significantly elevated concentrations of several metals, particularly Hg, Pb, Mo, V, and Cu, with Hg showing up to a tenfold increase in infected fish. These findings confirm that the southern Caspian Sea is contaminated with multiple trace elements, which not only compromise ecosystem health but may also predispose fish to viral infections such as VNN.

The increasing integration of digital technologies into everyday life has intensified engagement in various cyber behaviors, raising important questions about their relationship with individuals' well-being. This study examined the associations between online moral disengagement, problematic internet use (compulsive internet use), benign and toxic disinhibition, cyberaggression, and cybervictimization with both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being among emerging adults in the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, it explores the moderating role of personality traits in these associations. Data were collected from 671 emerging adults (46.8% women) aged 18–29 years (M = 22.56; SD = 3.04). Results showed that cybervictimization and cyberaggression exhibited the strongest negative association with both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. In contrast, benign disinhibition and problematic internet use were positively associated with well-being, suggesting that some forms of online engagement may have adaptive functions. Personality traits further shaped these associations: agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism moderated the relationship between problematic internet use and benign disinhibition and well-being, while extraversion and openness to experience displayed more context-specific moderating roles. By comparison, toxic disinhibition and online moral disengagement showed broadly negative associations with well-being, independent of personality. These findings highlight the complex interplay between cyber behaviors, personality, and well-being in emerging adults. While certain online activities may foster positive outcomes, others appear consistently harmful regardless of individual differences. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing interventions and policies that promote healthier digital engagement and protect well-being in increasingly technology-driven contexts.