Search Results (136)

Introduction: Air pollution is a risk factor for a variety of cardiopulmonary diseases and is a contributing factor to cancer, diabetes, and cognitive impairment. The impact on mortality is not clearly elucidated. Objectives: The goal of this study is to determine the impact (if any) of air pollution on the 5-year mortality of patients in the American Family Cohort (AFC) dataset. Methods: The AFC dataset is derived from the American Board of Family Medicine PRIME Registry electronic health record data. It includes longitudinal information from 6.6 million unique patients from an estimated 800 primary care practices across 47 states, with 40% coming from rural areas. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index (AQI) measures were downloaded for the study period (2016–2022). Using the Python library pandas, the AFC and EPA datasets were merged with respect to date, time, and location. Cox Regression Models were performed on the merged dataset to determine the impact (if any) of air quality on patients’ five-year survival. In the model, AQI was handled as a time-independent (time-fixed) covariate. Results: The group with AQI > 50 had an adjusted hazard of death that was 4.02 times higher than the hazard of death in the group with AQI ≤ 50 (95% CI: 3.36, 4.82, p < 0.05). The hazard of death was 6.73 times higher in persons older than 80 years of age (95% CI: 5.47, 8.28; p < 0.05) compared to those younger than 80 years of age. Black/African American patients had a 4.27 times higher hazard of death (95%CI: 3.47, 5.26; p < 0.05) compared to other races. We also found that regional effects played a role in survival. Conclusions: Poor air quality was associated with a higher hazard of mortality, and this phenomenon was particularly pronounced in Black/African American patients and patients older than 80 years of age. Air pollution is an important social determinant of health. Public health initiatives that improve air quality are necessary to improve health outcomes. Full article

Emotion recognition is an essential social ability that continues to develop across adolescence, a period of critical socio-emotional changes. In the present study, we examine how signals from different sensory modalities, specifically touch and facial expressions, are integrated into a holistic understanding of another’s feelings. Adolescents (n = 30) and young adults (n = 30) were presented with dynamic faces displaying either a positive (happy) or a negative (sad) expression. Crucially, facial expressions were anticipated by a tactile stimulation, either positive or negative. Across two experiments, we use different tactile primes, both in first-person experience (experiment 1) and in the vicarious experience of touch (experiment 2). We measured accuracy and reaction times to investigate whether tactile stimuli affect facial emotional processing. In both experiments, results indicate that adolescents were more sensitive than adults to the influence of tactile primes, suggesting that sensory cues modulate adolescents’ accuracy and velocity in evaluating emotion facial expression. The present findings offer valuable insights into how tactile experiences might shape and support emotional development and interpersonal social interactions. Full article

Comprehending the alterations in wintering grounds of migratory birds amid global change and anthropogenic influences is pivotal for advancing wetland sustainability and ensuring avian conservation. Frequent extreme droughts in the middle and lower Yangtze River region of China have posed severe ecological and socio-economic dilemmas. The integration of internet-derived, crowdsourced geographic data with remote-sensing imagery now facilitates assessments of these avian habitats. Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater body, suffered an unprecedented drought in 2022, offering a unique case study on avian habitat responses to climate extremes. By harnessing social and online platforms’ media reports, we analyzed the types, attributes and proportions of migratory bird habitats. This crowdsourced geographic information, corroborated by Sentinel-2 optical remote-sensing imagery, elucidated the suitability and transformations of these habitats under drought stress. Our findings revealed marked variations in habitat preferences among bird species, largely attributable to divergent feeding ecologies and behavioral patterns. Dominantly, shallow waters emerged as the most favored habitat, succeeded by mudflats and grasslands. Remote-sensing analyses disclosed a stark 60% reduction in optimal habitat area during the drought phase, paralleled by a 1.5-fold increase in unsuitable habitat areas compared to baseline periods. These prime habitats were chiefly localized in Poyang Lake’s western sub-lakes. The extreme drought precipitated a drastic contraction in suitable habitat extent and heightened fragmentation. Our study underscores the value of crowdsourced geographic information in assessing habitat suitability for migratory birds. Retaining sub-lake water surfaces within large river or lake floodplains during extreme droughts emerges as a key strategy to buffer the impacts of hydrological extremes on avian habitats. This research contributes to refining conservation strategies and promoting adaptive management practices of wetlands in the face of climate change. Full article

This study examines the evolving relationship between online media coverage and protest movements by analyzing year-long demonstrations in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Through comprehensive qualitative thematic analysis and content analyses of 219 online newspaper articles from five major Israeli newspapers; 324 social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; and 9 semi-structured interviews with protest leaders, this research identifies a gradual paradigm shift in protest representation in online media. The findings reveal a transition from the traditional “protest paradigm”—which frames protests as violent and remote through warlike discourse and visual distancing—toward an emerging “our protest paradigm”, characterized by rhetorical and visual proximity to protesters. This new paradigm manifests through personal testimonies in mainstream media and portrait photography on social media platforms, both creating a sense of closeness and accountability. The study further reveals a significant disconnect between protest leaders’ perceptions and legacy media, as leaders increasingly view traditional media as irrelevant despite their advisers’ recommendations to engage with it. Using polysystem theory as a theoretical framework, this research demonstrates how two media systems—legacy media and social media—operate with epistemological rigidity, challenging the previously established notion of “competitive symbiosis” between protesters and journalists. This investigation offers a novel analytical perspective through the lens of distance, illuminating how changing dynamics in online information transfer are reshaping protest coverage and production. The resulting paradigm model explains the coexistence of two simultaneous protest paradigms and provides valuable insights into the contemporary relationship between social movements, legacy media, and digital platforms in an evolving media ecosystem. Full article

For generations, a silent symbol of politics in U.S. religious congregations has been the presence of the national flag in worship spaces. Despite debates over the flag, there is limited empirical research on its contemporary prevalence or influence in congregations. Building upon research on social sorting, we hypothesize that people with conservative religion and conservative politics sort into congregations displaying the flag. Additionally, we hypothesize a priming effect whereby worshipping with the U.S. flag elevates support for Christian nationalism. Findings from the 2021 Baylor Religion Survey reveal that nearly half of religiously affiliated U.S. adults worship with the flag, most notably members of white Protestant religious traditions (more so than Catholics) and older adults. Regardless of religious tradition or political ideology, worshipping with the flag is associated with support for Christian nationalist beliefs. These finding highlight a sorting process into American congregations and hint at political socialization occurring within them. Full article

This study analyses the digital communication strategies of the radical right parties VOX (Spain) and Chega (Portugal) on the social media platforms X, Instagram, and TikTok during the electoral periods. Using a comparative content analysis with quantitative and qualitative approaches, the research reveals that both parties employ a populist discourse marked by confrontation with the political elite and the use of emotional appeals to mobilize their followers. VOX directs its attacks at the left and the Spanish Prime Minister, while Chega emphasizes criticism of the political system as a whole. The results show that polarization and the evocation of emotions such as indignation, pride, and hope are central strategies in their posts. Furthermore, messages with strong emotional charge and audiovisual elements generate a greater impact, especially on TikTok and Instagram, where virality is significantly higher than on X. The study concludes that the communication strategies of these parties are based on ‘data populism’, where interaction and visibility on social media reinforce their political narratives and consolidate their base of support. Full article

Background: Sleep difficulty is common in the current society. Poor sleep has a significant influence on health, social interactions and even mortality; therefore, maintaining good sleep is of prime importance. Cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis-derived compound, is known for its medical significance with many positive effects in humans, including decreasing anxiety and improving sleep for those with sleep disorders. Objective: However, whether CBD skin absorption results in similar effects is unknown. Therefore, examining CBD-coated fabric as a pillow cover to improve sleep quality in duty shift nurses is the purpose of this paper. Methods: This study recruited 55 duty shift nurses as participants to evaluate sleep patterns and quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a consumer-grade tracker (Fitbit Charge 3). Data were collected over three phases: a one-week baseline period, a two-week intervention period using a CBD-coated pillow cover and a one-week follow-up period, referred to as the post-intervention phase, during which the use of CBD-coated pillow cover was continued. Results: Of the 55 participants, 10 were men (18.2%) and 45 were women (81.8%). At baseline, all participants exhibited poor sleep quality (PSQI ≥ 5). However, after three weeks of using CBD-coated pillow covers, subjective sleep quality significantly improved, with 7.3% of participants achieving PSQI scores <5. Additionally, slight changes in sleep patterns were observed, with increases in both light sleep and deep sleep durations. Light sleep duration increased from a baseline of 196.21 ± 65.28 to 206.57 ± 59.15 min two weeks after intervention (p = 0.337). Similarly, deep sleep duration showed a modest increase from 61.97 ± 21.01 min to 64.35 ± 22.19 min (p = 0.288). Furthermore, a significant reduction in anxiety levels was reported (p < 0.005). Conclusions: Using a CBD-coated pillow cover was found to enhance sleep duration in healthy individuals experiencing poor sleep. Consequently, for adults struggling with sleep difficulties, incorporating a CBD-coated pillow cover may serve as an effective aid in improving sleep quality. Full article

In alignment with Saudi Vision 2030’s strategic objectives to diversify and enhance the tourism sector, this study explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Al-Baha district, a prime tourist destination in Saudi Arabia. Our research introduces a hybrid AI-based framework that leverages sentiment analysis to assess and enhance tourist satisfaction, capitalizing on data extracted from social media platforms such as YouTube. This framework seeks to improve the quality of tourism experiences and augment the business value within the region. By analyzing sentiments expressed in user-generated content, the proposed AI system provides real-time insights into tourist preferences and experiences, enabling targeted interventions and improvements. The conducted experiments demonstrated the framework’s efficacy in identifying positive, neutral and negative sentiments, with the Multinomial Naive Bayes classifier showing superior performance in terms of precision and recall. These results indicate significant potential for AI to transform tourism practices in Al-Baha, offering enhanced experiences to visitors and driving the economic sustainability of the sector in line with the national vision. This study underscores the transformative potential of AI in refining operational strategies and aligning them with evolving tourist expectations, thereby supporting the broader goals of Saudi Vision 2030 for the tourism industry. Full article

(1) Background: Loyalty programmes are business strategies aimed at increasing customer fidelity to brands. One of the most promising technologies of the 21st century is blockchain, whose application to the management of loyalty programmes can increase transparency and reliability, enable interoperability, and facilitate centralised management. (2) Methods: This study evaluates the antecedents of the acceptance of blockchain-based loyalty programmes (BBLPs) using a model grounded in the technology acceptance model UTAUT2. The four basic constructs of UTAUT, which we call the UTAUT-baseline, are considered explanatory factors: performance expectancy (PER), effort expectancy (EFF), social influence (SOC), and facilitating conditions (FAC). Additionally, we consider the constructs introduced in UTAUT2: hedonic motivation (HED) and perceived price value (PRI), to which we add innovativeness (INN) and trust (TRU), and we refer to these as UTAUT-extended, along with the moderating variables of UTAUT and UTAUT2: gender, age, and experience. The analytical approach used is complexity theory, which aims to capture the configurations that lead to both acceptance and rejection positions regarding BBLPs. This analysis is performed via fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). (3) Results: Eight explanatory configurations of the acceptance of BBLPs have been obtained, in which the presence of all UTAUT-baseline and UTAUT-extended constructs is a condition in at least three prime implicates. The constructs with the greatest presence as core conditions are PER, EFF, and TRU. On the other hand, nine configurations leading to the rejection of BBLPs have been identified. The absence of all UTAUT-baseline and UTAUT-extended variables is a condition in at least three configurations. The core conditions with the greatest presence in the rejection of BBLPs are the lack of FAC, HED, and PRI. (4) Practical implications: The results obtained are of great interest to business owners, as they allow for the characterisation of different profiles of people potentially engaged with BBLPs, as well as the profiles of consumers reluctant to adopt them. Full article

The increase in energy demand due to industrial development and urbanization has resulted in the development of large-scale energy facilities. Republic of Korea’s petrochemical industrial complexes serve as prime examples of this phenomenon. However, because of complex processes and aging facilities, many of which have been in operation for over a decade, these industrial complexes are prone to process-deviation-related accidents. Chemical accidents in energy facilities involving high-pressure liquids or gases are especially dangerous; therefore, proactive accident prevention is critical. This study is also relevant to corporate environment, social, and governance (ESG) management. Preventing chemical accidents to protect workers from injury is critical for business and preventing damage to surrounding areas from chemical accidents is a key component of ESG safety. In this study, we collected accident data, specifically injury-related incidents, from Republic of Korea’s petrochemical industrial complexes, which are the foundation of the energy industry. We analyzed the causes of accidents in a step-by-step manner. Furthermore, we conducted a risk analysis by categorizing accident data based on the level of risk associated with each analysis result; we identified the main causes of accidents and “high-risk process stages” that posed significant risk. The analysis reveals that the majority of accidents occur during general operations (50%, 167 cases) and process operations (39%, 128 cases). In terms of incident types, fire/explosion incidents accounted for the highest proportion (43%, 144 cases), followed by leakage incidents (24%, 78 cases). Furthermore, we propose a disaster safety artificial intelligence (AI) model to prevent major and fatal accidents during these high-risk process stages. A detailed analysis reveals that human factors such as accumulated worker fatigue, insufficient safety training, and non-compliance with operational procedures can significantly increase the likelihood of accidents in petrochemical facilities. This finding emphasizes the importance of introducing measurement sensors and AI convergence technologies to help humans predict and detect any issues. Therefore, we selected representative accident cases for implementing our disaster safety model. Full article

This study explores the role of populist leaders as gatekeepers on social media, seeking to understand how André Ventura, president of Chega!, uses news to legitimize his political discourse. The methodology involved collecting 90 tweets containing legacy media news features, posted by Ventura on the social media platform X. These tweets cover key political events such as the resignation of Portugal’s Prime Minister, the dissolution of the Portuguese Parliament, and European elections. Quantitative analysis using Voyant Tools identified key terms related to Ventura’s ideological stance, while Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) examined how these terms support his political narrative. The findings reveal a strategic use of news to promote themes like nationalism, immigration control, corruption and social dichotomy between “us” and “them”. Ventura’s tweets leverage news headlines to enhance his persuasive appeal, acting as heuristic shortcuts to reinforce his political messages. This study highlights the relevance of understanding social media’s role in promoting populism and suggests avenues for future research, including comparative analyses of other populist leaders and the impact of these narratives on voter behavior and perceptions. Full article

As habitat loss and other threats accelerate, ecological restoration and reintroduction science are becoming progressively more important. The psittacines are among the most endangered bird groups and are prime candidates for restoration through reintroduction. Unfortunately, post-release survival of captive-raised animals is often quite low because, in part, of high predation rates, low site fidelity, poor flight ability, and low flock cohesion. Current best practices in parrot release hold the birds in captivity for a year or more and include distinct methods to address each of these challenges. Here, we conduct a small-scale, proof-of-concept study using free flight methods and human-socialized trained adult birds to hand raise and release a group of six fledgling Blue-and-yellow Macaws in their historical range in southeastern Brazil. All six released birds showed strong flock cohesion and fidelity to the release site, avoided predation, and survived without supplemental feeding for over one year. One bird was captured by local people but was recovered and rereleased and it has reintegrated into the group and is still alive and doing well. The human-socialized trained adult birds modeled both desirable behaviors (flocking, foraging, reacting to predators) and undesirable behaviors and they were returned to captivity before the conclusion of this study. Our study suggests that free flight training has great potential to help captive-raised young attain a broad array of vital skills needed for survival post-release. Full article

The traditional settlements are of paramount significance as indispensable elements of China’s cultural heritage, simultaneously functioning as prime assets for the enhancement of rural economic and social dynamics. Nestled within the comprehensive framework of China’s rural revitalization endeavor and Shandong Province’s proactive initiatives toward the amalgamation of cultural and tourism sectors, a meticulous exploration of the spatiotemporal evolution and connectivity of traditional villages in Shandong Province is indispensable for their preservation and forward-thinking evolution. For this study, 557 traditional villages across Shandong Province are identified as pivotal points, with the application of geographic information system (GIS) techniques to scrutinize their spatiotemporal transformation patterns and spatial characteristics. Additionally, a suite of analytical instruments, encompassing metrics for accessibility assessment, ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models, are deployed to evaluate the accessibility levels and influential factors shaping traditional villages within the region. The analytical outcomes reveal the following: (1) Chronologically, approximately 80% of the traditional villages in the province of Shandong were established during the Ming and Qing epochs, and they demonstrate a migratory pattern that is spatially and temporally oriented from “southwest to northeast”; geographically, these traditional villages are characterized by pronounced clustering, predominantly situated at the confluence of Jinan and Zibo Cities, the Shantou District of Zaozhuang City, Zhaoyuan City of Yantai City, and Rongcheng City of Weihai City, forming a coherent “four-core” spatial distribution configuration. (2) Considering the criteria for village location, traditional villages in Shandong are predominantly found in areas with a predominantly flat landscape and a certain proximity to water bodies. (3) On the whole, the accessibility of traditional villages in Shandong is relatively high, with the average accessibility assessed at 199.92 min, a range spanning from 175 min, and approximately 57.99% of the villages falling within the 100 to 200 min accessibility bracket, indicating a systematic decline in accessibility from the central areas to the periphery. (4) The pivotal factors influencing the accessibility of traditional villages in Shandong are primarily altitude, slope, and road network density, with altitude and slope showing a negative correlation with accessibility, whereas road network density exhibits a positive correlation, and the proximity to water bodies has a relatively minor impact on accessibility. Full article

Street art, with a particular emphasis on murals, plays a crucial role in shaping the cultural DNA of contemporary cities. A prime example of this is the mural “Four Seasons with Kora” in Warsaw, which is dedicated to the renowned Polish artist Kora (Olga Jackowska). This large-scale mural, which combines the artist’s portrait with a chestnut tree motif, visually changes with the season, influencing the artist’s social perception. This study analyzed murals’ functions in social, cultural, and ecological contexts, highlighting their role in informal education and as a platform for social dialogue and integration. Using research methods such as visual analysis and examining comments and reactions on social media, this work aimed to understand how a mural integrates with its surroundings and is perceived throughout different seasons. The results indicated that the mural has become an important element of public space, not only for beautifying the city but also for stimulating social and cultural reflection. Full article

For many years, Pakistan’s economic progress and development have primarily depended on agriculture. However, widespread rural poverty impairs agricultural productivity, which worsens the outlook for growth for both the agricultural sector and the nation as a whole. Raising farmers’ incomes through rural development is a key component of agricultural reform, and the prime objective of this study is to identify how government policies and foreign aid affect Pakistan’s degree of rural poverty. This research aims to check the mediating role of rural development for the relationship of foreign aid, agricultural production, and corporate social responsibility with poverty reduction. This research also examines the moderating role of government support in the relationship of rural development with poverty reduction. In this regard, the current study proposes four hypotheses of direct relationships, three mediating relationships, and one moderating relationship. The population comprised farmers. The sample size of 119 was determined using G*Power with medium effect size settings, ensuring a robust representation of the target group. To gather primary data, a close-ended structured questionnaire was administered, employing a 7-point Likert scale to gather respondents’ opinions. This study investigates the Punjab province’s agricultural landscape from a quantitative perspective, using convenient sampling to identify the characteristics that contribute to reducing poverty, and was conducted from January to December 2023. Analytical procedures utilizing Smart PLS 4.0.9.6 for SEM testing reveal that all proposed hypotheses, including direct, mediating, and moderating, are accepted. The main results show that rural development significantly mediates the relationship between foreign aid, agricultural production, and corporate social responsibility with poverty reduction. Furthermore, government support positively moderates the relationship between rural development and poverty reduction. The findings underscore the significance of rural development, coupled with government support, as a pivotal factor in effectively reducing poverty in Pakistan’s economic landscape. Full article