Search Results (33)

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) encompasses a spectrum from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis (MASH), including liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The 2023 EASL–EASD–EASO guidelines provide updated definitions and emphasize personalized management, yet do not explicitly address sex- and gender-related differences. This review highlights the impact of biological sex and gender on MASLD epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and therapeutic response. Men show earlier peak prevalence, greater visceral obesity, higher insulin resistance, and increased risk of fibrosis, HCC, and cardiovascular mortality. Women of childbearing age benefit from estrogen-mediated protection, which diminishes after menopause, leading to disease risk similar to men. Genetic variants (PNPLA3, TM6SF2), hormonal factors, platelet parameters, liver biomarkers, and environmental exposures contribute to sex-specific susceptibility and disease progression. Lifestyle interventions and pharmacological therapies exhibit differential efficacy across sexes, influenced by hormonal status. Integrating biological sex, gender identity, and sociocultural factors into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies is essential to optimize MASLD management and reduce its global burden. Full article

The study investigated the developmental trajectory of the speech act of request among L1 Greek-speaking children spanning the preschool and primary school years (ages 4–11), aiming to address the scarcity of pragmatic research within this age range in Greek. Seventy-three children participated in an experimental task that elicited oral requests based on scenarios systematically manipulating addressee status/familiarity and the cost of the requested action. Responses were analysed via a bottom-up coding method, which showed that three quarters of all utterances adhered to four highly conventionalised, interrogative request constructions: (i) Can-you V-_SUBJUNCTIVE?, (ii) Will-you V?, (iii) Can-I V-_SUBJUNCTIVE?, and (iv) V-_PRESENT-YOU?. Notably, the direct Imperative mood was marginal even among the youngest participants. Results indicate a statistically significant variation in the distribution of these dominant patterns across age groups. Increasing age correlates with greater sensitivity to sociocultural parameters of communication, specifically the imposition/cost and the addressee’s face needs. This is further evidenced by a more elaborated repertoire of modifiers and supportive moves. We conclude that requestive behaviour progresses developmentally from largely underspecified directive forms toward a repertoire of more complex and contextually specified constructions, thereby providing empirical support for usage-based accounts of language acquisition. Full article

Providing effective post-disaster housing remains a globally complex challenge shaped by interrelated constraints, including environmental sustainability, socio-cultural compatibility, logistical capacity, and economic feasibility. Contemporary responses therefore require housing solutions that extend beyond rapid deployment to incorporate flexibility, adaptability, and long-term spatial transformation. In this context, this study advances a design-oriented, computational framework that positions parametric design at the core of post-disaster housing production within the broader digital transformation of the construction sector. The research proposes an adaptive parametric–modular housing system in which standardized architectural units are governed by a rule-based aggregation logic capable of generating context-responsive spatial configurations across multiple scales and typologies. The methodology integrates a qualitative synthesis of global post-disaster housing literature with a quantitative computational workflow developed in Grasshopper for Rhinoceros 3D (version 8). Algorithmic scripting defines a standardized spatial grid and parametrically regulates key building components structural systems, façade assemblies, and site-specific environmental parameters, enabling real-time configuration, customization, and optimization of housing units in response to diverse user needs and varying climatic, social, and economic conditions while maintaining constructability. The applicability of the framework is examined through a case study of the Düzce Permanent Housing context, where limitations of existing post-disaster stock, such as spatial rigidity, restricted growth capacity, and fragmented public-space integration, are contrasted with alternative settlement scenarios generated by the proposed system. The findings demonstrate that the framework supports multi-scalar and multi-typological reconstruction, extending beyond individual dwellings to include public, service, and open-space components. Overall, the study contributes a transferable computational methodology that integrates modular standardization with configurational diversity and user-driven adaptability, offering a sustainable pathway for transforming temporary post-disaster shelters into permanent, resilient, and socially integrated community assets. Full article

This study examines the relationship between social sustainability and sustainable food consumption through bibliometric analysis and an empirical approach. A bibliometric study of 211 scientific publications was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 framework, alongside concept mapping using the Biblioshiny tool. The results indicate a lack of theoretical coherence, low integration of social parameters such as gender, labor, and migration, as well as a geographical imbalance in the literature, with an overrepresentation of high-income countries. Overall, the study highlights the need for a theoretically grounded framework of social sustainability, based on local socio-cultural contexts, fostering participation and the active engagement of local stakeholders. Additionally, the findings underscore the importance of utilizing Artificial Intelligence tools and social innovation for a just transition towards sustainable food systems. The contribution of this research lies in formulating a framework for social sustainability grounded in locality and empirical evidence, enhancing the integration of the social dimension into sustainable food systems. Finally, an interdisciplinary approach is proposed, centered on participation and providing evidence-based directions for policy and educational strategies. Full article

Travel planning is a process that allows users to obtain maximum benefit from their time, cost and energy. When planning a route from one place to another, it is an important option to present alternative travel areas on the route. This study proposes a travel route planning (TRP) architecture using a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model to improve both travel efficiency and environmental sustainability in route selection. This model incorporates carbon emissions directly into the route planning process by unifying user preferences, location recommendations, route optimization, and multimodal vehicle selection within a comprehensive framework. By merging environmental sustainability with user-focused travel planning, it generates personalized, practical, and low-carbon travel routes. The carbon emissions observed with TRP’s artificial intelligence (AI) recommendation route are presented comparatively with those of the user-determined route. XGBoost, Random Forest (RF), Categorical Boosting (CatBoost), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), (Extra Trees Regressor) ETR, and Multi-Layer Perception (MLP) models are applied to the TRP model. LSTM is compared with Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) models. Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) error measurements of these models are carried out, and the best result is obtained using XGBoost and LSTM. TRP enhances environmental responsibility awareness within travel planning by integrating sustainability-oriented parameters into the decision-making process. Unlike conventional reservation systems, this model encourages individuals and organizations to prioritize eco-friendly options by considering not only financial factors but also environmental and socio-cultural impacts. By promoting responsible travel behaviors and supporting the adoption of sustainable tourism practices, the proposed approach contributes significantly to the broader dissemination of environmentally conscious travel choices. Full article

Damage to the photosynthetic apparatus during leaf dehydration is an indicator of the maintenance of leaf vitality and the resilience of tree seedlings to severe drought. Genipa americana is a tree widely distributed in the neotropical region but with great ecological and sociocultural importance in the south of the state of Bahia, Brazil, where its fruits are harvested from subspontaneous trees. This study aimed to compare the feasibility of the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and performance indexes derived from the JIP test, i.e., performance index on absorption basis (PI_abs) and total performance index (PI_total), for screening G. americana seedlings from different mother plants for leaf damage caused by dehydration. From leaf dehydration curves, we calculated the values of relative water content (RWC) in which Fv/Fm, PI_abs, and PI_total reach a loss of 10% and 50% in relation to the values of fully hydrated leaves. PI_total was the only parameter that revealed consistent significant differences between progenies for RWC at 50% of percentage loss. Significant differences were observed among progenies for leaf traits; however, no correlation was detected between these traits and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. Monitoring the PI_total values during leaf dehydration is a useful tool for screening G. americana progenies in relation to their capacity to maintain leaf vitality under occasional severe droughts. Full article

Background: The pursuit of excellence in sports often drives athletes to maintain rigorous dietary and physical standards, sometimes leading to disordered eating patterns like orthorexia nervosa. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between perfectionism, body composition, and the risk of orthorexia among young soccer players. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 93 young football players aged 15–24 from a football academy. Perfectionism was assessed using the Perfectionism in Sport Questionnaire, while orthorexia nervosa risk was evaluated using the Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale. Body composition parameters, including body mass index, lean body mass, skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, and fat percentage, were analyzed using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance. Results: Higher levels of negative perfectionism were significantly associated with increased orthorexia nervosa risk (p = 0.006), while positive perfectionism showed no significant correlation. Younger players exhibited higher negative perfectionism scores compared to older groups (p = 0.043). No significant relationships were found between body mass index, body composition parameters, and orthorexia nervosa risk (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This study highlights the psychological underpinnings of orthorexia nervosa risk in young athletes, emphasizing the influence of negative perfectionism and the limited role of body composition. Early intervention focusing on reducing negative perfectionism and promoting adaptive perfectionism could support both psychological well-being and athletic performance. Future research should investigate long-term trends and the role of sociocultural factors in orthorexia nervosa development. Full article

Urban forests, as part of the green infrastructure systems in cities, are also important components of natural systems. To ensure the sustainability of urban forests, ecological, social, and economic dimensions must be addressed holistically. In this context, qualitative and quantitative evaluations conducted in Atatürk Urban Forest have revealed significant findings regarding the socio-cultural, economic, and ecological sustainability of the urban forest. Atatürk Urban Forest covers an area of 150 hectares and constitutes important urban green infrastructure for Bursa. Sustainability indicators were defined within this study, and an approach for calculating sustainability performance values was developed. In this approach, 32 sustainability indicators were calculated based on parameters such as area size, distance, volume, shape, and the number of facilities. As a result of the calculations, Atatürk Urban Forest’s sustainability performance value was determined to be 187.76 (62.58%). However, this value indicates that there are certain shortcomings in terms of sustainability. Addressing these shortcomings will enhance the quality of sustainability indicators, and Atatürk Urban Forest will play a significant role as a sustainable urban green infrastructure. Full article

Understanding the current water quality dynamics is necessary to ensure that ecological and sociocultural services are provided to the population and the natural environment. Water quality monitoring of lakes is usually performed with in situ measurements; however, these are costly, time consuming, laborious, and can have limited spatial coverage. Nowadays, remote sensing offers an alternative source of data to be used in water quality monitoring; by applying appropriate algorithms to satellite imagery, it is possible to retrieve water quality parameters. The use of global remote sensing water quality products increased in the last decade, and there are a multitude of products available from various databases. However, in Latin America, studies on the inter-comparison of the applicability of these products for water quality monitoring is rather scarce. Therefore, in this study, global remote sensing products estimating various water quality parameters were explored on Lake Titicaca and compared with each other and sources of data. Two products, the Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) and the European Space Agency Lakes Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI), were evaluated through a comparison with in situ measurements and with each other for analysis of the spatiotemporal variability of lake surface water temperature (LSWT), turbidity, and chlorophyll-a. The results of this study showed that the two products had limited accuracy when compared to in situ data; however, remarkable performance was observed in terms of exhibiting spatiotemporal variability of the WQ parameters. The ESA-CCI LSWT product performed better than the CGLS product in estimating LSWT, while the two products were on par with each other in terms of demonstrating the spatiotemporal patterns of the WQ parameters. Overall, these two global remote sensing water quality products can be used to monitor Lake Titicaca, currently with limited accuracy, but they can be improved with precise pixel identification, accurate optical water type definition, and better algorithms for atmospheric correction and retrieval. This highlights the need for the improvement of global WQ products to fit local conditions and make the products more useful for decision-making at the appropriate scale. Full article

This research paper examines threshold spaces in traditional housing within historic Indian cities, emphasizing how these transitional areas are shaped by cultural, social, and environmental influences. It underscores that thresholds function beyond mere physical divisions between interior and exterior; they are intricate spatial elements that engage the senses and perception. Key findings include the following: (a) Historical evolution: traditional dwellings display layers of history, shaped by cultural, economic, and climatic factors. (b) Character and morphology: this paper explores the qualities and structures of threshold spaces, analyzing features such as transparency, material choice, hierarchy, and enclosure. (c) Social significance: thresholds play essential roles, supporting a variety of activities, providing shelter, defining boundaries, enhancing community interaction and security, and contributing to residents’ identities. (d) Design implications: insights from this study suggest that a deeper understanding of these spaces can enhance design strategies for transitional areas in housing, highlighting their functional and socio-cultural value. The study adopts a structured comparative analysis of six case studies, evaluated at four scales—township, neighborhood, dwelling, and threshold—focusing on spatial parameters including design, function, definition, structure, and sequence. Overall, this paper highlights the critical role of threshold spaces in architecture and urban design, demonstrating their potential to enhance social interaction, define spatial relationships, and reflect cultural significance in contemporary design practices. Full article

Walking, a basic physical movement of the human body, is a resource for observers in forming interpersonal impressions. We have previously investigated the expression and perception of the attractiveness of female gaits. In this paper, drawing on our previous research, additional analysis, and reviewing previous studies, we seek to deepen our understanding of the function of gait attractiveness. First, we review previous research on gait as nonverbal information. Then, we show that fashion models’ gaits reflect sociocultural genderlessness, while nonmodels express reproductive-related biological attractiveness. Next, we discuss the functions of gait attractiveness based on statistical models that link gait parameters and attractiveness scores. Finally, we focus on observers’ perception of attractiveness, constructing a model of the visual information processing with respect to gait attractiveness. Overall, our results suggest that there are not only biological but also sociocultural criteria for gait attractiveness, and men and women place greater importance on the former and latter criteria, respectively, when assessing female gait attractiveness. This paper forms a major step forward in neuroaesthetics to understand the beauty of the human body and the generation of biological motions. Full article

This multidisciplinary paper contributes to political economy, social cybernetics, and philosophy by examining distinctions in market capitalist ideologies through a metacybernetic approach. It explores reflexive processes, akin to Adam Smith’s invisible and visible hands, and their impact on market ideologies. The study highlights the evolutifon of these ideologies in balancing egoism and altruism, revealing insights into sociocultural shifts. Some ideologies are more prone to pathologies like market hegemony, which disrupts market viability and social welfare. Diagnosing these ideologies is essential to address issues of market hegemony like platform capitalism, technofeudalism, and surveillance capitalism. After a comparative analysis of capitalist ideologies, the paper focuses on neoliberal and stakeholder capitalism, due to their dominance, contrasting philosophies, policy influence, and roles in global challenges. A metacybernetic perspective is adopted, modelling the market as a complex adaptive system with agency, using Mindset Agency Theory (MAT). MAT distinguishes agency into subagencies of affect and cognition. Recognising the role of spirit, a spirit subagency is configured into MAT to enable explicit consideration of attributes like ethics and the greater good within the market, relationally improving transparency and promoting sustainable and inclusive economic practices. MAT is applied to the evolution of capitalist ideologies, examining their viability and sustainability under changing conditions. With its now triadic interactive subagency structure, MAT identifies eight distinct types of mindset, each characterised by 21 parameters that combine to deliver unique variations, in neoliberal and stakeholder capitalism, of the market ideologies. Full article

Public agencies and other funding organizations have often defined rural in reference to “urban” and using parameters such as population density, access to cities, and distance to market areas. Using such definitions of rurality within the context of K-12 education as a way to support these systems is challenging because of the diverse geographic and socio-cultural identities of these places despite a common “rural” designation. This study aims to analyze elementary teachers’ perceptions of their school context and role within that context to better understand the diversity of what it means to be rural. Semi-structured interviews with 3rd–5th-grade teachers (n = 35) were used. Data sources also included identity and community walk slides created by these teachers. Structured interview prompts were tailored to these activities. A priori and emergent coding analyses were used to examine teachers’ conception of their rural context and their role within that context. The results show that rural, as defined by teachers, is a diverse and connected place in which diverse community assets support teachers in their instruction in unique ways. By better understanding the diversity of what it means to be rural, we begin to understand the ways in which context shapes experience and best determine how to support rural educational experiences for both teachers and students. Full article

Even though the role of ecosystem services is known, the identification and assessment of water-related services is usually absent or often less represented as an ecosystem service. Progress in water quality indicator definition and compliance with regulations has been made; however, the relationship between water quality degradation and benefits to individuals and ecosystems remains little recognized. Here, we present an assessment of water quality and identification of ecosystem services in south-east Mexico. This study was performed within the geohydrological reserve zone of the Ring of Sinkholes, Yucatán Peninsula. Thirteen ecosystem services provided by the aquifer were identified. Water quality was evaluated in sinkholes based on national and international norms, considering different sinkhole uses. Results show a dynamic system, without saltwater intrusion and good to excellent water quality. The research demonstrates the relationship between ecosystem services and water quality, showing pressure in services related to uses for aquatic life protection and to a lesser extent those related to consumption. Current productive activities showed no pressure at this time. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) exhibited a significant difference in parameters and campaigns, but not between sinkholes. A long-lasting monitoring program for water quality is necessary to accurately evaluate the status of ecosystem services provided by the aquifer. Moreover, it is necessary to assess aquifers as ecosystems with economic, ecologic and socio-cultural importance. Effective water governance requires a balance of interests between all parties, within a legal and institutional framework. Full article

Festivals have emerged as a compelling subject of study within the realm of the social sciences, with disciplines like popular musicology showcasing festivals as a prominent area of investigation. These cultural events have demonstrated a profound and enduring impact on various generations, solidifying their significance in contemporary history. In the ever-evolving landscape of rapid social change, festivals have evolved into both traditions and heritage. Our research centered on the musical landscape in the city of Cáceres has culminated in the creation of a Festival Route rooted in the pertinent facets of its history and unique sociocultural context. The methodology employed in this study revolves around the development of comprehensive databases that encompass various parameters, principles, and elements. These databases are instrumental in crafting adaptable musical itineraries tailored to the individual participant’s characteristics, including age, educational background, place of origin, and explicit or intrinsic interests. Moreover, they factor into the duration of the route. These databases draw upon the findings of historiographic and ethnographic research, shedding light on the music performed and cherished within the city of Cáceres throughout its rich history. This paper primarily delves into the educational aspects derived from the socio-cultural phenomenon of festivals, specifically in the realms of music pedagogy and value-based education. Our Festival Route is designed with a particular focus on youth engagement, weaving together key locales within the city to create an enriching and educational experience. Full article