Search Results (2,315)

Background: The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) produces and distributes serotonin, while the hypothalamus (HYP) uses serotonergic signals to regulate physiological processes in chickens. Coconut oil (COCO), rich in medium-chain fatty acids, is rapidly absorbed without re-esterification. Methods: Day-old broilers (Ross 708 male, n = 160) were distributed into two dietary treatments with five replicates of 16 birds each. The birds were fed a corn–soybean meal (SBM) basal diet supplemented with 3% of poultry fat (CON) or coconut oil (COCO). The body-weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded over a 3-week period, and the data were subjected to a t-test. Untargeted metabolomic analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-MS) was used to evaluate the influence of the type of dietary fat on metabolite profiles in the DRN, HYP, and plasma of broiler chickens. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify unique metabolites, and ANOVA was used to identify the metabolites that were significantly abundant (p < 0.05). The metabolites were then annotated using the KEGG and HMDB databases. Results: Birds in the COCO treatment gained more weight on average (0.8446 kg/bird) than birds in the CON group (0.8132 kg/bird; p = 0.0496). Five metabolites associated with multiple significant cellular processes, such as brain function, energy metabolism, and neurotransmission, showed similar differential expression patterns, while two metabolic pathways (butanoate metabolism and alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism) were identified. Conclusions: The dietary inclusion of COCO improves BWG in poultry and enhances their overall well-being by modulating metabolite profiles, supporting neurotransmission, and enriching the metabolic pathways essential for growth and brain function. Full article

Based on an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (ETPB), this study investigated how perceived social sustainability shaped individuals’ intentions to use fitness facilities. Specifically, it examined the moderating role of social sustainability in the relationships between key TPB determinants and fitness facility use intention. Survey data were collected from 195 adults living in metropolitan areas and were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that perceived social sustainability exerted a dual moderating influence on intention formation by strengthening the effect of subjective norm while attenuating the effect of perceived behavioral control on use intention. Higher levels of perceived social sustainability (SS) strengthened the relationship between subjective norm (SN) and fitness facility use intention with a medium effect size, while attenuating the relationship between perceived behavioral control (PBC) and use intention with a small effect size. In contrast, no significant moderating effect was observed in the relationship between attitude and use intention. These findings suggest that value-oriented considerations related to social responsibility and community well-being enhanced socially driven motivations while reducing the relative influence of control-based factors. By demonstrating the conditional effects of perceived social sustainability within the TPB framework, this study extended existing research on health-related behavioral intentions. The findings further highlight the importance of incorporating community-oriented and socially responsible practices into fitness facility management to foster sustainable user engagement. Full article

Background: Human wellbeing consists of dynamic interactions and feedback loops across multiple life domains, a perspective increasingly emphasised within positive psychology’s systemic and strengths-based approach to flourishing. This study develops a systemic framework to model these interdependencies and examines how cross-domain investment can optimise both domain-specific and integrated wellbeing across the lifespan. Methods: Using a Cobb–Douglas functional form with associated growth and resource constraints, we formalise the interaction between physical and financial wellbeing as an example and analyse their joint contribution to overall wellbeing. Results: The model demonstrates that improvements in one domain of wellbeing can enhance wellbeing in another, thereby shifting the optimisation frontier. While narrow domain-specific wellbeing strategies are subject to larger diminishing marginal returns, cross-domain investment generates reinforcing effects that elevate both domains simultaneously and increase integrated wellbeing. Conclusions: In line with positive psychology’s focus on leveraging strengths to support areas of relative weakness, the findings show how developing one domain of wellbeing can mitigate constraints in another. These findings align with positive psychology’s emphasis on multidimensional flourishing and resource-building processes, highlighting the importance of systemic resource allocation and suggesting that wellbeing optimisation requires coordinated, contextualised multi-domain strategies rather than siloed approaches. Full article

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) provide non-material benefits that support human well-being and motivate ecosystem conservation, yet their subjectivity and spatial ambiguity complicate quantitative assessment and management. Taking the Changbai Mountain tourism area as a case, we adopted the ecosystem service matrix method to assess the CES supply score based on the natural system and human system. The service coverage density was obtained through accessibility, thereby quantifying the available supply index for each tourist source area. In addition, we quantified CES demand using a questionnaire survey. Demand for 10 CES types was measured via preference ranking and integrated with the entropy weight method; statistical analysis and GIS mapping were used to examine spatial patterns and influencing factors. Results show that: (1) The overall CES demand in the Changbai Mountain tourism area exhibits clear spatial differentiation, with higher demand in the central and eastern regions and lower demand in the northwest. High-demand areas are mainly concentrated in cities relatively close to the Changbai Mountain tourism area. (2) Among individual CES, recreation (r = 6.58), natural landscapes (r = 6.35), and aesthetic value (r = 6.19) receive the highest demand, and demand structure is significantly associated with occupation, education level, consumption level, and spatial distance. The results indicate that cultural services dominated by knowledge-based services are significantly positively correlated with educational level (r = 0.549, p < 0.001). (3) CES supply capacity shows strong seasonal fluctuations, and is frequently overloaded during peak seasons, leading to prominent supply–demand conflicts; with the exception of Shenyang, Dalian, Jilin and Anshan, the other 17 cities exhibit supply–demand imbalance. By integrating multiple CES types and multiple drivers, this study reveals spatial matching patterns of CES supply and demand in a complex mountain ecotourism region and provides evidence to support ecotourism management, service capacity improvement, and sustainable development. Full article

This article formulates guidelines for the transactional regulation of surrogacy in Colombia, based on a comparative analysis with the Mexican regulatory model, especially in the states of Tabasco and Sinaloa. To this end, a qualitative methodology was adopted by applying the technique of comparative law to simultaneously analyze the regulations of the focused Mexican states and the most recent (now shelved) initiative in Colombian law, identifying significant contributions to national progress in surrogacy through the theory of legal transactions, the principle of solidarity, and the right to found a family. The results show that, although Colombia had tried to progress in recognizing procreative will as the basis for filiation and has attempted regulatory adjustments to the civil registry, serious regulatory gaps persisted in the design of post-contractual mechanisms, especially regarding the prevention of human trafficking, the well-being of gestational carriers, institutional monitoring, and the guarantee of breastfeeding. The conclusions show that effective regulation should not focus exclusively on formalizing agreements between adults but should also guarantee the fundamental rights of the child from birth. In contrast, the Mexican model offers valuable tools to enrich the Colombian debate, but it also has some shortcomings that warrant revision. Therefore, this study contributes to the Colombian legislative discussion by calling for comprehensive regulation guided by the dignity of all the involved subjects and based on comparative experiences. Full article

Urban sustainability research has increasingly emphasized the role of environmental conditions in shaping the quality of life; however, the empirical evidence for intermediate cities in developing countries remains limited, particularly from the perspective of citizens’ perceptions. This study examines the relationship between the perceived severity of environmental problems and the perceived quality-of-life deterioration in Culiacán, Mexico, an intermediate city characterized by climatic vulnerability and institutional constraints. Based on 552 face-to-face surveys, of which 546 contained complete information for index construction, a cross-sectional and predominantly quantitative design was employed. The environmental perception and quality-of-life deterioration indices were constructed as simple arithmetic averages from Likert scale items, without assuming a single latent construct. The quality-of-life deterioration index captures the perceived negative conditions affecting well-being rather than the quality of life itself; therefore, higher values indicate a greater perceived deterioration. A bivariate ordinary least squares regression was used to assess the association between both indices. The results show a positive and statistically significant relationship (β = 0.486, p < 0.001), with R² = 0.220, indicating that a greater perceived environmental severity is associated with a greater perceived deterioration of well-being. The water-related issues, particularly drought and water contamination, emerge as the most critical concerns. These findings highlight the relevance of environmental perceptions in urban well-being assessments in intermediate cities. Full article

Background: Bikram yoga, a form of hot yoga practiced in heated environments, has been associated with improvements in flexibility, body composition, and overall well-being. However, longitudinal evidence on its effects in adult women remains limited. Obesity/metabolic syndrome (MetS) is highly prevalent among adult women worldwide, with estimates exceeding 40% in middle-aged populations, underscoring the need for low-impact interventions targeting adiposity and age-related metabolic risks. This study evaluated the effects of 6-month Bikram yoga on body fat percentage (%BF) in adult women, with age-stratified analyses. Methods: Twenty-two women (20–65 years) participated in a structured Bikram yoga program consisting of three weekly sessions (90 min, 26 postures + 2 breathing exercises, 40 °C, 40% humidity) over six months. Anthropometric assessments (8 skinfolds, 5 body circumferences, weight, and height) were conducted at T0, T1 (~45 days), T2 (~90 days), and T3 (6 months). %BF was estimated using multiple validated prediction equations integrated into the Exercise Science Toolkit. Results: A significant and progressive reduction in %BF was observed across the sample: −3.71% at T1 (p < 0.0001) and −6.07 at T3 (p < 0.0001) compared to the baseline. Positive outcomes were consistent across all age subgroups: subgroup A (20–35 years, T3 −6.62%), subgroup B (36–50 years, T3 −5.96%), and subgroup C (51–65 years, T3 −5.39%). Decreased inter-subject variability (SD) suggests a similar direction of change among participants. Conclusions: Regular Bikram yoga practice (three sessions per week for six months) was associated with significantly and consistently reduced %BF among adult women aged 20–65, exceeding the clinical threshold (>5%) for metabolic benefits. Effects were evident after six weeks and remained across all age subgroups, suggesting that Bikram yoga may represent an effective, low-impact intervention for health promotion and active aging. Full article

The manual handling of poultry is an essential part of raising and caring for birds. The different manual catching methods have various impacts on the bird’s welfare and health, the well-being and work satisfaction of the people who are handling the birds, and the economic and logistical requirements of everyone involved. The traditional approach of using the Five Freedoms for investigating animal well-being has been amended with animal-based measures (ABMs) as well as the evaluation of five welfare domains, which consider the subjective response of an animal towards its environment. The assessment of single individual animal welfare parameters without context can be non-specific, only partially informative, or even misleading when considered in isolation. The objective measurement of suitable parameters for the evaluation of the various steps of poultry catching and transport is complex and should be carried out in a differentiated manner. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the manual catching of poultry, with special focus on the upright and inverted handling of chicken and current considerations in Europe. The implementation of consistent, transparent, and traceable central data collection on animal health and welfare at various critical control points of bird transportation would allow systematic evaluation of the multifactorial welfare assessment in the future. Full article

Contemporary European societies face overlapping societal challenges—ecological degradation, immigration pressures, and widening economic inequality—which generate a pervasive climate of uncertainty affecting citizens’ perceptions of their own life conditions. This study investigates how social pessimism, conceptualised as a multidimensional orientation reflecting perceived threats across environmental, migratory, and distributive domains, relates to subjective financial insecurity at the individual level. Drawing on harmonised cross-national data from the CRONOS-II panel (N = 8993), covering eleven European countries, we construct a composite pessimism index and analyse its association with perceived financial strain using multivariate and multilevel regression models. Results demonstrate that individuals who express greater societal pessimism report significantly higher levels of financial insecurity, even after controlling for income, education, employment status, and country-level heterogeneity. This relationship is moderated by socioeconomic position; specifically, the pessimism–insecurity link is strongest among lower-income and less-educated groups, suggesting that material precarity and anticipatory anxiety compound one another. Cross-national analysis reveals substantial variation in effect magnitude, with the strongest associations observed in Hungary, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, and the weakest in Slovenia and Iceland. These findings contribute to the interdisciplinary understanding of how macro-level societal concerns permeate individual wellbeing, demonstrating that subjective economic vulnerability is shaped not only by objective circumstances but also by the broader socio-political climate in which citizens interpret their life situations. The results underscore the need for policies that address both material conditions and the affective dimensions of societal uncertainty in order to strengthen social cohesion and reduce perceived economic risk. Theoretically, we frame social pessimism as a formative composite capturing perceived threat to societal stability, offering an integrative perspective on how structurally distinct societal concerns converge to shape economic subjectivities. Full article

Background: Schizophrenia in adolescence disrupts neurodevelopment and long-term functioning. While symptom reduction remains a primary treatment goal, quality of life (QoL) represents a critical, patient-centered outcome. Pharmacogenetic variability, particularly in CYP2D6 metabolism of second-generation antipsychotics, may influence tolerability and subjective well-being beyond symptom control. Materials and Methods: Forty-seven adolescents (aged 14–18 years) diagnosed with schizophrenia (DSM-5) were followed in routine clinical care. CYP2D6 genotyping classified patients as normal metabolizers (NM, n = 27) or reduced-function metabolizers (RFM, including intermediate/poor, n = 20). Symptom severity was assessed with PANSS, QoL was assessed with the Pediatric Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (PQ-LES-Q), and adverse effects (hyperprolactinemia, extrapyramidal symptoms, sedation, metabolic changes) were monitored. Non-parametric tests and multiple linear regression were applied. Results: At 12 months, RFM patients showed significantly higher PANSS scores, markedly more adverse reactions (95% vs. 48.1%), and lower PQ-LES-Q total and domain scores (all p < 0.0001) compared to NM patients. A regression analysis identified the metabolizer status (β = −0.410, p = 0.001), extrapyramidal symptoms (β = −0.248, p = 0.003), sedation (β = −0.193, p = 0.029), and hyperprolactinemia (β = −0.190, p = 0.012) as independent predictors of a reduced QoL, explaining 84% of the variance. The residual symptom severity was not independently associated. Conclusions: In adolescent schizophrenia, the CYP2D6-reduced metabolizer status is the strongest independent predictor of long-term QoL impairment, associated primarily through a substantially higher burden of treatment-related adverse effects (metabolic, endocrine, neurological, and sedative) rather than through persistence of psychotic symptoms alone. These findings support early pharmacogenetic testing to guide individualized dosing and improve tolerability and patient-reported outcomes. Full article

Falls are a leading cause of morbidity, loss of independence, and diminished quality of life among older adults, particularly in underserved ethnic minority populations. Physical activity interventions such as Tai Chi (TC) have been shown to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls. However, the influence of psychosocial factors in maximizing these benefits remains underexplored. This study examined the effectiveness of a community-based TC intervention and the role of psychosocial support in enhancing physical health outcomes among Latino older adults at risk of falling. Twenty-eight subjects were recruited to complete a 12-week TC program, and 23 participants with complete outcome data were included in the data analysis. Balance performance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test at baseline, immediately after the 12-week intervention, and at a 12-week follow-up assessment (24 weeks from baseline). Psychosocial support was measured using the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire. Linear mixed models were used to analyze changes in TUG scores and the moderating effect of psychosocial support. Results showed that participants with higher levels of psychosocial support showed significantly greater changes in balance than those with lower support scores (p < 0.05) immediately after the intervention program; these improvements were not maintained at follow-up. The findings should be interpreted cautiously, given the single-group design without a control group. Overall, the results highlight the importance of incorporating psychosocial components into health intervention programs for older adults, suggesting that supportive environments may be associated with improvements in both physical health and psychosocial well-being in aging minority populations. Full article

Vocational high school students represent a substantial yet understudied population in school-based mental health research. Drawing on positive psychology and bioecological theory, this study examined whether personal growth initiative (PGI) shows a statistical indirect effect with respect to the relationships between multidimensional school climate and mental health outcomes among Chinese vocational students. Participants were 14,006 students from 112 vocational high schools. Two-level path models simultaneously entered different climate dimensions to estimate their unique associations with PGI, depressive symptoms, and Subjective well-being (SWB) at the within- and between-school levels, controlling for gender and socioeconomic status. Within schools, Safety, Interpersonal Relationships, Rules and Norms/Career Development Support, and Teaching and Learning/Diversity were positively associated with PGI, which in turn was associated with lower depressive symptoms and higher SWB. Wald tests indicated that Safety showed the strongest overall association with depressive symptoms, whereas Interpersonal Relationships showed the strongest overall association with SWB. At the between-school level, school-average climate and school-average PGI were associated with both outcomes, although these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the limited between-school power and substantial overlap among aggregated climate indicators. Overall, the findings are consistent with PGI being an important student-level pathway linking school climate to mental health in vocational education. Full article

Parental identity, the extent to which individuals integrate parenting roles into their self-concept, is associated with subjective well-being (SWB). However, research has largely focused on current parents, with limited attention to those with alternative caregiving roles. Companion dogs often act as caregiving figures, but their role in shaping identity and well-being processes has not been fully explored. This cross-sectional, survey-based study examined whether parental identity is associated with SWB, regardless of parental status, and whether the human–dog bond moderates any association in older women. Women dog owners aged 40 years and over (N = 296, M age = 51.6) completed an online survey including the Parental Identity and Enjoyment Scale, the Dog Owner Relationship Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the Flourishing Scale. Parental identity was positively associated with life satisfaction, r = 0.38, p < 0.001, and flourishing, r = 0.23, p < 0.001, and moderated regression models were significant for both (p < 0.001). However, interaction effects between parental identity and the human–dog bond were not significant. These findings extend identity theory, demonstrating that parental identity predicts SWB across diverse pathways and independently of parental status. The results contribute to emerging research on caregiving identities and highlight the importance of considering identity processes, rather than parental status alone, when examining well-being in older women. Full article

The well-being of university students is deteriorating, highlighting the need for accessible, non-stigmatizing supports beyond clinical care. Positive psychology (PP) interventions have shown strong potential for improving mental well-being, yet they remain largely underutilized in Nigerian universities. This pilot study evaluated the impact of an eight-week education and intervention incorporating acts of kindness, gratitude, positive reframing, and character strengths in improving subjective well-being among university students in Nigeria. Students were assigned randomly to an education + PP group or an education-only control group and assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Independent-samples t-tests were used to examine group differences in outcomes, while mixed-design ANOVA models assessed the effects of group and time. Compared with controls, the intervention group showed significantly higher mental well-being, positive affect, and resilience, with moderate to large effects. While significant main effects emerged across outcomes, time-by-group interactions were observed only for positive affect and resilience. Given rising psychological distress among Nigerian university students, these preliminary results showed that brief, strengths-based PP exercises can meaningfully improve students’ subjective well-being. They can serve as low-cost, non-stigmatizing additions to university mental health services and a scalable complement to traditional care in low-resource settings. Full article

This study examines the gap concerning occupants’ perceived thermal comfort and objectively measured indoor conditions in a green university building in Riyadh. The purpose is to assess occupant satisfaction with thermal conditions, compare subjective responses with physical measurements, and derive design and operational implications for educational buildings in hot-arid climates. The primary aim was to assess occupant satisfaction with indoor thermal conditions and to measure key environmental parameters to provide a thorough assessment of thermal comfort. A cross-sectional approach was used, combining subjective data from the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) Occupant Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) survey with objective measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, and air velocity, which were documented over five consecutive working days during the mid-winter period in Riyadh. These parameters were explored using the CBE Thermal Comfort Tool to calculate Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) indices. Statistical analyses examined the relationship between occupant-reported comfort and measured environmental conditions. Results showed that only 36% of occupants reported satisfaction with thermal comfort, while 48% expressed dissatisfaction. In contrast, objective measurements indicated stable indoor conditions within recommended comfort ranges (average temperature 23 °C, humidity 30–34%, MRT 24 °C, air velocity 0.5–1.0 m/s), with PMV values near neutral (−0.2 to 0.0) and PPD below 6%. The observed discrepancy highlights the influence of regional climate, individual adaptability, and perceived control. These findings emphasize the need to integrate both subjective feedback and objective measurements to develop occupant-centered strategies that enhance comfort and well-being in sustainable educational buildings in hot-arid climates. Full article