Foundation: Sleep, as a physiological process, can be addressed pedagogically and clinically; it constitutes a passive factor in sports performance, being systematically integrated as part of the sports training management process.Objective: To analyze the effects of an educational program for youth volleyball players on sleep hygiene and muscle recovery.Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a sample of 50 male volleyball players (n = 25 per group), using validated instruments (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Total Quality Recovery Scale) after eight weeks of intervention, which included educational sessions, sleep hygiene routines, and post-training muscle recovery strategies. Results: Intragroup analysis showed that the experimental group presented significant improvements, reducing central tendency measures from 6.4/6.0 to 4.8/5.0 (Z = -3.21; p = 0.001) in the PSQI, while the control group showed no changes (p = 0.263). Intergroup analysis revealed no significant differences in the pretest, confirming initial homogeneity. However, in the posttest, notable differences were identified in favor of the experimental group (U = 187.0; Z = -2.89; p = 0.004). Regarding the TQR, the experimental group improved significantly, from moderate to good recovery (12.6/13.0-' 16.1/16.0; Z = -3.45; p < 0.001), while the control group showed a slight non-significant increase (p = 0.311). Additionally, intergroup analysis confirmed significant posttest differences in favor of the experimental group (U = 162.0; Z = -3.18; p = 0.001). Conclusions: It is confirmed that a structured educational intervention program for sleep hygiene and muscle recovery, can be an effective strategy to improve sleep quality and perceived recovery in youth volleyball players.
Universities face growing pressure to deliver social and economic value through teaching, research and knowledge transfer. From a triple-helix perspective (university-industry-government), this article presents an empirical diagnosis aimed at proposing a smart-university model in a public Latin American institution and developing a transferable governance-and-data framework. Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with internal and external stakeholders and a grounded theory approach, we identify cross-cutting constraints that limit U-I cooperation and data-informed decision-making: bureaucratic rigidity, fragmented information systems, limited-service capacity, and weak university-community-industry linkages. Priorities converge on data governance (centralization, interoperability and automation), purposeful ICT integration, institutional well-being and inclusion, and alignment with public policy. We propose a preliminary framework that links governance and decision-making with data infrastructures and sustainability, together with a cooperation-oriented governance playbook and a set of transferable indicators to guide implementation and evaluation. Taken together, the findings show that regulatory and resource constraints limit transformation in public HEIs; accordingly, this work suggests operational, institution-level recommendations to shorten timelines, standardize processes and improve coordination with firms, thereby strengthening university-industry cooperation within triple-helix ecosystems.
This research deals with the problem of extending the conventional finite automata theory to the study of the equality theorem. For this purpose, an algebraic approach centered on the concepts of semi-rings, recognizable K-subsets and K-Sigma-automata is proposed. The decidability of any pair of recognizable K-subsets is proved in this context. This means that the semiring K must be known well enough to permit such decisions.
Background. Suicidal risk in university students does not require analysis solely from clinical parameters; it is also necessary to understand it from the perspective of psychosocial factors and the everyday life situations to which the students are mostly exposed. Furthermore, it is a phenomenon with multiple causes, so studying it by integrating the complexity of various actors can help us understand not only direct dynamics but also indirect, multifaceted ones. Objective. To estimate a sequential and latent multiple mediation model of emotional fatigue and social dysfunction in the relationship between loneliness and suicidal risk in Ecuadorian university students. Design. A descriptive, cross-sectional, multiple mediation study using structural equation modelling (SEM). The sample comprised 943 undergraduate students (64.4% women, 35.6% men) from six universities (61.1% public) in four Ecuadorian cities, aged between 18 and 47 years (M = 21.62, SD = 3.81). Results. Loneliness, emotional fatigue, and social dysfunction are latent predictors of suicidal risk, explaining 60% of its variance. Loneliness exerts both a direct effect on suicide risk and an indirect effect through the sequential multiple mediation of emotional fatigue and social dysfunction. Conclusion. Academic risk factors such as loneliness, emotional fatigue, and social dysfunction are key attributes to consider for preventing suicidal behavior in university students. These predictors can dynamically interact to generate both direct and indirect effects, allowing for a better understanding of the complexity of this phenomenon.
This paper presents the implementation and outcomes of a community-based afforestation project in the Valle Hermoso parish (Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador), aimed at mitigating flood risk. From 2021 to 2024, the University of the Armed Forces (ESPE) facilitated the distribution of over 2,500 Guadua angustifolia Kunth (caña guadua) plants to 250 farms across nine sub-districts, engaging 230 volunteers from the university and local community. The study maps historical flood zones and the newly forested areas surrounding the Blanco and Cristal rivers. After 3.5 years, a 55% survival rate indicates successful plant establishment and a positive project outcome. The afforestation has demonstrably increased dry-season stream flow, reduced flooding, and stabilized riverbanks, thereby minimizing landslides. These results position the project as an effective and scalable model for the broader Tsáchila province, though scalability may encounter financial, logistical, and managerial hurdles. The primary challenge remains ensuring long-term sustainability, which is heavily dependent on continued community participation and support, factors vulnerable to external economic and social pressures.
