Governance is a core component of smart cities, yet further research is needed to understand its internal structure and interactions. This study analyzes how smart city governance (SCG) is configured and the types of public value it generates in two emerging economy cities: Medellín, Colombia, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Using an exploratory qualitative approach, the research draws on 70 interviews, non-participant observation, and over 40 official documents. It proposes a socio-technical SCG model with four components: strategic management, collective intelligence, technological intelligence, contextual conditions, alongside a public value outcome dimension, 12 subcomponents and 15 types of public value. These values fall into two categories: urban sustainability and internal efficiency and effectiveness. The model offers an integrative framework for understanding SCG and guiding policy and program design.
The increasing demand for energy and the continued reliance on fossil fuels pose important environmental and social challenges, particularly for rural and isolated communities in developing countries that lack reliable access to the grid. Gravitational water vortex turbines (GWVT) are a run-of-river technology for low-head and moderate-flow sites that can provide decentralized electricity without the construction of large reservoirs. The expected environmental impacts are lower; nevertheless, to increase acceptance by the community, there is a necessity to identify and analyze the potential environmental impacts of GWVT in all its life-cycle phases (installation, operation, maintenance, and dismantling). The present study applies the Conesa cause-effect matrix to identify, classify, and analyze the potential environmental impacts associated with GWVT phases. Key identified impacts include removal of vegetation coverage and site disturbance (-32), sediment dynamics alterations (-39), formation of a depleted stretch (-45), accidental releases of hazardous maintenance products (-42), and remobilization of retained sediments (-46). These impacts can produce habitat alteration and fragmentation and loss of ecological connectivity. The relevant significance of energy generation that can have multiple benefits in the local communities was also identified. Primary mitigation measures include the incorporation of environmental flows in the design, sediment management, and strict protocols for hazardous materials. The findings underscore the necessity to conduct site-specific baseline surveys to preserve environmental, socio-economic, and cultural conditions in the local ecosystem and communities.
Seed-dispersing mammals play essential roles in forest regeneration, landscape connectivity, and the maintenance of plant diversity. Understanding the impacts of climate change on these species is critical, particularly in highly threatened ecosystems such as tropical seasonally dry forests. Here, we assessed how projected climate change could affect the distribution of 87 seed-dispersing mammal species within the Mesoamerican seasonally dry forests and estimated their vulnerability by integrating multiple metrics of climatic exposure and range-shift capacity. Potential distributions were modeled under current and future climates (2040s–2080s), considering two socio-economic pathways (SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5). We quantified losses, gains, and stable areas under assumptions of species dispersal (contiguous or non-dispersal). Additionally, we applied a synthetic risk syndrome approach based on exposure and predictive traits and evaluated whether projected percentage changes in species distributions were associated with threat category and geographic range size. Our models indicate that many seed-dispersing mammals may experience range contractions: on average, 75 species’ ranges contracted, while 12 remained stable or expanded. Around 30
Despite its strategic relevance, Corporate Reputation (CR) faces challenges in both consensual conceptualization and systematic operationalization, hindering comparative analysis and evidence-based management. While literature has advanced via perceptual scales and objective proxies, a critical gap persists in leveraging scientific textual corpora to derive comprehensive models. A complementary conceptualization and operationalization of CR is proposed, applying text mining and natural language processing techniques to analyze 978 scientific abstracts. A five-dimensional taxonomic model and a 27-item instrument were developed, with content validity assessed by experts in the field. The findings offer a more structured and reproducible understanding of CR, facilitating its management across various organizational contexts. The study advances the conceptual framework of CR and provides researchers and managers with practical tools for assessment and enhancement.
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.
