Search Results (1,541)

Despite the productivity and economic limitations imposed by environmental and climatic conditions, livestock systems play a fundamental role in preserving habitats and high-conservation-value species, while delivering a broad spectrum of ecosystem services to rural populations. Breeders need timely information to produce safe, inexpensive, environmentally, and welfare-friendly food products. Information on feeding and nutrition is of particular importance since it represents a significant percentage of animal breeding costs. Automating the collection, analysis, and use of production-related information on livestock feeding systems represents one of the central challenges facing the sector. Precision feeding systems (PFSs) have deeply changed farm management by providing new information on the health status of animals, their welfare, and nutritional requirements. PFSs encompass modern electronic and ICT-related (information and communication technologies) technologies that facilitate the electronic measurement of critical components, ensuring optimum efficiency of both resource use and animal productivity. This review analyzes the current state and potential applications of precision feeding systems for sustainable livestock production. The implementation and feasibility of PFSs have been investigated across the major animal production species and contexts. Based on the available literature, real-time monitoring and control systems can improve the production efficiency of livestock farms. However, further research is needed, as several components of PFSs are still at different stages of development and commercial readiness. Full article

This study explores the barriers that hinder the acquisition of digital skills in women with basic education, as well as their relationship with socio-communicative needs in contexts of exclusion. A validated questionnaire (α = 0.970), based on the DigCompEdu framework, was applied to a sample of 575 women in Granada (Spain). Using non-parametric analyses (Kruskal–Wallis test), significant differences were identified according to variables such as age, educational level, employment status and income. The results reveal that older women, women with low incomes, lower educational levels and unemployed women have greater difficulties in accessing, searching for information, creating content, and solving problems with ICT. However, a positive attitude towards technology was observed in all profiles, which constitutes an opportunity for intervention. It is concluded that the digital divide in women with basic training is conditioned by structural factors that generate specific socio-communicative needs. We propose the implementation of training policies with an intersectional and gender focus that favor digital equity and the active inclusion of these women in the digital society. Full article

A strong transportation infrastructure is critical in advancing ICT trade by facilitating the efficient movement of goods and services. This efficiency enhances supply chains and attracts greater foreign direct investment, ultimately supporting technological development and boosting the economy. This article evaluates the relationship between transportation infrastructure (TI), information and communication technology trade openness (ICT trade), foreign direct investment (FDI), and economic growth (GDP) in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 2023. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, we found that ICT trade has a statistically significant positive effect on long-run GDP growth. However, in the short run, ICT trade has a positive but non-significant impact on GDP growth. Additionally, the results show that TI has a statistically significant negative effect on short-run GDP growth. Moreover, the non-linear Threshold Regression model results show a threshold value for information and communication technology trade openness (ICT trade) of approximately 0.4051. Specifically, the findings indicate that increased ICT trade reduces the negative impact on economic growth beyond a certain threshold. This study is highly significant for Saudi Arabian decision-makers, as it highlights the roles of transportation infrastructure and ICT trade in attracting FDI and bolstering the economy. Full article

This study proposes an interdisciplinary approach that integrates bioclimatology, agronomy, environmental education, and information and communication technologies (ICT) to analyze their potential to support sustainable land management in the context of climate change. The research focuses on the application of bioclimatic indices, the continentality index (Ic), the ombrothermic index (Io), and the thermicity index (It/Itc), combined with the use of a virtual herbarium as a didactic resource for interpreting ecological indicators associated with vegetation. The study was conducted using a pretest–posttest design aimed at assessing students’ self-reported understanding of ecological concepts, bioclimatology, geobotany, and the use of digital tools for learning plant species. The results show a significant improvement in students’ perceived understanding following the educational intervention, with the mean questionnaire score increasing from 21.99 (SD = 5.03) in the pretest to 31.33 (SD = 5.06) in the posttest (t(69) = 37.13, p < 0.001). The normalized gain (g = 0.42) indicates a moderate improvement in students’ self-reported comprehension of bioclimatic and ecological concepts. These findings highlight the potential of ICT to strengthen environmental education and to foster the development of competencies related to sustainable agricultural and forest land management. Full article

Research on information and communication technologies (ICTs) in sustainable agriculture has largely been technocentric, focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, and adoption, with limited consideration of end-user perceptions in practice. This study addresses this gap by examining perceptions of mobile gardening apps as accessible ICT tools that may support sustainable behaviours. Based on over 180,000 user reviews from Google Play and the Apple App Store, Contextualized Topic Modeling (CTM) was used to identify key themes and interpret them within the Theory of Consumption Value (TCV) framework. This approach allows for the analysis of functional, emotional, and epistemic dimensions of user experiences based on large-scale, real-world data. The results indicate that functional aspects, such as reliability and usability, dominate app evaluation, but emotional engagement and knowledge acquisition also play a significant role. By combining a data-driven approach with a well-established behavioural framework, this study bridges the gap between technological and user perspectives. It simultaneously extends the application of the TCV to the field of ICT solutions supporting sustainable development and provides practical guidance for designing more effective gardening apps. Full article

This study examines how university type (public vs. private) and disciplinary background influence the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and self-perceived digital competence among university professors in Latin America. Identifying institutional and disciplinary disparities is essential in the context of accelerated digital transformation in higher education. The sample comprised 1114 professors from public and private universities, and data was collected using a validated instrument measuring ICT valuation, frequency of use, and perceived digital competence. Multivariate analyses were conducted to assess differences by institutional type and disciplinary field. The results show significant differences in ICT valuation, usage frequency, and perceived digital competence across university types and disciplines. Professors from private universities reported higher digital preparedness, while disciplinary areas displayed distinct ICT adoption patterns. Although ICT use increased across all groups during the pandemic, the digital gap between public and private institutions narrowed but was not fully eliminated. These findings support the development of targeted professional training, strategic resource allocation, and institutional policies, particularly in public universities, to enhance digital competence and promote sustainable ICT integration, contributing to educational equity and progress toward Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

This paper presents the results of exploratory research conducted as part of a university specialisation course for future support teachers in nursery schools during ICT (Information and Communication Technology) workshops. The main objective of the study was to investigate the role and potential of visual education in teaching–learning processes in academia, particularly in educational contexts aimed at building inclusive and innovative skills. In line with the studies by and, the research analysed how the integration of digital visual tools, multimedia narratives and gamification practices can affect motivation, engagement and the development of digital, communication and pedagogical skills. The results confirm the educational value of visual education as a lever for building inclusive and reflective skills. The methodological approach adopted is inspired by the learning by doing paradigm and active learning, promoting participatory and innovative teaching, consistent with the latest reflections on academic innovation. Full article

Digital maturity (DM) has emerged as a popular concept for explaining how higher education institutions (HEIs) develop digitally supported academic teaching and learning, research, administration, and community outreach (third mission). However, DM is often framed as a technical problem of adopting information and communication technologies (ICTs), infrastructure, and tool deployment. In this paper, we conceptualize DM as an organizational capability that enables HEIs to align digital tools with strategy, governance, and teaching. Building on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) research, we argue that EO is an antecedent of digital maturity, but that this relationship cannot be realized without a change-supportive organizational culture. We develop a conceptual model in which EO is positively associated with DM, both directly and indirectly through the change-ready organizational culture, and present propositions for future empirical research. We provide a preliminary qualitative evaluation of the model through in-depth interviews with stakeholders in a single, digitally advanced university case from the Southeast Europe (SEE) region. Based on the thematic analysis, we identify patterns suggesting that CRC links EO and DM in this case. We use the findings to refine construct boundaries and show possible mechanisms; assessing generalizable effects is left to future quantitative studies on larger national and regional samples. Full article

Digital transformation in higher education increasingly hinges on the robustness and governability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructures, with campus Wi-Fi networks serving as the operational backbone of digital learning, research collaboration, and administrative services. In large universities, these networks typically evolve into heterogeneous, multi-vendor environments, introducing ongoing challenges in monitoring coherence, configuration governance, and cross-platform performance diagnosis. Despite the centrality of these issues, smart campus scholarship has paid limited attention to day-to-day operational management. This study examines the design and operational performance of a dual-platform Wi-Fi network management architecture implemented at Mahasarakham University, Thailand. The architecture strategically integrates SolarWinds and LibreNMS to combine centralized network-wide visibility with fine-grained, device-level diagnostics across a multi-vendor infrastructure. An engineering-oriented mixed-method approach was employed, drawing on production monitoring logs and semi-structured interviews with campus network engineers. Findings indicate that SolarWinds strengthens configuration oversight and campus-level situational awareness, whereas LibreNMS enhances detailed performance analytics and accelerates fault isolation. Their coordinated deployment improves operational stability, diagnostic clarity, and long-term maintainability of campus Wi-Fi systems. The study provides practical architectural guidance for managing heterogeneous ICT infrastructures in smart campus and enterprise-scale environments. Full article

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) represent a growing global health burden, affecting nearly one in ten adults worldwide. CKD is associated with high morbidity, premature mortality, reduced quality of life and enormous healthcare costs, and is primarily driven by dialysis and kidney transplantation. The silent and progressive nature of CKD means that most patients are diagnosed late, when irreversible damage has already occurred and costly kidney replacement therapies (KRT) become necessary. Dialysis services are resource-intensive, requiring significant infrastructure, specialized staff, and consumables, which makes them especially challenging to sustain in low- and middle-income countries. Traditional models of nephrology, care center-based dialysis and fragmented follow-up are increasingly inadequate in meeting the demands of a rising CKD population. These challenges highlight the urgent need for innovative approaches that enhance efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and expand access. Objective: This review aims to analyze the current landscape of information and communication technology (ICT) applications in nephrology and to evaluate how digital innovations are reconfiguring kidney therapy. Specifically, it seeks to identify the major ICT tools that are currently in use, assess their clinical and operational impact, and discuss their role in creating more sustainable, patient-centered kidney care models. This study reviews and analyzes ICT tools that are reconfiguring nephrology, including remote monitoring, AI, wearables, patient engagement apps and data dashboards. Methods: Narrative and scoping review of recent innovations in nephrology, including remote patient monitoring (RPM), telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI) analytics, wearable sensors, and clinical decision support platforms. Results: ICT tools such as Sharesource, Versia, telenephrology platforms, medical assistant for Chronic Care Service (MACCS), AI-based predictive analytics, wearable devices and patient engagement apps have improved patient outcomes, adherence, and early detection of complications. Key metrics include technique survival, hospitalization rate, patient-reported outcomes, workflow efficiency, and prediction accuracy. The relevant literature describing the potential of digital health technologies, including ICT platforms, artificial intelligence tools, and remote monitoring systems, to transform nephrology care was retrieved and screened for inclusion in this narrative review. Conclusions: ICT has shifted nephrology from reactive to proactive care, enhancing accessibility, patient empowerment and clinical efficiency. Future directions include precision nephrology, fully wearable kidneys, AI integration and large language models for education and triage. Challenges include digital divide, regulatory heterogeneity, cost and the need for long-term evidence. Full article

The accelerated growth of the digitalization process is making digital skills increasingly important in the global economy. The purpose of this research is to empirically assess the impact of digital skills on economic growth in the 27 European Union (EU) member states over the period 2017–2023. In this respect, to measure the concept of digital skills, we employed the following four indicators of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI): internet usage, enterprises offering information and communication technologies (ICT) training to their employees, ICT specialists, and ICT graduates, while economic growth was proxied by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. In addition, to obtain a more nuanced analysis, we included a set of control variables likely to influence growth. In the first stage of the research, we apprised the effect and importance of each explanatory variable on the GDP per capita using the Bayesian model averaging (BMA), while in the second stage, we ran a two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM). Based on the results obtained from applying the BMA, ICT graduates, trade, the new EU countries, and the employed population are the main determinants of economic growth. In addition, the new EU countries and inflation have a negative impact on GDP per capita, and the post-COVID dummy exerts a predominantly negative effect and all remaining regressors boost the GDP per capita. Furthermore, the GMM estimations confirmed the outcomes obtained through BMA, which denotes that the research findings are robust to changes in the methodological framework and, hence, are reliable and valid. The results of this research indicate that ICT graduates and digital skills play a decisive role in driving economic growth in the EU member states, with ICT skills having a significant positive impact on GDP. Full article

Servicification—defined as the services value added embodied in goods—has been studied mainly in manufacturing, but its role in agricultural exports is less understood. We measure servicification in agricultural exports and examine how it is associated with export performance, upstream linkages and upgrading-related proxies. Using trade-in-value-added accounting for 80 countries (1995–2022), we estimate two-way fixed-effects panel models with exporter-clustered standard errors. Higher servicification is associated with both larger and intermediate agricultural value-added exports within countries over time. Decompositions show that these relationships are driven by services produced domestically, which are a location-based measure that may include services supplied by foreign-owned affiliates operating locally. Foreign services value added is not systematically related to outcomes. Servicification is also associated with a smaller agriculture-to-economy value-added gap proxy, and embodied financial and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services appear complementary. Labour-market results for a smaller subsample are suggestive of stronger links with skill-intensive employment shares at lower GDP per capita levels. Because reverse causality cannot be ruled out, the findings are interpreted as conditional associations that motivate future causal identification. Full article

Arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) is associated with impaired walking function and claudication. However, the effects of information and communication technology (ICT)-based wearable interventions on objectively measured gait outcomes in this population have not been determined. In this 12-week intervention, 52 patients with ASO were randomly assigned to an ICT-based wearable-assisted exercise intervention (n = 30) or a control (n = 22) group. All participants wore a triaxial accelerometer–based device on the non-dominant wrist to monitor moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), expressed as average min/day. The intervention group received structured exercise guidance, including walking and lower-limb strengthening exercises, and weekly feedback based on device data; the control group received no exercise instruction or feedback. Primary outcomes were gait speed and 6 min walk test (6MWT) distance; secondary outcomes included MVPA and cognitive function. The intervention group showed significant improvements in gait speed and 6MWT distance compared with those in the control group (p < 0.05), indicating enhanced ambulatory function. An exploratory machine learning analysis suggested that gait speed and 6MWT distance are informative variables for functional-status characterization. ICT-based wearable interventions may serve as scalable approaches for functional rehabilitation in ASO; larger, longer-term studies should confirm these effects and clarify the underlying mechanisms. Full article

Sustainable regional competitiveness is widely recognized as a cornerstone for fostering economic growth, social well-being, and environmental sustainability at the local level. Building upon our previous research, in which we extensively examined the ten factors shaping regional competitiveness, this study continues the investigation by focusing on the same nine factors while replacing environmental considerations with civil protection, utilizing updated literature spanning 2020 to 2025. The study’s time frame was from March 2025 to November 2025. A literature review methodology was adopted, emphasizing critical evaluation rather than a systematic review. Recent studies published within the last five years were analyzed, with particular attention to these ten recognized factors: (1) economy, (2) labor market, (3) poverty and social inclusion, (4) healthcare, (5) educational infrastructure, (6) environmental considerations, (7) transportation infrastructure, (8) science and technology, (9) high-tech industries, and (10) innovation. The key findings of the study emphasize the distinct yet interconnected role of each factor in shaping regional competitiveness. Economic development remains foundational, closely linked with education, causes of death, and sustainability, highlighting that a strong economy alone is insufficient. Labor market dynamics, including youth employment and skills development, are crucial for translating potential into growth, while addressing poverty and social exclusion requires coordinated social and economic policies. Public health indicator reflect societal challenges and helps identify areas where targeted interventions can enhance well-being and productivity. Education strengthens human capital, supports innovation and high-tech industries, and promotes social inclusion, creating the foundation for sustainable regional growth. Environmental issues shape the risks that civil protection must manage, while effective environmental protection reduces the need for emergency response. Transportation infrastructure connects economic activity, Research & Development (R&D), Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) deployment, and innovation, enhancing regional integration. Science and technology, particularly ICT, drive productivity and competitiveness, while human capital plays a central role in the development of high-tech industries, supporting innovation and economic diversification. Finally, innovation underpins the capacity of regions to adapt and maintain a long-term competitive advantage. Overall, this research demonstrates that by retaining the same nine core factors and replacing environmental considerations with civil protection, it is possible to gain new insights into regional competitiveness. Full article

The advent of smart farms, enabled by information and communication technologies (ICT) and the Internet of Things (IoT), has improved productivity and sustainable agriculture. However, the large-scale implementation of smart farms is currently hampered by physical constraints. These constraints have led to the concept of open-field smart farming as a viable alternative. In this paradigm, data from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play a central role in effective and sustainable agricultural management. The quantitative analysis of such data requires highly reliable technological solutions. The objective of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of image binarization algorithms for UAV-based soybean canopy extraction across growth stages and to contribute to the development of an image labeling methodology. UAVs were used to capture images of soybean fields at different growth stages, and a comparative analysis was performed using binarization image algorithms. The performance of each algorithm was evaluated using Normalized Cross Correlation (NCC) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). The results indicate that the Excess Green (ExG) and Excess Green minus Excess Red (ExGR) vegetation indices provide accurate and stable soybean canopy extraction across growth stages when combined with Adaptive and Otsu binarization algorithms. These indices are particularly suitable for extracting soybean canopy from UAV-based data, thereby expanding the scope of precision analysis in the agricultural sector and providing data for advancing precision agriculture technology. This study contributes to the standardization and efficient use of UAV-based agricultural data processing. However, since manual weeding was performed prior to image acquisition to ensure that only soybean plants were present, reflecting standard agricultural practices in South Korea, additional validation would be required for application in fields where weeds are naturally present. Full article