Search Results (544)

The COVID-19 pandemic forced European Union member states to accelerate the digitalization of public services, turning a gradual policy priority into an urgent necessity. This study examines the pandemic’s impact on the digital transformation of public administrations, assessing the effectiveness of digital-oriented interventions implemented during this period. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DiDs) methodology, the analysis compares treatment and control groups based on 2019 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) scores, with digital public services as the dependent variable. Independent variables include pre-filled forms, service transparency, design and data protection, e-government usage, internet penetration, total population, and governance quality, covering all 27 EU member states from 2016 to 2023. Data sources include DESI, Eurostat, and the World Bank. The analysis shows that countries with lower digitalization achieved the largest post-pandemic gains, with transparency, service design, and data protection significantly enhancing digital service quality. Pre-existing governance and infrastructure shaped the magnitude of these improvements, highlighting the combined role of preparedness and reactive policy measures. The findings underscore the critical role of citizens as end-users and accountability drivers in digital governance. By providing empirical evidence on pandemic-driven digitalization trends, this study contributes to policy discussions on resilience, strategic planning, and the future of inclusive, transparent e-government services in the EU. Full article

Varroa mites are a major global threat to honeybee colonies. Combining digital twins with scenario-generating models can be an enabler of precision apiculture, allowing for monitoring Varroa spread, generating treatment scenarios under varying conditions, and running remote interventions. This paper presents the conceptual design of this system for large-scale Varroa management in honeybee apiaries, with initial validation conducted through simulations and feasibility analysis. The design followed a design research framework. The proposed system integrates a wireless sensor network for continuous hive sensing, image capture, and remote actuation of treatment. It employs generative time-series models to forecast colony dynamics and a statistical network model to represent inter-colony spread; together, they support spread scenario prediction and what-if evaluations of treatments. The system evolves through continuous updates from field data, improving the accuracy of spread and treatment models over time. As part of our design research, an early feasibility assessment was carried out through the generation of synthetic data for spread model pretraining. In addition, a node-level energy budget for sensing, communication, and in-hive treatment was developed and matched with battery capacity and life calculations. Overall, this work outlines a path toward real-time, data-driven Varroa management across apiary networks, from regional to cross-border scales. Full article

During the COVID-19 pandemic, migrant workers in Singapore endured one of the longest and most stringent periods of confinement globally. Segregationist policies were intensified as the state imposed strict disciplinary regimes over workers’ mobility and everyday lives, framed as public health interventions but functioning also as labor discipline and social control. This study asks: how did migrant workers experience, narrate, and endure life under such conditions of confinement? Drawing on sixteen in-depth interviews with South Asian male construction workers, conducted in dormitories and makeshift worksites, we adopt a grounded theory approach to elicit contextually grounded accounts of life under lockdown. The analysis highlights three interrelated themes: emotional regulation, migrant masculinity and the gendered politics of endurance, and digital connectivity as an affective infrastructure. These practices enabled workers to carve out agentic spaces within structures designed to render them passive. Our findings reveal that even amid fear, surveillance, overcrowding, and economic precarity, workers combined stoicism, transnational kinship ties, religious routines, and solidarity to sustain resilience. While initially guided by Foucauldian notions of surveillance and biopower, the study advances a counter-Foucauldian insight: that institutional control is never total, and migrant narratives of resilience offer nuanced understandings of agency under constrain. Full article

Aim: The study developed and validated AppER, an mHealth tool for informal caregivers of children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and examined differences between app users and non-users. Methods: Four phases were followed: (1) focus groups with experts and caregivers to identify care-related domains; (2) prototype development and validity testing (CVR, I-CVI, I-FVI) using the MARS scale; (3) implementation of the final app; and (4) psychosocial profiling of 88 caregivers (42 users and 46 non-users) measuring quality of life, dependency, somatic symptoms, and coping strategies. Results: AppER showed high content and face validity, surpassing reference thresholds. In the psychosocial analysis, users reported lower perceived quality of life than non-users, despite no significant differences in dependency, somatic symptoms, or coping strategies. Conclusions: Employment patterns differed: more users were dedicated to household tasks, while more non-users were self-employed, suggesting economic factors may affect app uptake and quality of life perceptions. Findings indicate AppER is a valid, well-rated support tool, and that caregivers with lower perceived quality of life may be more inclined to adopt digital health solutions, potentially to address complex care demands. Designing targeted digital interventions may be particularly valuable for those in less favorable socioeconomic contexts. Because of the small sample and between-group imbalances, results are exploratory and warrant confirmation in larger, balanced samples. Full article

This study develops a systemic framework to conceptualize digital organizational resilience in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as an emergent property of entangled socio-technical systems. Building on theories of distributed cognition, sociomateriality, and resilience engineering, this paper argues that resilience does not reside in isolated elements—such as leadership, technologies, or procedures—but in their dynamic interplay. Four interdependent dimensions—human, technological, organizational, and institutional—are identified as constitutive of resilience capacities. The research design is conceptual and exploratory in nature. Two theory-driven conceptual statements are formulated: first, that natural language mediation in human–machine interaction enhances coordination and adaptability; and second, that distributed cognition and prototyping practices strengthen collective problem-solving and adaptive capacity. These conceptual statements are not statistically tested but serve as conceptual anchors for the model and as guiding directions for future empirical studies. Empirical illustrations from Ecuadorian MSMEs ground the framework in practice. The evidence highlights three insights: (1) structural fragility, as micro and small firms dominate the economy but face high mortality and financial vulnerability; (2) uneven digitalization, with limited adoption of BPM, ERP, and AI due to skill and resource constraints; and (3) disproportionate gains from modest interventions, such as optimization models or collaborative prototyping. This study contributes to organizational theory by positioning MSMEs as socio-technical ecosystems, providing a conceptual foundation for future empirical validation. Full article

This article examines online hate as a driver of cyberbullying and a barrier to inclusive schooling, integrating theoretical, philosophical and methodological perspectives. We approach hate speech as communicative practices that legitimise discrimination and exclusion and, once amplified by social media affordances, erode equity, belonging and well-being in educational settings. The study adopts a qualitative, exploratory–descriptive design using focus groups with pre-service teachers from initial teacher education programmes across several Chilean regions. Participants reflected on the presence, trajectories and classroom effects of cyberhate/cyberbullying. Data were analysed thematically with ATLAS.ti24. Findings describe a recurrent pathway in which anonymous posts lead to public exposure, followed by heightened anxiety and eventual withdrawal. This shows how online aggression spills into classrooms, normalises everyday disparagement and fuels self-censorship, especially among minoritised students. The analysis also highlights the amplifying role of educator authority (tone, feedback, modelling) and institutional inaction. In response, participants identified protective practices: explicit dialogic norms, rapid and caring classroom interventions, restorative and care-centred feedback, partnership with families and peers, and critical digital citizenship that links platform literacy with ethical reasoning. The article contributes evidence to inform anti-bullying policy, inclusive curriculums and teacher education by proposing actionable, context-sensitive strategies that strengthen equity, dignity and belonging. Full article

The NewEcoSmart project addresses the need to foster inclusive green and digital transitions in rural habitat sectors by systematically assessing local socio-technical readiness and tailoring capacity-building interventions. We adapted the validated SCIROCCO Exchange Maturity Self-Assessment Tool—selecting eight dimensions relevant to environmental, technological and social innovation—and conducted a two-phase evaluation across three pilot sites in Italy, Portugal and Spain. Phase 1 mapped stakeholder evidence against predefined criteria; Phase 2 engaged local actors (45+ adults, SMEs and micro-firms) in a self-assessment to determine digital, green and entrepreneurial skill gaps. For each domain of the SCIROCCO Tool, local actors can assign a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 5. The final score of the SCIROCCO tool can be a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 40. Quantitative maturity scores revealed heterogeneous profiles (Pacentro and Majella Madre = 5; Yecla = 10; Adelo Area = 23), underscoring diverse ecosystem strengths and limitations. A qualitative analysis, framed by Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (SHAFE) domains, identified emergent training needs that are clustered at three levels: MACRO (community-wide awareness and engagement), MESO (decision-maker capacity for strategic planning and governance) and MICRO (industry-specific practical skills). The adapted SCIROCCO tool effectively proposes the assessment of socio-technical maturity in rural contexts and guides the design of a modular, multi-layered training framework. These findings support the need for scalable deployment of interventions that are targeted to the maturity of the local ecosystems to accelerate innovations through equitable green and digital transformations in complex socio-cultural settings. Full article

Practising the calculation of determinants is important in linear algebra. A pioneering study involving 580 first-year university students evaluated the impact of game-based learning in higher mathematics education. The participants formed two groups: an experimental group of 279 students and a control group of 301. The experimental group students played the non-digital educational card game DETerminator, designed to help students learn and practise calculating determinants in small square matrices. In contrast, the control group received no intervention, allowing for a clear outcome comparison. Students in the experimental group worked in smaller teams during didactic gameplay sessions that involved solving matrix-determinant problems in a competitive and collaborative classroom setting, enhancing their understanding through interaction and teamwork. The objective of this paper is to provide a detailed presentation of the DETerminator game and showcase its integration as an effective teaching tool for practising essential concepts and theorems related to determinants. Moreover, a quasi-experiment was conducted to explore how incorporating game-based learning can lead to successful and enjoyable mathematical education experiences for students. We used a quantitative approach to assess the effectiveness of the card game on academic achievement. At first, a pre- and post-test design was employed with the experimental group of 279 participants to evaluate the short-term effects of game-based learning. The Wilcoxon test was utilised for hypothesis testing, revealing a large effect size of 0.63. Moreover, the results from related midterm exam problems were statistically analysed to obtain the medium-term impact. The outcomes were compared using the Mann–Whitney U-test. The results demonstrated that the experimental group statistically outperformed the control group, but achieving a small effect size of 0.16, with a mean score of 3.14 out of 7 on the designated midterm exam tasks, compared to the control group’s mean score of 2.5. The small effect size suggests that, although the intervention had a positive effect, it is worth considering what other options there are for increasing the medium-term effect. A Likert-scale questionnaire was used to evaluate students’ attitudes towards the game. Our findings show the importance of incorporating game-based learning strategies in mathematics education at the university level, especially for enhancing students’ proficiency in key topics such as the determinant of a matrix. Full article

Background: Unintended adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain pressing public health concerns in Northeastern Thailand. Although school-based sexuality education is widespread, risk behaviors persist, underscoring the need for innovative approaches. This study evaluated the SESS (System–Empowerment–Support–Social Network) model, a multi-component framework designed to strengthen adolescent sexual health. Methods: A quasi-experimental, two-school study was conducted among 240 students aged 15–19 years in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. One school (n = 120) implemented a 16-week SESS program, while a comparison school (n = 120) continued with the standard curriculum. The SESS model combined system coordination, empowerment workshops, peer and institutional support, and digital platforms (Facebook, LINE). Data were collected with validated questionnaires and analyzed using ANCOVA, adjusting for baseline values. Exploratory analyses reported mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Groups were comparable at baseline. Post-intervention, the intervention school showed higher perception scores (mean difference = +13.0; 95% CI: 10.5–17.0) and preventive practice scores (mean difference = +14.0; 95% CI: 10.1–17.9). Attitudes showed minimal change. No pregnancies or self-reported STI cases were documented among intervention participants during the follow-up period. Conclusions: In this two-school quasi-experimental evaluation, the SESS model was associated with improvements in perceptions and practices, though attitudinal changes were limited. Findings suggest the feasibility of integrating empowerment, social support, and digital engagement into school-based programs while highlighting the need for multi-school trials to establish effectiveness. Full article

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health concern, and people at risk for TB are hesitant to seek care. The first South African National TB prevalence survey, conducted in 2017–2019, found that most participants with TB symptoms did not seek care for TB. In 2022, an estimated 23% of people with TB in South Africa were undiagnosed, contributing to the country’s burden of “missing” TB cases. This study explores health-seeking behaviour among people with TB (PwTB) in South Africa, focussing on barriers and facilitators to care-seeking and the quantification of TB-related stigma from a patient and community perspective. Methods: We conducted a mixed-method study in the City of Johannesburg (COJ) Metropolitan Municipality from February to March 2022. PwTB aged 18 and older initiating TB treatment for microbiologically confirmed pulmonary TB were recruited from three primary healthcare facilities in the COJ. After providing written informed consent, they participated in a one-time, in-depth, face-to-face interview. The interviews were digitally recorded and conducted by trained facilitators. We used thematic analysis with deductive approaches to develop themes. We used the Van Rie TB stigma assessment scale to quantify perceived stigma. Results: We interviewed 23 PwTB with an overall median age of 39 years and 14 (61%) males. Patient-level barriers to accessing TB care included visiting traditional healers and pharmacists before their TB diagnosis; wrong or missed diagnosis by private doctors; work commitments; scarcity of resources to attend the clinic or walk long distances; perceived and experienced stigma; and a lack of TB knowledge. Facility-level barriers included long clinic queues and uncertainty about where to receive TB care in the clinic. Facilitators for TB care-seeking included being in contact with someone who had TB, receiving encouragement from family, or having knowledge about TB transmission and early diagnosis. The overall median total stigma score among 21 PwTB was 53 (IQR: 46–63), with median community and patient stigma scores of 25 (IQR: 22–30) and 31 (IQR: 21–36), respectively. Conclusions: We found important considerations for the TB programme to improve the uptake of services. Since PwTB consult elsewhere before visiting a facility for TB care, TB programmes could establish private–public partnerships. TB programmes could also increase TB awareness in the community, especially among males, and mobile clinics could be considered to assist with TB case detection and treatment provision. Applying behavioural design techniques and co-designing interventions with patients and providers could improve TB health-seeking behaviours. Full article

Smartphone addiction has emerged as a significant public health concern, particularly among adolescents and young adults. This narrative review, conducted in line with the ANDJ checklist, synthesizes evidence from 25 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, complemented by randomized controlled trials and clinical studies, to provide a structured overview of the field. The study selection flow and publication trends reveal a rapidly expanding research landscape, with most evidence produced in the last decade, reflecting both the ubiquity of smartphones and increasing awareness of their health impacts. The synthesis highlights converging findings across reviews: excessive smartphone use is consistently associated with psychosocial, behavioral, and academic challenges, alongside sleep disturbances and mental health symptoms. Common messages include the recognition of smartphone addiction as a multidimensional phenomenon, while emerging themes point to heterogeneity in definitions, tools, and methodological approaches. Comparative analysis of reviews underscores both shared risk factors—such as emotional dysregulation and social isolation—and differences in study designs and target populations. Importantly, this review identifies critical gaps, including the lack of standardized definitions, limited longitudinal evidence, and scarce cross-cultural validation. At the same time, promising opportunities are noted, from lifestyle-based interventions (e.g., physical activity) to educational and policy-level strategies fostering digital literacy and self-regulation. The post-pandemic context further emphasizes the need for sustained monitoring and adaptive responses. Overall, this review calls for youth-centered, multi-sector interventions aligned with WHO recommendations, supporting coordinated, evidence-based action across health, education, and policy domains. Full article

The rapid growth of the gig economy and digital platforms is challenging traditional gender roles, particularly in developing countries where structural inequalities continue to shape labor and household dynamics. Despite growing global interest in gender equity and digital inclusion, limited research has examined how gig work, digital access, and women’s income contributions interact to influence household gender dynamics within culturally conservative contexts. This study aimed to investigate the multidimensional impacts of women’s participation in gig work on time use redistribution, intra-household decision making, gender ideology, and role reversal within households in Pakistan. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from a representative sample of married couples engaged in the gig economy across urban and peri-urban areas of Pakistan. A quantitative analysis was conducted employing a combination of an analysis of variance, ordinal logistic regression, hierarchical multiple regression, and structural equation modeling to evaluate the direct and indirect relationships between constructs. The findings revealed that women’s gig work participation significantly predicted enhanced digital access, greater income contributions, and increased intra-household decision-making power. These, in turn, contributed to a measurable shift in gender ideology toward equality norms and a partial reversal of traditional gender roles, particularly in household labor division. The study concludes that the intersection of economic participation and digital empowerment serves as a catalyst for progressive gender restructuring within households. Policy implications include the need for gender-responsive labor policies, investment in digital infrastructure, and targeted interventions to support empowering women in non-traditional work roles. Full article

At the intersection of the digital economy and sustainable development, FinTech emerges as a pivotal force reshaping corporate operations. However, existing research lacks a systemic analysis of how technology, organizational synergy, and environmental factors jointly drive corporate sustainability. Building on this, this study employs the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework to analyze panel data from China’s A-share non-financial listed companies (2012–2022). Our findings reveal the following: (1) FinTech directly enhances corporate sustainability and indirectly does so through supply chain finance (33.30% mediation effect). (2) Digital infrastructure and marketization level amplify FinTech’s impact, with effects 52.27% stronger in high-marketization regions and 48.84% stronger in regions with advanced digital infrastructure. (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates the positive impact is more pronounced for enterprises with higher digital transformation maturity, those in technology-intensive industries, and those located in eastern China. These results offer policymakers and enterprises a systemic framework and empirical evidence to co-design FinTech-enabled sustainable development strategies, emphasizing cross-sector collaboration and region-specific interventions. Full article

The future of anxiety management lies in bridging traditional evidence-based treatments with intelligent and adaptive digital platforms. Embedding multi-agent systems capable of real-time mood detection and self-management support represents a transformative step towards intelligent care, enabling users to independently regulate acute episodes, prevent relapse, and promote sustained personal well-being. These digital solutions illustrate how technology can improve accessibility, personalization, and adherence, while establishing the foundation for integrating multi-agent architectures into mental health systems. Such architectures can continuously detect and interpret users’ emotional states through multimodal data, coordinating specialized agents for monitoring, personalization, and intervention. Crucially, they extend beyond passive data collection to provide active, autonomous support during moments of heightened anxiety, guiding individuals through non-pharmacological strategies such as breathing retraining, grounding techniques, or mindfulness practices without requiring immediate professional involvement. By operating in real time, multi-agent systems function as intelligent digital companions capable of anticipating needs, adapting to context, and ensuring that effective coping mechanisms are accessible at critical moments. This paper presents a multi-agent architecture for the digital management of anxiety episodes, designed not only to enhance everyday well-being but also to deliver immediate, personalized assistance during unexpected crises, offering a scalable pathway towards intelligent, patient-centered mental health care. Full article

Modern healthcare systems are under growing strain from aging populations, urbanization, and rising chronic disease burdens, creating an urgent need for real-time monitoring and informed decision-making. This survey examines how the convergence of Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) and digital-twin technologies can meet that need by analyzing how ISAC unifies sensing and communication to gather and transmit data with high timeliness and reliability and how digital-twin platforms use these streams to maintain continuously updated virtual replicas of patients, devices, and care environments. Our synthesis compares ISAC frequency options across sub-6 GHz, millimeter-wave, and terahertz bandswith respect to resolution, penetration depth, exposure compliance, maturity, and cost, and it discusses joint waveform design and emerging 6G architectures. It also presents reference architecture patterns that connect heterogeneous clinical sensors to ISAC links, data ingestion, semantic interoperability pipelines using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and IEEE 11073, and digital-twin synchronization, and it catalogs clinical and operational applications, together with validation and integration requirements. We conduct a targeted scoping review of peer-reviewed literature indexed in major scholarly databases between January 2015 and July 2025, with inclusion restricted to English-language, peer-reviewed studies already cited by this survey, and we apply a transparent screening and data extraction procedure to support reproducibility. The survey further reviews clinical opportunities enabled by data-synchronized twins, including personalized therapy planning, proactive early-warning systems, and virtual intervention testing, while outlining the technical, clinical, and organizational hurdles that must be addressed. Finally, we examine workflow adaptation; governance and ethics; provider training; and outcome measurement frameworks such as length of stay, complication rates, and patient satisfaction, and we conclude that by highlighting both the integration challenges and the operational upside, this survey offers a foundation for the development of safe, ethical, and scalable data-driven healthcare models. Full article