Search Results (234)

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

Rural hospitals are essential access points for healthcare delivery in the United States, yet they continue to experience disproportionate rates of closure and service disruption that threaten community health, economic stability, and equity. This rapid systematic review synthesizes recent peer-reviewed evidence examining rural hospital closures and service disruptions, with emphasis on financial, policy, workforce, and performance-related factors and their downstream impacts. Guided by PRISMA methodology, four databases were searched for U.S.-based studies published between January 2024 and June 2025. Following screening and consensus-based review, 59 articles met inclusion criteria. Across studies, financial vulnerability, characterized by revenue instability, low patient volumes, unfavorable payer mix, and reliance on non-operating revenue, emerged as a dominant precursor to closure and service reductions. Policy context, particularly Medicaid expansion status, telehealth and broadband infrastructure, and reimbursement adequacy, strongly shaped hospital sustainability. Closures and service disruptions were consistently associated with increased travel distances, reduced access to maternal, surgical, mental health, and chronic care services, higher prices at surviving hospitals, and increased strain on remaining providers. Workforce shortages further compounded these challenges. Collectively, findings demonstrate that rural hospital closures reflect interconnected structural weaknesses rather than isolated organizational failure. Coordinated policy action, targeted financial stabilization, workforce development, and technology-enabled care models are necessary to mitigate continued erosion of rural healthcare access. Full article

Open Educational Resources (OER) are widely promoted as mechanisms for expanding access to knowledge and supporting sustainability in higher education. Yet their long-term viability remains constrained by fragmented governance, unstable funding arrangements, weak faculty incentives, policy gaps, and uneven digital infrastructure. This article develops a conceptual and policy-oriented framework that reconceptualizes OER as sustainable knowledge commons embedded within higher education systems rather than merely repositories of open content. Using an integrative review and thematic synthesis of global scholarship on OER sustainability, commons governance, and higher education policy, the study identifies four interrelated governance dimensions: institutional embedding, participatory stewardship, equitable access and inclusion, and long-term resource sustainability. The analysis shows that sustainable OER ecosystems depend not only on open licensing and technological platforms but also on coherent policy design, institutional alignment, academic recognition structures, and collaborative governance arrangements. Each dimension is associated with indicative governance mechanisms and policy indicators such as institutional OER strategies, faculty incentive programs, and shared digital infrastructure. The framework also recognizes institutional diversity, emphasizing that governance models must be adapted to different policy environments, academic cultures, and stages of OER adoption across higher education systems. By conceptualizing OER as governable knowledge commons, the article clarifies how open knowledge initiatives can con-tribute to social equity, educational resilience, and sustainable transformation in higher education. Full article

This study examines the effects of a three-month pedagogical intervention that integrated artificial intelligence (AI), social media, and web-based tools to strengthen digital literacy, creativity, and cultural participation among secondary education students in Ecuador. The intervention was theoretically grounded in perspectives of inclusive digital education and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), emphasizing participation, accessibility, and collaborative knowledge construction. The intervention involved 61 students supported by 31 university facilitators and was developed under a mixed-methods action research design with a pre–post (quasi-experimental) approach. Pre- and post-test surveys were administered to assess changes in digital competencies and creativity, while semi-structured interviews explored students’ perceptions of creative expression and their engagement with the cultural and technological ecosystem. Quantitative results showed statistically significant improvements in digital literacy and creativity (p < 0.001), while qualitative findings evidenced increased student empowerment, critical awareness of algorithms, and active cultural participation. The integration of AI and social media promoted an inclusive, student-centered learning environment that enhanced autonomy, reflective thinking, and media engagement. These results suggest that hybrid and culturally contextualized AI-mediated interventions may foster 21st-century competencies, strengthen digital equity, and promote creative agency in educational contexts of the Global South, particularly within emerging digital learning environments in Ecuador. Full article

There is a mental health crisis among young people in Canada, suggesting a need for evidence-based, community-engaged strategies to strengthen the youth mental health workforce. This study explores the learning and professional development outcomes of participation in the National Youth Council (NYC) of Kids Help Phone (KHP), Canada’s only “national 24/7, free, confidential, and multilingual e-mental health service, blending technology with the empathy of clinical experts”. We surveyed and conducted focus groups with current and former NYC members to identify professional development outcomes associated with council participation. The results suggest that involvement in the NYC fostered professional skill-building, increased interest in mental health and youth-facing careers, improved civic engagement, and created a sense of empowerment and belonging. Barriers to full participation in youth councils included imposter syndrome, limited regional access to in-person activities, and limited representation from certain geographic areas (e.g., the Territories). These findings highlight the potential of youth advisory councils to support youth professional development, while emphasizing the importance of integrating structured mentorship and equity-focused practices into youth engagement models. NYCs may therefore serve as promising venues for strengthening the future youth mental health workforce. Full article

This bibliometric study examines artificial intelligence’s impact on sustainable water management through systematic analysis of 424 publications from Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore following the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. Four analytical approaches were implemented: descriptive bibliometric characterization, VOSviewer network visualization, principal component analysis with Ward’s hierarchical clustering (86.58% variance explained, cophenetic correlation = 0.951), and qualitative synthesis. The results reveal exponential growth from 4 publications (2018) to 167 (2025) with geographic concentration in China (30.2%), the USA (9.7%), and India (8.0%). Collaboration networks exhibit pronounced fragmentation (density = 0.04, modularity = 0.78) with minimal North–South partnerships (12%). Critically, keyword analysis identifies five thematic clusters dominated by machine learning methodologies, whereas governance and equity dimensions appear fewer than eight times, revealing a fundamental gap wherein technical optimization proceeds without the institutional frameworks necessary for equitable water access. Multivariate analysis suggests that technological infrastructure capacity is a stronger correlate of research output than geographic water stress, based on the observed geographic distribution of high-output nations rather than direct operationalization of scarcity indicators. The qualitative synthesis revealed that 68% of the studies remained pilot-scale studies, 82% were concentrated in developed nations, and 66% cited data quality as the primary constraint. The bibliometric patterns suggest a pronounced orientation toward computational approaches, alongside paradoxical AI infrastructure water consumption that may partially offset conservation benefits. (Note: 2025 figures reflect early-access articles retrieved before the November 2024 search date and should be interpreted as partial-year estimates.) Achieving sustainable water management requires a reorientation emphasizing measurement infrastructure in data-poor contexts, North–South partnerships, and the integration of socioinstitutional dimensions as constitutive elements within technical development frameworks. Full article

Prostate cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths among men in Sub-Saharan Africa, where late-stage diagnoses are common due to limited access to affordable and sensitive diagnostic tools. Early detection is essential to improve survival and reduce the disease burden. This review explores the integration of epigenetic biomarkers and CRISPR-Cas12a technology as a transformative approach for early, non-invasive prostate cancer detection in resource-limited settings. Among the many complexities of cancer development, molecular dysregulation plays a critical role. Epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation, histone changes, and non-coding RNA expression have emerged as stable and specific biomarkers with significant potential for the early detection and characterisation of prostate carcinogenesis. However, their low concentration in body fluids poses a significant challenge for detection. CRISPR-Cas12a, renowned for its high specificity and sensitivity, offers a promising solution. When integrated with isothermal amplification and liquid biopsy techniques, it enables rapid, point-of-care diagnostics. This review proposes a CRISPR-Cas12a-based diagnostic pipeline for the detection of specific epigenetic markers in liquid biopsies that could be associated with prostate cancer. The adoption of this technology in Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to significantly improve early diagnosis, reduce mortality, and promote health equity. Full article

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have become essential infrastructure for translating agricultural research into actionable knowledge; yet the field’s developmental trajectory and intellectual structure remain poorly characterized. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of 1709 evidence synthesis publications in agricultural sciences from 1997 to 2023, examining growth dynamics, collaboration, thematic evolution, and geographic specialization. The results show exponential growth of 29% annually, with a 2018 inflection point marking the transition from emerging methodology to mainstream practice. Meta-analyses, comprising 75% of publications and accelerating earlier (2017) than systematic reviews (2019), have primarily driven this expansion as an accessible quantitative approach. Evidence synthesis is highly collaborative, with 59% multi-country authorship sustained across 97 countries and regions. Topic modeling identified 14 core themes spanning soil carbon, climate change, crop management, technology adoption, and sustainable agriculture, with thematic shifts from production-focused topics toward climate and sustainability priorities aligned with post-2015 policy agendas. Strategic diagram analysis revealed a linear structure linking topic maturity and centrality, indicating exceptional integration distinct from the fragmentation typical of other domains. Revealed comparative advantage (RCA) analysis showed geographic specialization aligned with national agricultural contexts, though the concentration of synthesis capacity raises equity concerns about whose systems and questions are represented. Overall, agricultural evidence synthesis has matured into a globally connected, policy-responsive knowledge network; yet sustaining growth will require institutional support, methodological rigor, and pathways that translate synthesis into practice impact. Full article

Autonomous vehicle technology has rapidly advanced in recent years. Such technology is increasingly viewed not merely as a technical innovation but also as a social and behavioural transformation shaped by how these systems are interpreted, trusted, and integrated into everyday life. There are mounting expectations regarding its potential to improve traffic safety, enhance energy efficiency, reduce congestion, and support sustainable mobility; however, key questions remain about how different groups and communities experience autonomous mobility. This review synthesizes equity, governance, and sustainability dimensions as they appear within the existing corpus of AV user acceptance research. A structured review of research on autonomous vehicles (AVs) and user acceptance was conducted using an initial database search followed by iterative literature refinement and structured thematic coding. Using this approach, the review identifies key thematic patterns, highlights structural research gaps, and explores regional differences, offering a framework that supports subsequent comparative analysis. AVs have the potential to shape accessibility, social relations, and sustainable lifestyles. By integrating technological advancement with local governance, community practices, and social equity considerations, automated public transit may serve as a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive urban transformation. Full article

Electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) are a critical infrastructure in urban areas. However, because they depend on power grids and digital networks, they are prone to disruptions from grid failures, extreme weather, and cyber threats. Ensuring resilience is therefore essential to minimise service disruptions and ensure reliable transportation in urban areas. While interest in EVCS resilience is growing, current studies are dispersed across technical, environmental, and spatial domains, limiting a consolidated understanding of how resilience is conceptualised and assessed in urban areas. Despite this growing body of research, no prior systematic review has comprehensively synthesised resilience-specific evidence for EVCSs in urban areas. Thus, the objective of the study was to systematically synthesise empirical research on resilient EVCSs in urban areas to identify key factors influencing resilience and how resilience is assessed. A systematic literature review was conducted on 52 empirical articles from Web of Science and Scopus published between 2015 and 2025, following the PRISMA protocol. The review revealed an increasing trend in publications over time, with research geographically concentrated in Asia, the United States of America, and Europe. Results also showed that the resilience of EVCSs in urban areas is influenced by context-related factors (such as location, environment, and governance) and system-related factors (such as operational, technical, and financial), with location and technical issues being the most studied. The resilience of EVCSs is mainly assessed through accessibility, capacity, availability, and vulnerability, using tools such as indices, curves, scenarios, and optimisation models. However, gaps remain in governance, environment, modular design, predictive maintenance, social aspects, and developing economies. Future research should focus on integrating governance and equity into EVCS planning and developing modular, renewable-powered charging systems supported by smart technologies to enhance resilience in urban areas, particularly in developing economies. This review proposes a Factors-Dimensions Implementation framework that operationalises established resilience concepts by linking context- and system-related factors to measurable resilience dimensions of EVCSs in urban areas. Full article

Graduate employability has become a central concern for higher education institutions as labour markets undergo rapid transformation driven by digitalisation, technological change, and evolving organisational practices. Universities are increasingly expected to equip graduates with a broad range of employability skills and to collaborate with industry to enhance labour market readiness. However, existing research on employability skills development and university-industry collaboration remains fragmented across disciplines, contexts, and stakeholder perspectives. This systematic review synthesises evidence on how universities prepare their graduates for the labour market through employability skills development and university-industry collaboration. Following PRISMA guidelines, 84 journal articles and conference papers published between 2015 and 2025 were identified through a systematic search of the Scopus database and analysed thematically. The findings reveal that graduate employability is conceptualised as a multidimensional and context-dependent construct encompassing discipline-specific, transversal, digital, career management, and professional disposition-related skills. Employability skills development is most strongly supported through pedagogical approaches that emphasise authentic engagement with professional contexts, including work-integrated learning, project- and challenge-based learning, and technology-mediated collaboration. Reported outcomes extend beyond immediate employment metrics to include enhanced confidence, skills acquisition, employability awareness, curriculum relevance, and organisational learning. However, the effectiveness and sustainability of these initiatives are shaped by structural and institutional conditions, including policy frameworks, resourcing, partnership coordination, and equity of access. The review contributes an integrative synthesis that connects employability skills, pedagogical design, and university-industry collaboration, and outlines implications for policy, educational practice, and future research. Full article

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into higher education, instructors and institutions face urgent questions about its implications for teaching, learning, and scholarly practice as well as power, agency, and access. This study draws on a critical AI media literacy framework to analyze user-generated discussions in the two largest higher education subreddits on Reddit.com. Through thematic content analysis, I explore faculty perceptions, pedagogical tensions, and imaginative possibilities surrounding AI’s academic role in shaping the current and future landscape of higher education. Findings reveal that discussions of student cheating, AI policies, writing practices, and faculty labor are not merely technical debates but sites where surveillance regimes, accountability structures, and academic precarity are negotiated in real time. Ultimately, I argue that AI in higher education is not simply a technological shift but a structural transformation requiring deliberate, critically informed governance grounded in equity and human agency. Full article

Smart home technologies are increasingly integrated into residential environments jointly inhabited by older adults and young children. However, existing research remains largely ageing-centered and insufficiently addresses the governance challenges arising from generational asymmetries in vulnerability, spatial agency, and authority within shared domestic space. Rather than merely complicating design, these asymmetries fundamentally reshape how safety, autonomy, access, and surveillance are structured in everyday residential practice. This study reconceptualizes senior–child intergenerational co-living as a governance-oriented socio-technical system in which generational asymmetry functions as a structuring principle of design prioritization. An expert-based decision framework integrating interdisciplinary focus groups and the Analytic Hierarchy Process was developed to evaluate five design dimensions and thirty indicators. The findings reveal a differentiated priority structure in which intelligent safety, accessibility, and risk governance together with spatial integration and technological accessibility constitute the foundational architecture of inclusive intergenerational housing, while interaction-oriented functions receive comparatively lower weights. By embedding generational asymmetry within a formal hierarchical evaluation model, this study extends smart housing scholarship beyond ageing-centered optimization and provides a structured decision-support logic for inclusive multi-generational residential design aligned with the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those promoting inclusive communities and health equity. Full article

The rapid expansion of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) has profoundly transformed cardiovascular imaging, enabling more precise, efficient, and reproducible assessment of cardiac structure and function. This narrative review summarizes recent advances in AI-driven methods across echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance, and nuclear imaging, with emphasis on image acquisition, automated quantification, and diagnostic and prognostic interpretation. We reviewed contemporary literature describing machine-learning and deep-learning applications for image reconstruction, segmentation, radiomics, and multimodal data integration. Current evidence demonstrates that AI improves image quality, reduces acquisition and analysis time, and enables automated, highly reproducible measurements of chamber volumes, function, tissue characterization, coronary anatomy, and myocardial perfusion, while facilitating advanced pattern recognition for differential diagnosis and risk stratification. Furthermore, digital platforms support remote acquisition, tele-echocardiography, and AI-assisted training of non-expert operators. Despite these advances, challenges remain regarding external validation, generalizability across vendors and populations, explainability, data governance, and regulatory compliance. In conclusion, AI and digital technologies are reshaping cardiovascular imaging by enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility, but their safe and effective clinical integration requires robust multicenter validation, transparent reporting, and ethical-legal frameworks that ensure trust, equity, and accountability. Full article

Climate change affects flood frequency and intensity throughout the world, leading to a research gap in the traditional management framework. Furthermore, traditional frameworks often rely on complex hydrological patterns and one-way communication, demonstrating urgent needs for adaptive and two-way communication approaches. For this purpose, the current systematic literature review (SLR) fills this gap by analyzing the widely reported literature on the role of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based framework. This SLR provides conceptual and theoretical insight into the potential role of generative AI and an OpenAI-based theoretical framework for effective flood management. Therefore, 77 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2025 in reputed sources such as ScienceDirect, Springer Nature, MDPI, Wiley, and others were analyzed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. According to the results of this paper, four hypothetical applications of generative AI are described, namely: (i) a knowledge translator to provide simplified hydrological information, (ii) a decision-support assistant that aids real-time strategic analysis, (iii) a community engagement tool to increase the participation and understanding of people, and (iv) an interface to harmonize and synthesize various sources of information. The discussion indicates that there is a lot of potential in terms of generative AI improving the inclusiveness, real-time sensitivity, and cost-effectiveness of flood risk management practice. Nevertheless, the research also presents significant issues that are connected to data integrity, algorithm bias, digital equity, and ethical governance. The results indicate that generative AI has a significant potential of developing robust, more accessible, and more communicative flood risk management systems, and that additional studies on the responsible and ethical use of the technology are necessary. Full article