The detection of urban expansion through digital processing of satellite images provides valuable information for understanding the dynamics of land use change and its spatial relationship with environmental factors. In order to apply or generate effective land-use planning policies, it is essential to have a historical record of the regional distribution of human settlements, an element that is practically non-existent in our country. For this reason, this text aims to determine the urban growth rate during the period 2000–2014 in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, and to identify potential expansion zones from Landsat images. Six Landsat scenes were used for the spatial analysis of the state urban coverage and their relationship with the road influence area was evaluated. Two maps were obtained as cartographic products: one of urban coverage distribution and another of the municipalities with the greatest expansion, whose areas are located in the Valle del Mezquital region. However, Mineral de la Reforma, Tetepango, Tizayuca and Pachuca de Soto stand out for their growth rates during the study period: 183.44%, 102%, 94% and 68.5%, respectively. In total, the state urban area in-creased 72.3 km² from 2000 to 2014 with an average growth rate of 1.8% per year. Such growth was associated with the areas of influence of important road infrastructure, such as the Libramiento Arco Norte in Hidalgo. Therefore, the Mezquital Valley and the Mexico Basin are considered as potential regions for urban expansion in the state.

This study examines the effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s grant funding system in supporting research institutions and universities, focusing on the relationship between funding levels, expert evaluations, and research outputs. We analyzed 317 projects awarded grants in 2021, using parametric methods to assess publication outcomes in Scopus and Web of Science databases. Descriptive statistics for 1606 grants awarded between 2021 and 2023 provide additional insights into the broader funding landscape. The results highlight key correlations between funding, evaluation scores, and journal publication percentiles, with a notable negative correlation observed between international and national expert evaluations in specific scientific fields. A productivity analysis at the organizational level was conducted using non-parametric methods to evaluate institutional efficiency in converting funding into research output. Data were manually collected from the National Center of Science and Technology Evaluation and supplemented with publication data from Scopus and Web of Science, using unique grant numbers and principal investigators’ profiles. This comprehensive analysis contributes to the development of an analytical framework for improving research funding policies in Kazakhstan.

The Ecuadorian electricity sector encompasses generation, transmission, distribution and sales. Since the change of the Constitution in Ecuador in 2008, the sector has opted to employ a centralized model. The present research aims to measure the efficiency level of the Ecuadorian electricity sector during the period 2012–2021, using a DEA-NETWORK methodology, which allows examining and integrating each of the phases defined above through intermediate inputs, which are inputs in subsequent phases and outputs of some other phases. These intermediate inputs are essential for analyzing efficiency from a global view of the system. For research purposes, the Ecuadorian electricity sector was divided into 9 planning zones. The results revealed that the efficiency of zones 6 and 8 had the greatest impact on the overall efficiency of the Ecuadorian electricity sector during the period 2012–2015. On the other hand, the distribution phase is the most efficient with an index of 0.9605, followed by sales with an index of 0.6251. It is also concluded that the most inefficient phases are generation and transmission, thus verifying the problems caused by the use of a centralized model.

This article discusses the growing importance of digital competencies in education, specifically focusing on the role of technical infrastructure in schools and staff support strategies. The discussion aims at the introduction of the ICT coordinator role in Czech Republic schools. Analysis indicates that schools with an ICT coordinator exhibit improved technology access for students and teachers, not solely determined by computer quantity per pupil. Noteworthy differences lie in the flexibility and availability of technology, with ICT coordinator-aided schools having more mobile computers, mobile labs, and more vital facilitation of BYOD methods. In conclusion, while recognizing the partial nature of school technology equipment data, the article concludes that training teachers and implementing the ICT coordinator role positively impact ICT technology use in schools. Recommendations based on Czech Republic research include establishing the ICT coordinator position, providing financial incentives, and reducing direct teaching loads. Future research should track changes in ICT equipment during ICT coordinators’ tenures and explore technology deployment dynamics, emphasizing collaboration between ICT coordinators, school management, and individual teachers.

This study investigates the effectiveness of digital leadership in promoting organizational sustainability, with a specific focus on the mediating role of digital leadership capability. The research explores how digital leadership impacts sustainable performance within Chinese construction organizations. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study analyzes data collected from 529 respondents across various organizations. The findings reveal that digital leadership significantly enhances organizational sustainability both directly and indirectly, through digital leadership capability. These results underscore the importance of digital leadership as a critical factor in guiding digital transformation and achieving long-term sustainable outcomes. The study contributes to the literature by highlighting digital leadership’s role in fostering organizational adaptability and sustainability in rapidly evolving digital environments.

Medicinal herbs have been extensively utilized in the remediation of various health conditions. Dialium guineense fruit pulp, also well known as Velvet Tamarind is widely consumed in West Africa for its dietary and medicinal properties. The study aims to analyze the phytochemical constituents, vitamin content and the in vitro antioxidant effect of Dialium guineense fruit pulp (DGFP). The phytochemical constituents, vitamins (C, E, B1-12) composition, and in vitro antioxidant activity were examined utilizing standardized analytical methods. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of the fruit pulp of Dialium guineense was also carried out; the result indicated the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids, phenols, steroids, and cardiac glycosides in varying concentrations. The vitamin composition revealed that vitamin C was higher than other vitamins in the fruit pulp. The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and nitric oxide scavenging assay showed high radical scavenging activity while the FRAP (Ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay revealed significant reducing power. This indicates that Dialium guineense fruit pulp has potential health benefits.