Group Chat Research Articles

Laboratory Diagnostic Capacity for Fungal Infections in Nigerian Tertiary Hospitals: A Gap Analysis Survey


 Background: An estimated 11.8% of Nigerians suffer from invasive fungal infections (IFIs) yearly. Laboratory capacity to diagnose IFIs in Nigeria has not been objectively assessed.
 Objective: To identify the gaps in laboratory capacity for diagnosis of IFIs in Nigerian tertiary hospitals.
 Methods: Clinical microbiologists in Nigerian tertiary hospitals were invited to partake in a 21-item online survey via a professional chat group and email. A descriptive crosssectional study of survey responses was conducted. Frequencies were computed for microscopy, culture, antifungal sensitivity, and non-culture based diagnostic modalities.
 Findings: Respondents were from 22 tertiary hospitals spread across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. Gaps identified include absence of mycology laboratory/bench in 5/22 (22.7%), no access to a biosafety cabinet in 5/22 (22.7%), lack of laboratory scientists formally trained in mycology in 9/22 (40.9%), lack of participation in external quality assurance in all (100%), lack of automated blood culture facilities in 9/22 (40.9%), no yeast identification beyond germ tube test in12/22 (54.5%), and no anti-fungal sensitivity testing in 17/22 (77.3%). Galactomannan, cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assay and latex agglutination tests are used in 1(4.5%), 3 (13.6%) and 5 (22.7%) centres respectively; antigen/antibody based non-culture diagnostics were totally absent in 12/22 (54.5%) hospitals.
 Conclusion: Nigerian tertiary hospitals have gaps in the laboratory capacity to diagnose invasive fungal infections despite the significant size of the population at risk of these life-threatening infections in the country. Economically feasible diagnostic solutions and models as well as capacity building are urgently required.
 
 Keywords: Fungal infections; Laboratories; Nigeria; Tertiary hospital.

A Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Teaching Model using a Cloud-Based Constructivist Learning Environment to Enhance Thai Undergraduate Creative Thinking and Digital Media Skills

The objective of this research was to develop a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Model which used a cloud-based constructivist learning environment to enhance Thai undergraduate creative thinking and digital media skills. Initially using a mixed-methods approach, a five-step model was conceptualized. Thereafter, a panel of five academic experts gave input into the model’s design from which the model was expanded to include six related learning environments. The instrument used in the research was a problem-based assessment form. Data collection was carried out utilizing group chats and analyzed using descriptive statistics including the mean and standard deviation. The results of the study revealed that the initial model contained five steps including (1) <em>problem identification</em>, (2), <em>problem analysis</em>, (3) <em>research</em>, (4) <em>presentations</em>, and (5) <em>summary and evaluation</em>, which is integrated into the model’s additional six learning environment elements. These six learning environments were (1) <em>problem-based</em>, (2) <em>resources,</em> (3) <em>cognitive tools</em>, (4) <em>collaboration</em>, (5) <em>scaffolding</em>, and finally, (6) <em>coaching</em>. When applying the proposed model and related environments, there was a consensus from the experts that the model had excellent suitability and can be used as a model for teaching and learning at the bachelor's degree level.

Coexistence and peace based on diversity in a multicultural society

This research paper is qualitative research, and the objectives are as follows: 1) To study the context of the community and society Political Culture and economy that facilitate coexistence 2) To study the factors contributing to coexistence and peace based on diversity in a multicultural society. Data was collected by gathering them from relevant documents, In-depth interviews with informants, small group chat, and participatory observation. The groups that provide information consists of community leaders, religious leaders, ethnic leader’s expert and the villagers, totalling 39 people. The researcher found out that: The social community context has strong relationships between networks. In terms of governance, there is a decentralized government to divide the government into a community worthwhile. Common village rules in terms of culture, beliefs, traditions, and rituals are inherited from ancestors and economic aspects, the concept of sufficiency economy is applied to the practice of integrated agriculture. It leads to the integration and formation of groups for the production, distribution, fundraising within the community. This is an important mechanism to ensure the sustainability of a shared learning community.

Familiars in a Strange Land

Familiars in a Strange Land

Remote Surgeon Virtual Presence: A Novel Telementoring Method for Live Surgical Training.

Purpose:We describe the first known use of telementoring in corneal surgery and technology combining a 3-dimensional microscope system, 5G live streaming technology, group chat software, and a virtual reality headset for intercontinental surgical supervision.Methods:Three surgeons in Toronto were proctored by a surgeon in Israel in the implantation of a novel keratoprosthesis device (CorNeat KPro; Ra'anana, Israel) into cadaver eyes. In Toronto, the NGENUITY platform (Alcon) transmitted high-definition, 3-dimensional images to the proctor in Israel who viewed the live video through a GOOVIS Virtual Reality headset with subsecond latency. This was made possible by the LiveU technology (Hackensack, NJ), which is a portable device to increase the bandwidth of transmission. The primary outcome was the successful completion of CorNeat KPro implantation. After each procedure, all surgeons completed a Likert scale questionnaire that assessed opinions on telementoring.Results:All participants implanted the CorNeat KPro device. There was significant satisfaction reported. A total cumulative score from the questionnaire was 149 of 150 from the operating surgeons, with a score of 135 of 150 by the proctor. All felt that there was excellent AV quality with no lag time and recommended the technology.Conclusions:Telementoring is a promising tool that can traverse large distances for ophthalmic education.

Mutual aid on WhatsApp: reflections on an online support group for new and pre-tenured faculty

ABSTRACT The global COVID-19 pandemic has created increased isolation and a need for connecting in new ways. As pre-tenured faculty members at a school of social work in Ontario, Canada, the need to connect and support each other has been particularly important. The challenges of balancing new faculty positions and the demands of teaching, service, and research became even more apparent with additional workloads, difficulties accessing overwhelming amounts of online information, and increased isolation resulting from the pandemic. In response, this narrative describes the process of developing a virtual “pre-tenured faculty” chat support group, and the unexpected source of support it provided. Drawing from group work literature and personal reflections, this paper describes the mutual aid that was developed throughout this process and offers recommendations for creating similar peer support chat groups in academic and other organizations.

All by Myself with Mr. Google: The Pandemic Education from the Lenses of Secondary School Students

Flexible, online, and modular learning approaches are the main modalities offered to continue education in this CoViD-19 pandemic. This study is designed to document the experiences of High School students in their pandemic education during the SY 2020-2021: describing their experiences and identifying factors contributing to their experiences are ways of analyzing this phenomenal issue in our educational state. Employing the Qualitative Research design using Narratology as point of inquiry, 15 high school students eloquently narrated their experiences in this pandemic education. The following experiences were documented: modules are not enough; no teacher, no discussion; learning by myself; and internet, Mr. Google: they are dependable. On the other hand, the known factors affecting the experiences of the informants in their pandemic education include communication is made through Group Chat and messenger, and online discussion is meager and superficial. Based on the foregoing, it is concluded that students in this pandemic education are laid all alone by themselves in the ordeal of doing their modules with the help of Mr. Google as teachers are not physically present to guide them.

COVID-19 as infodemic: The impact of political orientation and open-mindedness on the discernment of misinformation in WhatsApp

AbstractMessaging applications are changing the communication landscape in emerging countries. While offering speed and affordability, these solutions have also opened the way for the spread of misinformation. Aiming to better understand the dynamics of COVID-19 as infodemic, we asked Brazilian participants (n=1007) to report the perceived accuracy of 20 messages (10 true and 10 false). Each message was randomly presented within five fictitious WhatsApp group chats of varying political orientation. Correlational analyses revealed that right-wing participants had lower levels of truth discernment as did those with greater trust in social media as a reliable source of coronavirus information. Conversely, open-minded thinking about evidence and trust in the WHO and traditional media was positively associated with truth discernment. Familiarity with the content consistently increased perceived truthness for both true and false messages. Results point to the nefarious effects of COVID-19 politicization and underline the importance of promoting the ability to recognize and value new evidence as well as enhancing trust in international agencies and traditional media.

COVID-19 Pandemic Social Media and Stress

Last few years, SARS-coronavirus 2 is sweeping the globe and millions of people are being infected and died. In this situation, citizens and health-care workers would be put in danger if there is a lack of consciousness, knowledge and preparation during this crisis. At the same time, a vast amount of potentially damaging misinformation is spreading at a faster rate than the virus itself. The most of these false rumours are spread via social media. This paper focuses on the COVID-19 linked huge rumour, stigma and conspiracy theories disseminating on the social media during pandemic in Bangladesh perspective. An internet-based interview and primary data was quantitatively analyzed for survey of this paper. The findings demonstrate that social media plays a crucial role in the diffusion of information about the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh, including bewilderment, anxiety and panic. This study also revealed that Bangladeshi youth society has the higher levels of stress especially among those who followed the news of pandemic in social networks compared to the rest of the population. Another noteworthy finding is that social media was particularly helpful in reducing anxiety and alienation by allowing the general people to stay in touch with friends, family and others via audio-visual group chat. Different aspects of social networking sites use are also described.

The effect of college students’ technology acceptance on e-commerce adoption

This study aims to investigate e-commerce adoption using extended technology acceptance model (TAM) by adding self-efficacy and anxiety. The research samples included 233 undergraduate students were collected using an online survey form distributed through chat groups and social media. The collected data were analysed using partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to investigate the proposed hypotheses in the model. This study found that self-efficacy has no impact towards perceived usefulness, self-efficacy has positive significant impact towards perceived ease of use, anxiety has no impact on both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness has positive significant impact towards attitude, perceived ease of use has no impact towards attitude, perceived ease of use has positive significant impact on perceived usefulness, perceived usefulness has no impact towards e-commerce adoption, perceived ease of use has positive significant impact towards e-commerce adoption, and attitude has a positive significant impact towards e-commerce adoption. These findings further confirmed that TAM not only could be used to predict e-ticketing, e-learning, e-payment, and e-commerce purchase adoption but also e-commerce entrepreneurship. This study also further confirmed that the relationship between extended variable such as self-efficacy and anxiety with TAM variables might vary according to where the investigation was being held.

WhatsApp-Based Focus Groups Among Mexican-Origin Women in Zika Risk Area: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Data Quality.

BackgroundDespite unprecedented advances in worldwide access to the internet via smartphones, barriers to engaging hard-to-reach populations remain in many methods of health research. A potential avenue for conducting qualitative research is via participatory web-based media, including the free, popular social platform WhatsApp. However, despite the clear advantages of engaging with participants over a well-established web-based platform, logistical challenges remain.ObjectiveThis study aims to report evidence on the feasibility and acceptability of WhatsApp as a method to conduct focus groups.MethodsA pilot focus group was conducted with Spanish-speaking women near the US–Mexico border. The content focus was knowledge and perceived risks for exposure to the Zika virus during pregnancy.ResultsEvidence was obtained regarding WhatsApp as a low-cost, logistically feasible methodology that resulted in rich qualitative data from a population that is often reticent to engage in traditional research. A total of 5 participants participated in a focus group, of whom all 5 consistently contributed to the focus group chat in WhatsApp, which was conducted over 3 consecutive days.ConclusionsThe findings are noteworthy at a time when face-to-face focus groups, the gold standard, are risky or precluded by safe COVID-19 guidelines. Other implications include more applications and evaluations of WhatsApp for delivering one-on-one or group health education interventions on sensitive topics. This paper outlines the key steps and considerations for the replication or adaptation of methods.

THE ANALYSIS OF POLITENESS STRATEGIES ON EFL STUDENTS’ CHATTING GROUP INTERACTIONS

This paper reported the analysis of the practice of politeness strategies used in WhatsApp group chatting interactions among EFL students. Intermediate level of English Education Program in one of private universities in West Java was employed because they are assumed to interact in WhatsApp group chatting. Furthermore, two research questions were formulated such as follows: 1) what kinds of politeness strategies do EFL students apply in WhatsApp chatting group interactions? and 2) what is the most dominant politeness strategy realized in EFL students’ chatting group interactions? This study utilized descriptive qualitative study to analyze and interpret the realization of politeness strategy used by the EFL students in WhatsApp chatting group interactions. The results revealed that the students used four politeness strategy types. They were bald on-record, positive politeness strategy, negative politeness strategy, and bald off-record. Then, the most dominant type of politeness strategy in WhatsApp chatting group interactions was positive politeness strategy (47.1%). Based on the results, it was concluded that the EFL students used the entire types of the politeness strategy in the interactions of group chatting in which positive politeness strategy were used the most frequently by the students. Keywords: Teaching speaking, Team Game Tourna

The relationship between public-relations and journalists in WhatsApp technology

The concept of give and take is well-rooted in the relationship between journalists and public relations (PR). But despite the importance of the concept to the success of their bond, the concept is slightly tested through a modern technological point of view. This study examines the way PR and journalists, are simultaneously give-and-take on IM (Instant Messaging) technology. It appears that this sort of technological platforms continually awakens the consequence of collegiality at work. They nourish a new type of voluntary professional dialogical communities. Hence, by relaying on the Dialogic theory and by adopting a triple research method: walkthrough method for exploring and extracting data from professional IM group chats (N = 34), descriptive survey of media users (N = 216) and semi-structured interviews with active communication jobholders (N = 6) – the study sheds new light on the love-hate relationship of PR experts and journalists. The findings indicate that the WhatsApp platform specifically is, in fact, an alternative online tribal city square of communication jobholders.

Efektivitas Instagram @abangsayurorganik Sebagai Media Pemasaran

Abang Sayur Organik is one of the businesses that uses social media Instagram as a marketing medium. The purpose of this study are (1) to Analyze Instagram marketing conducted by Abang Sayur Organik based on 4Cs. (2) Analyze Instagram effectiveness of Abang Sayur Organik. This type of research is a quantitative approach by selecting the research location purposively and determining the sample using Systematic Random Sampling. The data analysis method used is the Customer Response Index (CRI) model. The results of the analysis are (1) Instagram marketing conducted by Abang Sayur Organik based on 4Cs consists of Contex; uploads with various contents accompanied by captions and hashtags, Communication; communication is done in two ways that are personal (direct message dan admin contact) and impersonal (comment column and group chat), Collaboration; repost consumer instastories is a collaboration conducted by Abang Sayur Organik to increase the confidence of consumers, and Connection; establish good communication, provide agricultural education, and provide rewards to consumers for maintaining and developing existing relationships. The effectiveness of Abang Sayur Organik marketing communication is carried out using the CRI formula that produces unaware is 1%, no interest is 2%, no intentions is 7%, and no action is 31%, and action is 58%. So that it can be said that the marketing of Abang Sayur Organik is effective because the hierarchy value of action exceeds unaware, no interest, no intentions, and no action.

344 Qualitative Description of Synchronous Online Discussions During Weekly Academic Conference

COVID-19 dramatically changed weekly academic conferences with virtual presentations replacing in-person didactics. Through group chat functions, modern communication platforms provide the opportunity for synchronous online discussions to occur in parallel with didactic presentations. We sought to qualitatively characterize the content, nature, and educational uses of synchronous online discussions occurring during weekly academic conferences and to assess the attitudes of lecturers and audience members towards these discussions. Transcripts of synchronous online discussions occurring from 7/1/20 to 12/31/20 were qualitatively analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Initial themes were identified by the primary author. Following a preliminary coding by the study authors, the themes were iteratively refined to arrive at a final coding strategy. Each month’s transcripts were coded by 2 study authors. When there was disagreement between coders, the primary author made a final coding determination. Following the study period, a survey distributed to residents and faculty assessed attitudes towards the synchronous online discussions. The qualitative analysis of the transcripts identified 2352 coded messages. The final coding schema can be seen in Figure 1. Of 1720 identified content codes, the most commonly identified themes were cultural communications (40.8%) and knowledge sharing (39.0%). Within the broader theme of knowledge sharing, participants were most likely to share individual practice experience (366/671 codes). Statements with uncited data/evidence (113 codes) occurred in similar frequency to sharing of academic resources (137 codes). Questions directed towards other members of the audience (48.8% of questions) were only slightly less common than questions directed to the lecturer (51.2% of questions). There were 56 respondents to the survey (30 residents, 25 faculty, 1 fellow). Of the 44 respondents that had presented didactics, 54.5% (24/44) identified that it was challenging to keep up with the synchronous online discussion. From the perspective of the audience, 82.1% (46/56) felt it was easy to keep up with the discussion. Presenters of didactics felt identifying a member of the audience as a surrogate was the easiest means to keep up with the discussion (75%, 33/44 presenters). Audience members agreed that they were much more likely to ask a question in a synchronous online discussion as opposed to speaking out loud (71.4%, 40/56). Weekly academic conferences are a critical component of residency education, enabling not only the acquisition of knowledge but also the social sharing of knowledge/experiences developing of robust communities of practice. Our qualitative analysis found that cultural communication occurred with near equal frequency to knowledge sharing and that sharing of individual practice experiences was more common than sharing of academic resources. These synchronous online discussions may make it more likely for audience members to ask questions of each other or the lecturer but keeping up with the discussion was challenging for lecturers.

Distant work as a new reality of labor relations.

The article is devoted to the study of the remote form of employment of workers as one of the forms of employment at a distance. The main problems of remote work development in Ukraine and ways of their solution on the legislative basis are given. The bases of transition of the worker to the remote form of work are considered. All positive and negative aspects of remote employment for both employees and enterprises are analyzed. Developed effective tips for employees who work remotely. It is concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic and the dynamic development of information and communication networks are a confirmation of the urgency of improving social and labor relations of remote employment. Remote work at home is more conducive to procrastination than in the office, so it is worth taking measures against this phenomenon. Namely, remove everything that can distract from work, turn off all voice messages. The opposite extreme of procrastination is also possible, especially for those who live at home alone. This is when you do not have to go anywhere during the day and in the evening, a person can easily immerse himself entirely in work, rework a lot, and eventually burn out. Working from home, especially when you live alone, you can easily start yourself. This applies not only to hygiene, but also to an attractive appearance, and socialization and basic needs of the body may also suffer. Having healthy freshly prepared food, the required amount of movement and sleep directly affect the health and well-being of the employee, which in turn affects his efficiency. Another disadvantage of working at home, which must be compensated for somehow, is informal conversations with colleagues. Such communication benefits each individual employee and the company as a whole. They are important for generating new ideas, inspiration; is a source of information about what is happening in others; help to feel part of a large team and not feel isolated. It is difficult to compensate for all this in the remote form of work, but it is necessary to try. You can create working group chats, video calls, virtual extracurricular meetings and in general it is very important not to lose contact with the team and the world around you.

When Different Language Groups Meet Online: Covert and Overt Focus on Form in Text-Based Chats.

Focus on form has been extensively studied in text-based online dyadic chats but much less has been explored in group chats with interlocutors from different language backgrounds. Additionally, there are very few studies investigating covert focus on form. This study investigated the effects of interlocutor types on errors and focus on form episodes, both covert and overt, in text-based online group chats. We collected chat logs from two collaborative online international learning projects. One project was developed for the collaboration between an English course at a Chinese university and an art history course at a U.S. university; the other between another cohort of the same English course and a cultural studies course at a Mexican university. We compared errors, feedback, and other characteristics of focus on form episodes between the two projects. Analyses revealed significant differences in characteristics such as overtness (overt, covert), linguistic focus (mechanical, lexical, and grammatical), and source (code, message). However, no significant differences were found for the type of focus on form (preemptive, reactive), presence of uptake, uptake quality (successful, unsuccessful), and repair provider (self, other). Students showed a preference for self-repair over other-repair and for lexical focus over mechanical and grammatical foci in both projects. Overall, only a small proportion of errors were followed by feedback. Therefore, a small amount of uptake and successful uptake occurred in both projects. The results can shed light on how instructors could provide effective scaffolding and tasks to make virtual exchange projects more rewarding.

Effect of a social media-based counselling intervention in countering fake news on COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.

The aim of this study was to understand the impact of counselling in countering fake news-related COVID-19 vaccine. We conducted two separate experiments. In the first experiment, we exposed the treatment group to fake news on COVID-19 vaccine through a WhatsApp group chat while the control group was not. We then tested the effectiveness of such fake news on their perception. In our second experiment, we exposed the treatment group to a social media-based counselling intervention wherein we attempted to counter the earlier fake news on COVID-19 vaccine which they were exposed to. We found that respondents who were exposed to fake news reported greater negative perception about COVID-19 vaccine than their counterparts in the control group. We also we found that as a result of the counselling intervention, the respondents in the treatment group reported more positive perception regarding COVID-19 vaccine while their counterparts in the control group who were earlier exposed to fake news on COVID-19 did not significantly change their perception. This study has highlighted the importance of counselling in countering fake news within the context of health promotion. This approach is yet to receive significant attention in literature, especially from developing countries.

Pola Komunikasi Organisasi Dalam Pengembangan Program Studi Filsafat Hindu STAH Negeri Mpu Kuturan Singaraja

The STAH Negeri Mpu Kuturan Singaraja Hindu Philosophy Study Program is a new study program with minimal interest in prospective new students. Minimal in quantity, but the organization in the study program is currently complete, both lecturers, employees, and students. The minimum number of lecturers and students requires a form of communication that functions to unite study programs and minimize misunderstandings in interpreting orders or information. This research is a qualitative research with a phenomenological approach. Sources of data in this study were obtained by direct interviews and using several data sources that are helpful in analyzing such as books on communication. Data collection was carried out by observation, interviews with purposive sampling method, literature study, and documentation.
 The pattern of organizational communication in the Hindu Philosophy Study Program uses more top-down communication patterns, and bottom-up communication. The organizational communication function in the Hindu Philosophy study program STAHN Mpu Kuturan Singaraja is Informative Communication by using WhatsApp group chat Hindu Philosophy Study Programs to help lecturers and employees work on the Tri Dharma of Higher Education to be more focused, Regulatory Communication, namely the delivery of messages related to regulations in carry out the duties of the people who control the message of the organization, Persuasive Communication, namely changing attitudes and behavior as well as beliefs of a person, Integrative Communication functions and is useful for integrating all messages or information and communications that have been given by the leadership of the organization to members of the organization.

User experiences, usability, and social presence of a peer-to-peer support app: survey of young adults affected by cancer

ABSTRACT Young adult (YA) cancer survivors often experience social isolation. Mobile apps facilitate peer-to-peer connections, yet little is known about their use. YA survivors (N = 181) were surveyed about a peer-to-peer cancer support app. Among those with it downloaded, 36% reported daily/weekly use. One-to-one messaging and group chat features were easy-to-use and useful, but facilitation of social presence was variable. Within group chats, 55% participated in discussions; 45% observed conversations without contributing. The app was helpful for convenient access to peer support (84%), particularly when offline social networks were inadequate (83%); some (16–25%) reported nervousness initiating connections. Qualitative feedback identified facilitators and barriers to adoption and sustained engagement. Recommendations centered on improving design and logistical factors and facilitating in-app connections. App-based peer support is promising for addressing social isolation among YA survivors. Future research should examine theory-based communication and design features to encourage meaningful engagement and longitudinal effects on psychosocial outcomes.