Communication Complexity Research Articles

Stress and Resilience of Families With Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study

Parental stress increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Families with children with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) and extensive support needs—such as complex communication needs—experienced additional challenges, including service loss and difficulties accessing virtual learning. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of parents ( N = 37) with children with IDD and complex communication needs related to parental stress and family resilience. Qualitative interview and quantitative survey data were collected within a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, with interviews occurring three times across the 2020–2021 school year. The two sets of data were analyzed separately and then integrated using back-and-forth exchanges and a joint display. Findings indicated that families showed resilience through family adaptation and cohesion—creating rhythms and routines that fostered togetherness—and by growing in advocacy and empowerment related to their child’s learning. But, many parents worried that they were not able to do enough for their child. Social support predicted lowered parental stress and stronger family resilience; yet, perceived social support varied widely across families—particularly support from teachers and service providers. This study provides important insight into family experiences during a unique time with the COVID-19 pandemic while pointing to important ways to strengthen family resilience long into a postpandemic future.

TOPAS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {TOPAS}$$\\end{document}2-pass key exchange with full perfect forward secrecy and optimal communication complexity

We present Transmission optimal protocol with active security (TOPAS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {TOPAS}$$\\end{document}), the first key agreement protocol with optimal communication complexity (message size and number of rounds) that provides security against fully active adversaries. The size of the protocol messages and the computational costs to generate them are comparable to the basic Diffie-Hellman protocol over elliptic curves (which is well-known to only provide security against passive adversaries). Session keys are indistinguishable from random keys—even under reflection and key compromise impersonation attacks. What makes TOPAS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {TOPAS}$$\\end{document}stand out is that it also features a security proof of full perfect forward secrecy (PFS), where the attacker can actively modify messages sent to or from the test-session. The proof of full PFS relies on two new extraction-based security assumptions. It is well-known that existing implicitly-authenticated 2-message protocols like HMQV\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {HMQV}$$\\end{document}cannot achieve this strong form of (full) security against active attackers (Krawczyk, Crypto’05). This makes TOPAS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {TOPAS}$$\\end{document}the first key agreement protocol with full security against active attackers that works in prime-order groups while having optimal message size. We also present a variant of our protocol, TOPAS+\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {TOPAS+}$$\\end{document}, which, under the Strong Diffie-Hellman assumption, provides better computational efficiency in the key derivation phase. Finally, we present a third protocol termed FACTAS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {FACTAS}$$\\end{document}(for factoring-based protocol with active security) which has the same strong security properties as TOPAS\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {TOPAS}$$\\end{document}and TOPAS+\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\ extsf {TOPAS+}$$\\end{document}but whose security is solely based on the factoring assumption in groups of composite order (except for the proof of full PFS).

ScHyper: reconstructing cell-cell communication through hypergraph neural networks.

Cell-cell communications is crucial for the regulation of cellular life and the establishment of cellular relationships. Most approaches of inferring intercellular communications from single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data lack a comprehensive global network view of multilayered communications. In this context, we propose scHyper, a new method that can infer intercellular communications from a global network perspective and identify the potential impact of all cells, ligand, and receptor expression on the communication score. scHyper designed a new way to represent tripartite relationships, by extracting a heterogeneous hypergraph that includes the source (ligand expression), the target (receptor expression), and the relevant ligand-receptor (L-R) pairs. scHyper is based on hypergraph representation learning, which measures the degree of match between the intrinsic attributes (static embeddings) of nodes and their observed behaviors (dynamic embeddings) in the context (hyperedges), quantifies the probability of forming hyperedges, and thus reconstructs the cell-cell communication score. Additionally, to effectively mine the key mechanisms of signal transmission, we collect a rich dataset of multisubunit complex L-R pairs and propose a nonparametric test to determine significant intercellular communications. Comparing with other tools indicates that scHyper exhibits superior performance and functionality. Experimental results on the human tumor microenvironment and immune cells demonstrate that scHyper offers reliable and unique capabilities for analyzing intercellular communication networks. Therefore, we introduced an effective strategy that can build high-order interaction patterns, surpassing the limitations of most methods that can only handle low-order interactions, thus more accurately interpreting the complexity of intercellular communications.

Netizens’ Discussions on Twitter Concerning Floods and Presidential Candidates

This qualitative study dives into social media debates about flood disasters in Jakarta, using Twitteras the significant inquiry medium. The primary goal is to discover new patterns of online social interactions, shed light on the concept of selective exposure, and rigorously chronicle the activities of critical actors in this digital network. We conducted the data gathering process on May 25, 2023, specifically focusing on the selected phrase "Banjir Jakarta." For a thorough study, NVivo 12 Plus compiled a significant dataset of 3,427 tweets. We divide the research findings into three distinct sections: the volume of conversations, the various categories of influencers involved, the prevailing sentiment and conversational tone of these influencers, and an exploration of the most frequently employed words in these discussions. This study highlights the significant impact of nanoinfluencers in these talks, accounting for the vast majority (93.70%) of participants. Furthermore, it emphasizes the active debate around the most likely presidential candidates for 2024. This speech had two prominent figures, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, who both elicited different tones and sentiments. Within this complex communication landscape, influencers emerge as crucial entities actively shaping public attitude and discourse, spanning news portals and individual social media profiles. Finally, this study highlights the enormous importance of social media, particularly Twitter, in shaping public awareness and driving political conversations, notably in crisis management and future presidential candidates.

Multiomics unveils extracellular vesicle-driven mechanisms of endothelial communication in human carotid atherosclerosis.

Background: Carotid atherosclerosis is orchestrated by cell-cell communication that drives progression along a clinical continuum (asymptomatic to symptomatic). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoparticles representing a new paradigm in cellular communication. Little is known about their biological cargo, cellular origin/destination, and functional roles in human atherosclerotic plaque. Methods: EVs were enriched via size exclusion chromatography from human carotid endarterectomy samples dissected into paired plaque and marginal zones (symptomatic n=16, asymptomatic n=13). EV cargos were assessed via whole transcriptome miRNA sequencing and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. EV multi-omics were integrated with bulk and single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets to predict EV cellular origin and ligand-receptor interactions, and multi-modal biological network integration of EV-cargo was completed. EV functional impact was assessed with endothelial angiogenesis assays. Results: Carotid plaques contained more EVs than adjacent marginal zones, with differential enrichment for EV-miRNAs and EV-proteins in key atherogenic pathways. EV cellular origin analysis suggested that tissue EV signatures originated from endothelial cells (EC), smooth muscle cells (SMC), and immune cells. Integrated tissue vesiculomics and scRNA-seq indicated complex EV-vascular cell communication that changed with disease progression and plaque vulnerability (i.e., symptomatic disease). Plaques from symptomatic patients, but not asymptomatic patients, were characterized by increased involvement of endothelial pathways and more complex ligand-receptor interactions, relative to their marginal zones. Plaque-EVs were predicted to mediate communication with ECs. Pathway enrichment analysis delineated an endothelial signature with roles in angiogenesis and neovascularization - well-known indices of plaque instability. This was validated functionally, wherein human carotid symptomatic plaque EVs induced sprouting angiogenesis in comparison to their matched marginal zones. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that EVs may drive dynamic changes in plaques through EV- vascular cell communication and effector functions that typify vulnerability to rupture, precipitating symptomatic disease. The discovery of endothelial-directed angiogenic processes mediated by EVs creates new therapeutic avenues for atherosclerosis.

Respiratory diseases and gut microbiota: relevance, pathogenesis, and treatment.

Preclinical evidence has firmly established a bidirectional interaction among the lung, gut, and gut microbiome. There are many complex communication pathways between the lung and intestine, which affect each other's balance. Some metabolites produced by intestinal microorganisms, intestinal immune cells, and immune factors enter lung tissue through blood circulation and participate in lung immune function. Altered gut-lung-microbiome interactions have been identified in rodent models and humans of several lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, asthma, etc. Emerging evidence suggests that microbial therapies can prevent and treat respiratory diseases, but it is unclear whether this association is a simple correlation with the pathological mechanisms of the disease or the result of causation. In this review, we summarize the complex and critical link between the gut microbiota and the lung, as well as the influence and mechanism of the gut microbiota on respiratory diseases, and discuss the role of interventions such as prebiotics and fecal bacteria transplantation on respiratory diseases. To provide a reference for the rational design of large-scale clinical studies, the direct application of microbial therapy to respiratory-related diseases can reduce the incidence and severity of diseases and accompanying complications.

Decentralized intelligent multi-party competitive aggregation framework for electricity prosumers

Electricity management systems are experiencing significant challenges due to the increased penetration of distributed energy resources. Electricity flows in distribution networks are transforming from unidirectional to bi-directional form. Consumers are transitioning to prosumers with different characteristics, where they take more active roles in electricity generation and consumption. Aggregators are vital financial intermediary agents in the power system transitions, as they could aggregate energy profiles of prosumers. The market competition between aggregators and interactions between prosumers and aggregators are complex and dynamic, which requires a holistic framework to model the market competition. This paper proposes an intelligent aggregation framework with edge computing, enabling decentralized competition for multiple aggregators and prosumers, which can be solved with a graph-based consensus algorithm. This study mathematically proves the proposed algorithm's convergence guarantee and convergence rate. In addition, the proposed framework is applied to an open-source dataset to demonstrate its applicability. Lastly, a benchmark analysis is conducted to show that the proposed algorithm has better communication complexity than the benchmark algorithms.

Delay-aware and reliable medium access control protocols for UWSNs: Features, protocols, and classification

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) are garnering significant interest for their broad potential in critical applications, including environmental monitoring, resource exploration, and disaster prevention. These networks, however, face unique challenges due to the complexities of underwater acoustic communication, such as extended propagation delays and environmental disturbances. These issues necessitate the development of sophisticated Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols specifically designed for UWSNs, distinct from those used in Terrestrial Wireless Sensor Networks (TWSNs). This paper provides a comprehensive review of MAC protocols tailored for various task-oriented scenarios in UWSNs, beginning with an in-depth exploration of the challenges specific to designing MAC protocols for these networks. The discussion emphasizes the importance of minimizing transmission latency and maximizing reliability, crucial for effective application-specific operations. This survey categorizes existing protocols based on these critical performance metrics, while also addressing the imperative of energy efficiency. Furthermore, it details the adaptive strategies these protocols employ to cope with the dynamic and challenging underwater acoustic channels. In addition to presenting a comparative analysis of the protocols, this work identifies pressing research gaps and poses open questions, establishing itself as an indispensable resource for researchers seeking to advance the field of MAC protocols in UWSNs.

Algebra of Nonlocal Boxes and the Collapse of Communication Complexity

Communication complexity quantifies how difficult it is for two distant computers to evaluate a function f(X,Y), where the strings X and Y are distributed to the first and second computer respectively, under the constraint of exchanging as few bits as possible. Surprisingly, some nonlocal boxes, which are resources shared by the two computers, are so powerful that they allow to collapse communication complexity, in the sense that any Boolean function f can be correctly estimated with the exchange of only one bit of communication. The Popescu-Rohrlich (PR) box is an example of such a collapsing resource, but a comprehensive description of the set of collapsing nonlocal boxes remains elusive.In this work, we carry out an algebraic study of the structure of wirings connecting nonlocal boxes, thus defining the notion of the "product of boxes" P⊠Q, and we show related associativity and commutativity results. This gives rise to the notion of the "orbit of a box", unveiling surprising geometrical properties about the alignment and parallelism of distilled boxes. The power of this new framework is that it allows us to prove previously-reported numerical observations concerning the best way to wire consecutive boxes, and to numerically and analytically recover recently-identified noisy PR boxes that collapse communication complexity for different types of noise models.

MOMTA-HN: A Secure and Reliable Multi-Objective Optimized Multipath Transmission Algorithm for Heterogeneous Networks

With the rapid development of heterogeneous network technologies, such as mobile edge computing, satellite communications, self-organizing networks, and the wired Internet, satisfying users’ increasingly diversified and complex communication needs in dynamic and evolving network environments has become a critical research topic. Ensuring secure and reliable information transmission is essential for stable network operation in these complex environments. Addressing this challenge, this study proposed a secure and reliable multi-objective optimized multipath transmission algorithm for heterogeneous networks to enhance security and reliability during data transmission. The core principle of this algorithm was that multipath transmission can provide additional protection through redundant paths. This redundancy ensured that even if one path is attacked or fails, alternative paths can maintain data integrity and reachability. In this study, we employed the Optimized Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (ONSGA-II) to determine the range of the initial population and filter suitable paths by optimizing them according to different demand objectives. In the path selection process, we introduced an innovative deletion graph method, which ensures that redundant paths do not share any common links with the original paths, except when there are unique links. This approach enhances the independence of transmission paths and improves the security of the transmission process. It effectively protects against security threats such as single points of failure and link attacks. We have verified the effectiveness of the algorithm through a series of experiments, and the proposed algorithm can provide decision-makers with high-reliability and low-latency transmission paths in heterogeneous network environments. At the same time, we verified the performance of the algorithm when encountering attacks, which is superior to other classical algorithms. Even in the face of network failures and attacks, it can maintain a high level of data integrity and security.

Picture Exchange Communication System as a teacher's effort to provide augmentative and alternative modes of communication for children with complex communication needs

Picture Exchange Communication System as a teacher's effort to provide augmentative and alternative modes of communication for children with complex communication needs

Opportunities and Challenges in Cross-Country Collaboration: Insights from the Beneluxa Initiative.

National pricing and reimbursement agencies face growing challenges with complex health technologies, prompting European policy advancements. Beneluxa is a cross-country collaboration involving Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Austria, and Ireland that aims to address sustainable access to medicines. In view of the soon-to-be-implemented EU HTA Regulation, insights and experiences from stakeholders with Beneluxa cross-country collaboration could provide possible transferable learnings. Therefore, this research aims to (i) identify the opportunities and challenges faced by Beneluxa, (ii) gather insights from stakeholders, namely (possible) applicants and policymakers, within and beyond Beneluxa on the initiative and broader cross-country collaboration principles, and (iii) transfer these insights into learnings and recommendations in anticipation of the full implementation of the new HTA Regulation. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with industry and European HTA/policy stakeholders. The principal challenges discussed by stakeholders encompass hesitancy from the industry toward Beneluxa assessments, which were attributed to procedural and timeline uncertainties, legislative framework ambiguity, and challenges in terms of industry's internal organization. Another challenge highlighted is the resource-intensive nature of the procedure due to diverse approaches among member states. In addition, industry stakeholders mentioned limited communication and procedural complexity. Despite challenges, both stakeholder groups recognized important opportunities for cross-country collaboration. Transferable insights for future cross-country collaboration include transparent communication, clear legislative embedding, internal industry restructuring to facilitate joint HTAs, and member state support for conducting collaborative assessments. The study underscores diverging views among stakeholders on cross-country collaboration's potential to support HTA and the market access of complex health technologies. While acknowledging benefits, there still are challenges, including industry hesitancy, emphasizing the need for transparent communication and clear guidance in the evolving EU HTA landscape.

Synchronous Distributed Key Generation without Broadcasts

Distributed key generation (DKG) is a key building block in developing many efficient threshold cryptosystems. This work initiates the study of communication complexity and round complexity of DKG protocols over a point-to-point (bounded) synchronous network. Our key result is the first synchronous DKG protocol for discrete log-based cryptosystems with O ( κ n 3 ) communication complexity ( κ denotes a security parameter) that tolerates any t < n / 2 Byzantine faults among n parties. We present two variants of the protocol: (i) a protocol with worst-case O ( κ n 3 ) communication and O ( t ) rounds, and (ii) a protocol with expected O ( κ n 3 ) communication and expected constant rounds. In the process of achieving our results, we design (1) a novel weak gradecast protocol with a communication complexity of O ( κ n 2 ) for linear-sized inputs and constant rounds, (2) a protocol called “recoverable-set-of-shares” for ensuring recovery of shared secrets, (3) an oblivious leader election protocol with O ( κ n 3 ) communication and constant rounds, and (4) a multi-valued validated Byzantine agreement (MVBA) protocol with O ( κ n 3 ) communication complexity for linear-sized inputs and expected constant rounds. Each of these primitives is of independent interest.

Communication-Efficient Multi-Party Computation for RMS Programs

Despite much progress, general-purpose secure multi-party computation (MPC) with active security may still be prohibitively expensive in settings with large input datasets. This particularly applies to the secure evaluation of graph algorithms, where each party holds a subset of a large graph. Recently, Araki et al. (ACM CCS '21) showed that dedicated solutions may provide significantly better efficiency if the input graph is sparse. In particular, they provide an efficient protocol for the secure evaluation of “message passing” algorithms, such as the PageRank algorithm. Their protocol's computation and communication complexity are both O ~ ( M · B ) instead of the O ( M 2 ) complexity achieved by general-purpose MPC protocols, where M denotes the number of nodes and B the (average) number of incoming edges per node. On the downside, their approach achieves only a relatively weak security notion; 1 -out-of- 3 malicious security with selective abort. In this work, we show that PageRank can instead be captured efficiently as a restricted multiplication straight-line (RMS) program, and present a new actively secure MPC protocol tailored to handle RMS programs. In particular, we show that the local knowledge of the participants can be leveraged towards the first maliciously-secure protocol with communication complexity linear in M , independently of the sparsity of the graph. We present two variants of our protocol. In our communication-optimized protocol, going from semi-honest to malicious security only introduces a small communication overhead, but results in quadratic computation complexity O ( M 2 ) . In our balanced protocol, we still achieve a linear communication complexity O ( M ) , although with worse constants, but a significantly better computational complexity scaling with O ( M · B ) . Additionally, our protocols achieve security with identifiable abort and can tolerate up to n − 1 corruptions.

Lightweight adaptive Byzantine fault tolerant consensus algorithm for distributed energy trading

With the rapid development of smart grid, constructing distributed energy trading market (DETM) based on blockchain to coordinate distributed energy resources (DER) has become a future direction. However, existing consensus algorithms of blockchain face many challenges in large-scale energy trading scenarios, such as high resource overhead, slow transaction procedure. To solve the above crucial problems for wide deployment of distributed energy trading, this study proposes a novel consensus algorithm named Lightweight adaptive Byzantine fault tolerant consensus (LA-BFT), and a reputation calculation method based on behavioral characteristics for selection of consensus nodes. The LA-BFT consists of two parts: (i) weak consensus for normal cases. By introducing threshold signature mechanism, weak consensus simplifies the consensus process to achieve linear communication complexity O(n). (ii) byzantine node detection scheme is enable for malicious cases. With consensus committee, the detection scheme can detect the potential byzantine nodes by cross-validation, which ensures transaction safety. The reputation calculation method is presented to cooperate with LA-BFT to elect leaders and candidates for consensus procedure. Once a round of consensus is completed, the reputation of each node needs to be updated, only nodes with high reputation are eligible to become leaders or committee nodes in the next round. With the reputation calculation method, honest nodes and byzantine nodes can be effectively identified, ensuring the security of the consensus process. Numerical results indicate that LA-BFT exhibits superior performance on communication overhead and bandwidth occupancy in large-scale concurrent energy trading scenarios. When the number of nodes is 50, under normal scenarios, LA-BFT’s communication overhead is notably lower, constituting a mere 6.02% of PBFT and 24.26% of SHBFT, while bandwidth occupancy amounts to merely 5.55% of PBFT and 9.76% of SHBFT.

Enhancing Brain Elasticity: Key Lifestyle Habits to Unlock Genius Potential at Any Age

The brain is a masterpiece, often referred to as the king organ, as it governs the entire body. When the brain ceases to function, it marks the end of an individual's vitality, essentially rendering them a "vegetable." This profound importance raises a crucial question: Are we adequately nurturing and caring for our brains? In today's fast-paced world, humans often subject their brains to relentless stress and negative impulses, leading to cognitive decline. However, enhancing brain elasticity can be remarkably simple by adopting specific daily habits. These habits not only pamper the brain but also make it sharper and stronger. Key factors in boosting brain capacity include maintaining optimal hydration, engaging in IQ-enhancing non-digital games like chess and Scrabble, solving logical math problems, regular exercise, and meditation. Additionally, incorporating fruits and vegetables into the diet, consuming foods rich in Omega-3 and DHA, ensuring 8 hours of sleep, reducing screen time, learning new languages, playing various musical instruments, and fostering a positive and resilient mindset are vital. One crucial yet often overlooked habit is regular reading. Reading stimulates the brain, improves concentration, enhances vocabulary, and fosters a deeper understanding of diverse subjects, all of which contribute to increased cognitive flexibility and brain elasticity. Another important factor is maintaining good gut health. Recent research has shown that good gut bacteria play a crucial role in increasing brain activity. The gut-brain axis, a complex communication network, connects the gut and brain, allowing gut bacteria to influence cognitive functions. Probiotics and a diet rich in fiber can enhance the diversity and health of gut microbiota, leading to improved brain function and mental health. This review explores how these lifestyle practices contribute to cognitive enhancement, potentially transforming ordinary individuals into geniuses. It posits that genius is not an inherent trait but a result of deliberate and consistent mental engagement and nurturing. By embracing these strategies, including the habit of regular reading and maintaining good gut health, individuals can significantly elevate their cognitive abilities and achieve exceptional intellectual growth.

Navigating the Skies: Unraveling Communication Challenges in Diverse Aviation Accidents

Effective communication is the lifeline of aviation safety, serving as the cornerstone for preventing accidents, mitigating crises, and ensuring seamless coordination among diverse stakeholders within the complex and dynamic aviation environment. The aim of this study is to provide a qualitative analysis of the 10 fatal accidents in aviation history and incidents and accidents that occurred in the past 10 years registered by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The content analysis of the reports of the fatal accidents and reports of the 48 events identified in the accident database search revealed themes such as miscommunication between flight crew members, challenges in emergent situations, and communication breakdowns with ATC. These findings align with existing literature, emphasizing the pivotal role of communication in aviation safety. The study offers recommendations to invest in CRM training, standardized phraseology, and advanced communication technologies for aviation safety. Future research directions include exploring human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and communication in Unmanned Aerial Systems. Moreover, grounded in these findings, airline companies can infer practical implications such as improved safety, operational efficiency, stress reduction, cost savings, regulatory compliance, and trust-building, thereby emphasizing the industry's commitment to continuous improvement in navigating the complexities of aviation communication.

Syntax, Technology and Politics: Analyzing Political Facebook Posts

This study used Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) theory to analyze syntactic complexity in digital communication. Thirty Facebook posts made between August and December 2023 by John Dramani Mahama, a Ghanaian former president, were analyzed in this study. A textual analysis was conducted on the data. The findings affirmed that grammatical categories are functional. There was a deliberate linguistic strategy marked by a prevalence of declarative sentences and a notable dominance of complex structures in this genre of digital writing. The strategic use of non-finite clauses contributes to the complexity of the discourse. The genre of writing is also characterized by information ranking and integration. The linguistic choices align with the formal expectations of political and digital communication – precision, depth, and engagement. These observations challenge and enrich existing theories of political discourse and communication strategies in the digital era. Keywords: Syntactic Complexity, Digital Communication, Facebook, Sentence Types, SFL

Generalization and Discrimination of Positively Reinforced Explicit Mands in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit generalization errors following mand training. In this study, we extended the literature on the generalization of positively reinforced explicit mands in three young children with ASD and complex communication needs. First, we used mand training to teach a new, socially appropriate, positively reinforced explicit mand to request preferred toys. Second, we assessed the discriminated generalization of the newly acquired mand by using untrained examples and nonexamples. Results suggest that our mand training resulted in acquisition of a discriminated positively reinforced explicit mand in all three children. Overgeneralization was documented for one of the three children included in the study. We discuss implications for researchers and practitioners related to the importance of assessing for generalization errors following mand training.

POLA KOMUNIKASI ORGANISASI DALAM IMPLEMENTASI PROGRAM MERDEKA BELAJAR KAMPUS MERDEKA (MBKM) DAN PRAKTEK KERJA LAPANGAN (PKL) DI GREEN SCHOOL BALI

Complex and extensive communication within an organization will create a pattern of communication that becomes the flow of information being channel. This pattern of communication will make it easier for students to determine appropriate and correct actions and directions. The purpose of this study is to examine how the Green School Bali's pattern of organizational communication is implemented to students of the PKL and MBKM internship programs using Goldhaber's (1986) theory of organizational communication, which describes seven key concepts: process, message, network, interdependence, relationship, environment, and uncertainty. The research method used was a qualitative one involving observations and in-depth interviews with informants, who in this study were supervisors of each department, heads of internships, and student interns for the July-December 2022 period. The results of this study indicate that Green School Bali uses the wheel organizational communication pattern in its implementation for apprentice students in the PKL and MBKM programs.