Information Communication Research Articles

Impact of large-scale disasters on breast cancer care: A qualitative analysis of patient experiences during the 2011 triple disaster in Fukushima, Japan

Large-scale disasters can severely impact breast cancer care, leading to treatment disruptions and delays. While empirical studies on these effects are limited, patient narratives provide valuable insights. This study explored treatment continuity and medical access among local breast cancer patients affected by the 2011 triple disaster through qualitative research methods.The study involved 21 local breast cancer patients diagnosed before the disaster. After obtaining consent, semi-structured interviews ranging from 20 min to an hour were conducted, and data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.The analysis identified five key themes: medical challenges, family roles and burdens, information access and communication, mental health effects, and evacuation difficulties. These themes highlight the range of challenges from immediate response to long-term recovery, showcasing the profound impacts of infrastructure damage and treatment disruptions, exacerbated by familial constraints and the need for reliable information, contributing to psychological and logistical complexities during evacuation.The findings underscore the critical need for ongoing care and address key challenges for breast cancer patients during disasters. Future research should focus on developing practical and prompt solutions to address these issues in disaster settings.

Analysis of Barrier and Driver Factors to Risk Monitoring and Control Implementation in Construction Projects

Construction projects inherently involve risks. If proper risk management practices are not employed, the likelihood of cost overruns can reach more than 80%. Risk monitoring and control are essential processes in risk management; however, their implementation is inadequate in construction projects. This research analyzed the main barriers and drivers for implementing risk monitoring and control in construction projects. A questionnaire survey was conducted using a Likert scale to measure respondents' perceptions. Data were collected from 71 respondents: top management, project managers, project risk managers, and risk officers. This study employs descriptive analysis and factor analysis to achieve the objectives. The results indicate that the 19 identified barriers to risk monitoring and control were categorized into 4 main factors: lack of practice, lack of risk awareness, lack of incentives and having difficulty finding methods, and misperceptions about risk monitoring and control. Meanwhile, the 21 drivers were categorized into 5 main factors: management support, tools and information technology, organizational structure and communication, external environment, assigning responsibility, and contingency reserve.

Engineering quantum dots for improved single photon emission statistics.

High fidelity single photon sources are required for the implementation of quantum information processing and communications protocols. Although colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are single photon sources, their efficacy is limited by their tendency to show finite multiphoton emission at higher excitation powers. Here, we show that wave function engineering of CQDs enables the realization of emitters with significantly improved single photon emission performance. We study the ZnS/CdSe/CdS system. It is shown that this system offers significantly improved probabilities of single photon emission. While conventional CQDs such as CdSe/CdS exhibit a g2(0) > 0.5 ± 0.02 at ⟨N⟩ = 2.17, ZnS/CdSe/CdS show a greatly improved g2(0) ≈ 0.04 ± 0.01. Improved single photon emission performance encourages the use of colloidal materials as quantum light sources in emerging quantum devices.

How Does Time Synchronization Affect Innovation Quality?

How location choice influences innovation in MNCs has been the subject of controversy, and the examination of geographic concentration or dispersion is particularly insufficient. The question is, how will the decentralization or centralization of MNCs affect the communication and management of information among employees. To address this deficiency, this study introduces the concept of time synchronization and attempts to examine the relationship between MNCs location choice and corporate innovation quality from a new perspective. By gathering data from the Chinese internationalized firms, we found that time synchronization between parents and subsidiaries is positively associated with the innovation quality of parent firms, and the degree of digitization strengthens this positive relationship. This study underscores the crucial role of overlapping work time for employee interactions between parents and subsidiaries to acquire information in comprehending and absorbing overseas knowledge to improve the innovation quality of parent firms.

Smart resilience through IoT‐enabled natural disaster management: A COVID‐19 response in São Paulo state

AbstractNatural disaster management approach establishes stages of prevention, preparation, response, and recovery. With the Internet of Things (IoT), Bigdata, Business Intelligence, and other Information Communication Technologies, data can be gathered to support decisions in stages of the response to natural disaster events. In biological natural disasters, the ICTs can also support efforts to promote social distancing, public health, and economic monitoring to face the threads. São Paulo state used IoT in scenarios to face COVID‐19, such as monitoring vehicular interurban mobility, social distancing, and economic activity. Frameworks, strategies, data views, and use cases are presented to support the decision‐making process to face this biological natural disaster. The data‐driven approach supports several purposes, including the communication of social distancing indices, economic recovery, the progression of contagion, and deaths. It also played a pivotal role in fostering transparency initiatives for society and supporting the crisis committee by facilitating situational analyses, and this approach became standard practice for pandemic response. Studies and innovative visualisation perspectives have produced positive outcomes, guiding the decision‐making process through data analysis. Noteworthy use cases were interurban traffic fence monitoring; mapping of virus spreading; tracking the economic impact concerning recovery plans; and, evaluating the effectiveness of public policies.

Event-based appointed-time cooperative formation for linear multiagent systems with actuator saturation

This paper considers the time-varying formation (TVF) tracking issue of a class of multiagent systems (MASs) with input saturation. Meanwhile, the prescribed transient and steady-state performance of MASs is guaranteed. Compared to the existing prescribed performance control (PPC) approaches, the maximum convergence time of the designed algorithm is preassigned. To save network resources, an event-based protocol is introduced to achieve lower information communication frequency, where Zeno behavior is excluded. Furthermore, an improved control strategy is employed where an auxiliary system is designed to improve the performance under actuator saturation. According to Lyapunov stability theory, the expected practical TVF tracking control problem is solved for the MASs. Finally, the effectiveness of the designed schemes is demonstrated by the simulation examples.

Evaluation of Customer Service through PLN Mobile Application in the Framework of Electronic Government Maturity Model in Sidoarjo Customer Service Implementation Unit

PT PLN (Persero) created the PLN Mobile application to improve the quality of service to customers with aspects of flexibility, convenience, speed, accuracy and transparency. However, in the Sidoarjo Customer Service Implementation Unit (UP3), there are still many customers who experience problems and submit complaints regarding the performance of the application. This study aims to evaluate PLN Mobile in UP3 Sidoarjo using the Electronic Government Maturity Model framework, namely the five pillars of Information Dissemination, Communication, Transactions, Interoperability, and Participation. This research method uses a qualitative case study to provide an in-depth description of the evaluation of customer service evaluation through the PLN Mobile application within the framework of the e-government maturity model in UP3 Sidoarjo. The results showed that several pillars, especially Transactions and Interoperability, have not been well fulfilled by PLN Mobile in UP3 Sidoarjo. The lack of integration with other services causes some services to be inaccessible through the application, forcing customers to come to the office. Therefore, the goal of PLN Mobile in improving service quality has not been fully achieved.

Impact of Mining of Marine Gastropods Habitat: Basis for Information Education Communication(IEC) for Environmental Sustainability

An alarming socio-economic and environmental impact of mining in the Municipality of Carrascal, Surigao del Sur led to this study. It is important to assess the impact of mining on marine habitats and the diversity of gastropods in the area. The collection of gastropods is done in the selected four sampling areas, which include Brgy. Adlay, Brgy. Caglayag, Brgy. Dahican, and Brgy. Gango. Based on the sampling, 228 marine gastropod species were collected, consisting of 53 genera belonging to 10 families. The findings highlight the low diversity of the marine gastropods in the study area as the diversity index is less than 1.99. In addition, the physico-chemical parameter assessment of the study area reveals conditions ranging from slightly alkaline water with low oxygen content to very warm temperatures. These conditions suggest a delicate balance in the aquatic ecosystems, which could be sensitive to changes and affect marine gastropod populations and distributions. With regards to the average concentration of nickel (mg/kg) sediments as a result of the mining activities in the study area, the atomic absorption spectrophotometry result shows that Brgy. Gango is heavily polluted in comparison to other sampling areas. Additionally, the multiple regression analysis reveals that there is a positive and significant association between the nickel concentration and the diversity of gastropods in Brgy. Gango. This could indicate that some gastropod species, specifically those that are found in areas with high nickel concentrations, have acquired tolerance to nickel pollution. However, the regression analysis reveals that in the other sampling sites, such as Brgy. Adlay and Brgy. Caglayag, the presence of nickel sediments as a result of mining activities has a negative and significant impact on the marine habitat and diversity of gastropods. The findings suggest the importance of developing an information education and communication program addressing the negative impacts of mining and promoting environmental sustainability in the research locale.

Digital platforms and SMEs’ performance: the moderating effect of intellectual capital and environmental dynamism

PurposeThis research aims to shed light on the linkage between digital platforms and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) performance and consider the moderating effect of intellectual capital and environmental dynamism.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies a quantitative approach using a sample of primary data from 508 managers and directors of Vietnamese SMEs, using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe utilization of digital platforms by managers and directors has a positive impact on enhancing intellectual capital. However, under the influence of external environment changes, this trend may shift towards a negative direction. The ability to utilize digital platforms, whether directly or through information communication, positively affects the performance of businesses. Research has shown that the positive promotion of digital platform capability for intellectual capital factors such as human capital, organizational capital, and relational capital decreases when the external environment changes in the context of uncertain globalization.Originality/valueThis research focuses on SMEs operating in the technology and e-commerce sectors and it evidences that digital platforms are an effective baseline driver for promoting high-performing SMEs. By examining the connection between digital platform’s capability and IC and the significance of intellectual capital for SMEs’ performance, this study adds to the body of literature already available on the destructive regulatory potential of environmental dynamism. This study broadens the dynamic capabilities theory’s outcome audience and adds a new dimension to the impact of the digital platform’s capability (resource utilization) on the performance of SMEs.

TikTok as a Source of Health Information and Misinformation for Young Women in the United States: Survey Study.

TikTok is one of the most-used and fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, and recent reports indicate that it has become an increasingly popular source of news and information in the United States. These trends have important implications for public health because an abundance of health information exists on the platform. Women are among the largest group of TikTok users in the United States and may be especially affected by the dissemination of health information on TikTok. Prior research has shown that women are not only more likely to look for information on the internet but are also more likely to have their health-related behaviors and perceptions affected by their involvement with social media. We conducted a survey of young women in the United States to better understand their use of TikTok for health information as well as their perceptions of TikTok's health information and health communication sources. A web-based survey of US women aged 18 to 29 years (N=1172) was conducted in April-May 2023. The sample was recruited from a Qualtrics research panel and 2 public universities in the United States. The results indicate that the majority of young women in the United States who have used TikTok have obtained health information from the platform either intentionally (672/1026, 65.5%) or unintentionally (948/1026, 92.4%). Age (959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.30; P<.001), education (959/1026, 93.47%; ρ=0.10; P=.001), and TikTok intensity (ie, participants' emotional connectedness to TikTok and TikTok's integration into their daily lives; 959/1026, 93.47%; r=0.32; P<.001) were positively correlated with overall credibility perceptions of the health information. Nearly the entire sample reported that they think that misinformation is prevalent on TikTok to at least some extent (1007/1026, 98.15%), but a third-person effect was found because the young women reported that they believe that other people are more susceptible to health misinformation on TikTok than they personally are (t1025=21.16; P<.001). Both health professionals and general users were common sources of health information on TikTok: 93.08% (955/1026) of the participants indicated that they had obtained health information from a health professional, and 93.86% (963/1026) indicated that they had obtained health information from a general user. The respondents showed greater preference for health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=23.75; P<.001); the respondents also reported obtaining health information from health professionals more often than from general users (t1025=8.13; P<.001), and they were more likely to act on health information from health professionals (vs general users; t1025=12.74; P<.001). The findings suggest that health professionals and health communication scholars need to proactively consider using TikTok as a platform for disseminating health information to young women because young women are obtaining health information from TikTok and prefer information from health professionals.

Analysis of Visual Images Using the Social Semiotic

With the continuous progress of the information society, the distance between people in modern society is gradually shortened. Graphics are used as a tool for human beings to communicate their thoughts. More and more people analyze the information conveyed to society and the public by various media through visual communication theory. Therefore, to reflect the value of symbols in information dissemination and communication, it is necessary to analyze the meaning of symbols in images because this can make the information transmission of graphic design more scientific and accurate, the expression more abundant, and able to be used as a method also more and more in the field of artistic creation and graphic design. This paper will collect and analyze a cohesive set of images from a group of McDonald's print advertisements to further explore how symbols express information.

Vulnerability Analysis of UAV Swarm Network with Emergency Tasks

With the rapid development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, UAV swarms are used for emergency tasks in various scenarios such as area detection, fire rescue, logistics, and transportation. However, for complex scenarios, UAV swarms are prone to environmental interference that damages their equipment or disrupts their communication links, affecting the normal execution of tasks. In this paper, an information–communication interdependent network model is designed for the vulnerability analysis of UAV swarm networks with emergency tasks. Firstly, from the perspective of network functions of a UAV swarm, we introduce the theory of interdependent networks to abstract the relationship between the UAV swarm’s communication network and its information network, where the communication network represents its communication topology and the information network is related to the function of each UAV individual in the UAV swarm. Then, the vulnerability of the UAV swarm is analyzed according to the relationship between network construction costs and network connectivity under environmental interference. Finally, the effectiveness of the vulnerability analysis method is verified through simulation.

The assessment of the use of information communication technology in the teaching and learning in selected Rwandan secondary schools: A case study of Nyagatare district

This research is about the assessment of the state-of-the-art use of ICT in teaching and learning in selected Rwandan secondary schools, a case study of Nyagatare district. The research design was a cross-sectional survey where both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Questionnaire, interviews and documentation were used to collect data. The sample size was 95 respondents. The study found that there were ICT tools used in teaching and learning in all the schools but inadequately used. Some Teachers who were not using ICT Tools revealed that school authorities don’t allow them to use them. The study revealed that purchasing ICT tools is also expensive for both school authorities and teachers. The study recommends that school administrators organize themselves and find funds for buying and equipping all missed ICT tools. The government of Rwanda ought to allocate ICT equipment equally in all schools and generate funds specifically to promote ICT use at the secondary school level and enhance education.

Relationship between ICT Usage and the Teaching of Mathematics in Secondary Schools of Kalungu District, Central Uganda

This study explored the influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching of mathematics in Secondary Schools of Kalungu District. The study objectives were to; (i) examine the extent to which ICT is used by Mathematics teachers, (ii) establish the effectiveness of teaching Mathematics, and (iii) examine the relationship between ICT usage and teaching of Mathematics in Secondary Schools of Kalungu District. Correlational type of design was used for the study whereby questionnaires and interview guide were used to collect data from a sample of 132 respondents. Quantitative data was analyzed using the SPSS where both inferential and descriptive techniques were used while qualitative data was summarised into themes and quotes. The study discovered that the level of ICT usage among teachers of mathematics in Kalungu District has an overall mean of 2.25 implying a moderate usage of Information Communication Technology; the effectiveness of teaching mathematics in secondary school in Kalungu District was high with an overall mean of 4.05 while the relationship between ICT usage and teaching of Mathematics in Secondary Schools of Kalungu District was not statistically significant (p = 0.373). Therefore, Formal policy guidelines for ICT usage should be put in place so that all teachers can attend in service training programmes at least once every academic year to update themselves with relevant skills for ICT usage in teaching mathematics.

Remote operation of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility

Full remote scientific operation of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility is now possible through significant advances in the computer science hardware and software infrastructure made over the last decade. Capabilities around information visualization, data movement, and communication have all been enhanced. The level of capability deployed to remotely operate DIII-D required an infrastructure advancement over what had previously been achieved in the fusion community. The large quantity of real-time data that is automatically displayed on DIII-D’s control room screens can now be visualized by remote participants via web-based applications. New audio/video solutions using the VoIP and instant messaging application Discord have been implemented to mimic the dynamic and ad-hoc scientific conversations that are critical in successfully operating an experimental campaign. Discord’s ability for a user to rapidly move between audio channels, text with images, and share screens is a significant enhancement over traditional videoconferencing tools. In addition, multiple combinations of broadcast audio are made available via a web-based application to allow remote participants to simultaneously listen to general announcements/sounds while conducting their own specific conversations. Secure methodologies have been put into place to allow remote control of hardware including DIII-D’s plasma control system application. Secure methods also included the ability of the on-site team to closely coordinate their work with remote team members which has been enhanced through extensions to the wireless network and the use of tablet computers for audio/video/screen sharing. However, no amount of software can fully replace the need for ‘hands on hardware.’ This infrastructure was severely stress tested during the COVID-19 pandemic where occupancy of the DIII-D control room was restricted. Operational efficiency during the pandemic, measured in discharges per hour, remained high (3.8 ± 0.8) compared to values obtained pre-pandemic (3.7 ± 0.8).

Stakeholders’ Perceptions on Adoption of Blended Learning Approach in Tanzanian Secondary Schools

Integrating information communication technologies in education goes with many digital learning applications. Blended learning Approach (BLA) has been an important strategy that facilitates students’ learning. This study investigated stakeholders’ perceptions on the adoption of a blended learning approach (BLA) in Tanzanian secondary schools. Specifically, the study identifies stakeholders’ perception on the adoption of BLA in secondary schools, examines the learning environments that support the adoption of BLA in Tanzanian secondary schools and assesses the extent to which the BLA is used in secondary schools. Data were collected via self-administered questionnaire and interviews; the response of 620 participants were analysed. The results showed that participants adequately had confident perception towards the adoption of BLA on students’ learning; further, in the studied schools, learning environments were perceived to be supportive in the adoptions of BLA based on available devices and services; this will, later, positively facilitate the adoption and influence the increase of level of BLA usage among teachers and students. However, poor infrastructure, lack of institutional support and insufficient hardware and software facilities impinged the use of BLA. In conclusion, BLA is well perceived; thus, the resolution to the challenges would promote its application in the classroom.

Information Theory, Living Systems, and Communication Engineering.

Mainstream research on information theory within the field of living systems involves the application of analytical tools to understand a broad range of life processes. This paper is dedicated to an opposite problem: it explores the information theory and communication engineering methods that have counterparts in the data transmission process by way of DNA structures and neural fibers. Considering the requirements of modern multimedia, transmission methods chosen by nature may be different, suboptimal, or even far from optimal. However, nature is known for rational resource usage, so its methods have a significant advantage: they are proven to be sustainable. Perhaps understanding the engineering aspects of methods of nature can inspire a design of alternative green, stable, and low-cost transmission.

Talking with clinicians about online cancer information: a survey of cancer patients and surrogate information seekers.

To describe patients' and surrogate information seekers' experiences talking to clinicians about online cancer information. To assess the impact of clinicians telling patients or surrogate seekers not to search for information online. Cross-sectional survey. A total of 282 participants, including 185 individuals with cancer and 97 surrogate seekers. Individuals were recruited through a broad consent registry and completed a 20-min survey. Cancer patients and surrogate seekers did not differ significantly in their experiences talking with clinicians about online cancer information. Nearly all patients and surrogate seekers who were told by a clinician not to go online for cancer information did so anyway. Interventions for improving cancer information seeking and communication with clinicians should target both patients and surrogate seekers. Clinicians should be educated about effective ways to communicate with patients and surrogate seekers about online cancer information.

Navigating the nexus: unraveling technological innovation, economic growth, trade openness, ICT, and CO2 emissions through symmetric and asymmetric analysis

In Malaysia’s rapid economic growth and industrialization, environmental degradation and carbon emissions pose significant challenges. As urbanization continues to rise, there is a growing recognition of the imperative to tackle CO2 emissions. Trade openness and globalization drive economic activity but also heighten environmental pressures, including CO2 emissions from transportation and industry. Information communication technology (ICT) usage, shaped by infrastructure and regulations, can either improve energy efficiency or increase energy consumption. The study examines the impacts of economic growth (EG), trade openness (TON), technological innovation (TIN), and ICT on CO2 emissions in Malaysia, using both symmetric and asymmetric methods from 1985 to 2021. While many studies have explored environmental degradation, focusing on CO2 emissions and ecological footprint indicators, only a limited number have delved into the combined impact of sustainable EG, TON, ICT, and TIN on Malaysia’s CO2 emissions. Notably, these studies have often neglected the utilization of both symmetric and asymmetric methodologies. Hence, this study employed auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) and non-linear ARDL approaches to investigate the dynamic effects of the studied variables. The key findings from the symmetric analysis demonstrate that EG, TON, and ICT together take part in the increase of CO2 emissions in both the short and long run. Particularly, technological innovation plays a significant role in reducing CO2 emissions in the short term through the adoption of cleaner technologies. However, the results of the NARDL bound test reveal asymmetric long-term consequences of technological innovation, economic growth, and ICT on CO2 emissions. The study underscores the need for CO2 reduction policies in Malaysia, advocating for measures, such as incentivizing cleaner technologies and upgrading energy infrastructure. It also recommends implementing carbon pricing mechanisms for production and trade, alongside awareness campaigns to foster behavioral changes aimed at reducing emissions.

Engineered 3D Vortex Array with Customized Energy and Topological Charges for Multi‐View Display

AbstractArrays of multiple vortex beams enhance parallel processing capabilities from particle manipulation to information communication. However, the spatial position, topological charge, and energy parameters of the vortex beams within the array have yet to be precisely controlled, posing significant challenges to the realization of multi‐view 3D Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) display using vortex arrays as information carriers. To address this issue, a method for generating vortex arrays based on a phase‐only hologram, customizing the array by using the energy and OAM spectrum of each vortex beam as the loss function is developed. Experimental results indicate that a 2D array generates 100 vortex beams in the spatial frequency domain, while a 3D array in the Fresnel zone produces 252 vortex beams across 7 planes, each with 36 unprecedentedly controllable energy and topological charge vortex beams. Subsequently, images of 4 views using the 3D vortex arrays and decoded through coordinate transformation to achieve a multi‐view 3D OAM display are encoded. The results demonstrate imaging quality with Mean Peak Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio (MPSNR) of 12.7, 13.0, 13.4, and 12.2 dB in 4 views, respectively, offering promising opportunities for applications in 3D optical manipulation, high‐capacity communication, and 3D OAM holography.