Communication Research Articles

Using of Communication Technology and the Future Role of the State of Qatar in the Distance Education

The study aimed to identify the developmental and future role that Qatar plays in the field of distance education and communication technology, highlighting the scientific and research capabilities that the State of Qatar provides to the public, and ways to develop the scientific and educational aspects for the advancement of the state and study the problems that constitute an obstacle to the maximum benefit from communication and education technology From distance and to identify the extent to which educational and research institutions in the State of Qatar benefit from communication technology. The study relied on the survey method. The study used an electronic questionnaire form and relied on a sample consisting of (400) single people. The study concluded that 59% of the study sample are highly satisfied with the efforts of the State of Qatar in The field of distance education, while (27%) of them were satisfied with a medium degree, while (14%) of them came with a low degree, and it was found that (36%) of the study sample use educational content provided through modern communication technology, and a percentage (20%) of them are sometimes What are they looking for on those contents

Social Communication across Reproductive Boundaries: Hormones and the Auditory Periphery of Songbirds and Frogs.

Most animals experience reproductive transitions in their lives; for example, reaching reproductive maturity or cycling in and out of breeding condition. Some reproductive transitions are abrupt, while others are more gradual. In most cases, changes in communication between the sexes follow the time course of these reproductive transitions and are typically thought to be coordinated by steroid hormones. We know a great deal about hormonal control of communication behaviors in birds and frogs, as well as the central neural control of these behaviors. There has also been significant interest in the effects of steroid hormones on central nervous system structures that control both the production and reception of communication signals associated with reproductive behaviors. However, peripheral sensory structures have typically received less attention, although there has been growing interest in recent years. It is becoming clear that peripheral sensory systems play an important role in reproductive communication, are plastic across reproductive conditions, and, in some cases, this plasticity may be mediated by steroid hormones. In this article, we discuss recent evidence for the role of peripheral auditory structures in reproductive communication in birds and frogs, the plasticity of the peripheral auditory system, and the role of steroid hormones in mediating the effects of the peripheral auditory system on reproductive communication. We focus on both seasonal and acute reproductive transitions, introduce new data on the role of hormones in modulating seasonal patterns, and make recommendations for future work.

Repairing trust within teams after organizational change

PurposeThis study examines trust-repair practices at the team level after organizational change.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was adopted, and data were collected from key informants through focus group discussions and interviews. The data analysis involved thematic coding and followed the structured procedure.FindingsThis study found that after organization change, trust can be repaired at the team level by improving team leaders' information sharing and knowledge in change management, and by enforcing communication, collaboration and ethical behaviour among team members.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper makes three key contributions by (1) identifying trust violations in teams, (2) proposing trust-repair mechanisms and (3) extending the understanding of trust-repair and preservation at the team level following organizational change.Practical implicationsThis paper provides practical information from a real-work context and can improve managers' understanding of active trust-repair.Originality/valueThis paper outlines active trust-repair mechanisms in an organizational change context and expands the current theory by presenting novel insights into organizational trust-repair at the team level. This study contributes to trust literature by proposing promising avenues for future trust-repair research.

Optimal performance of parallel-server systems with job size prediction errors

Modern communication networks integrate distributed computing architectures, in which customers are processed in parallel. We show how to minimize the waiting time of customer's jobs by leveraging a simple threshold-based job dispatching policy. The optimal policy leverages the SITA routing, which assigns jobs to servers according to the size of the job. Moreover, the optimal policy permits to optimize system performance even when the job size is not known a priori and is estimated by means of error-prone predictors.

Analysis of Technical Solutions for Identification of Internet Things in Modern Communication Networks

The article examines the current state of development of the Internet of Things and the principles of their identification; analysis of technical solutions for identification of the Internet of Things in modern communication networks; the parameters of quality of service and identification of devices and applications of the Internet of Things are investigated, and also the perspective method of construction of network architecture IoT with intermediate level of interaction which differs from known that allows to reduce network delay at exchange of service messages between local and global registers of system is investigated. Based on the obtained delay values, we can conclude that in order to minimize the delay, it is necessary to optimize the routes for accessing GHR servers. Considering the differences between the main components of the identification system, it is worth noting the combination of Global Handle Register and Local Handle Register in one object for testing. In the long run, this makes it possible to evaluate the multiple characteristics of the system at the application level. The resulting system in stationary execution also allows you to clearly demonstrate the speed of the identification rate, the route of service traffic and other parameters.

‘More than words’ – Interpersonal communication, cognitive bias and diagnostic errors

During the diagnostic process, clinicians may make assumptions, prematurely judge or diagnose patients based on their appearance, their speech or how they are portrayed by other clinicians. Such judgements can be a major source of diagnostic error and are often linked to unconscious cognitive biases - faulty quick-fire thinking patterns that impact clinical reasoning. Patient safety is profoundly influenced by cognitive bias and language, i.e. how information is presented or gathered, and then synthesised by clinicians to form and communicate diagnostic decisions. Here, we discuss the intricate links between interpersonal communication, cognitive bias, and diagnostic error from a patient’s, a linguist’s and clinician’s perspective. We propose that through patient engagement and applied health communication research, we can enhance our understanding of how the interplay of communication behaviours, biases and errors can impact upon the patient experience and diagnostic error. In doing so, we provide new avenues for collaborative diagnostic error research striving towards healthcare improvements and safer diagnosis.

Communicative Interaction with and without Eye-Gaze Technology between Children and Youths with Complex Needs and Their Communication Partners.

Use of eye-gaze assistive technology (EGAT) provides children/youths with severe motor and speech impairments communication opportunities by using eyes to control a communication interface on a computer. However, knowledge about how using EGAT contributes to communication and influences dyadic interaction remains limited. Aim: By video-coding dyadic interaction sequences, this study investigates the impacts of employing EGAT, compared to the Non-EGAT condition on the dyadic communicative interaction. Method: Participants were six dyads with children/youths aged 4–19 years having severe physical disabilities and complex communication needs. A total of 12 film clips of dyadic communication activities with and without EGAT in natural contexts were included. Based on a systematic coding scheme, dyadic communication behaviors were coded to determine the interactional structure and communicative functions. Data were analyzed using a three-tiered method combining group and individual analysis. Results: When using EGAT, children/youths increased initiations in communicative interactions and tended to provide more information, while communication partners made fewer communicative turns, initiations, and requests compared to the Non-EGAT condition. Communication activities, eye-control skills, and communication abilities could influence dyadic interaction. Conclusion: Use of EGAT shows potential to support communicative interaction by increasing children’s initiations and intelligibility, and facilitating symmetrical communication between dyads.

Communicating With Parents and Preschool Children: A Qualitative Exploration of Dental Professional-Parent-Child Interactions During Paediatric Dental Consultations to Prevent Early Childhood Caries.

The aim of this study was to explore communication interactions and identify phases adopted by dental professionals with parents and their young children and to examine the hypothesis that successful social talking between the actors together with the containment of worries allows the formation of a triadic treatment alliance, which leads to achieving preventive dental treatment goals. Conversation analysis of the transcribed data from video recordings of dental professionals, parents and preschool children when attending for preventive dental care was conducted. The transcriptions were read, examined and analysed independently to ensure the trustworthiness of the analysis. The transcriptions were explored for interactive patterns and sequences of interaction. Forty-four individual consultations between dental professionals, parents, and preschool children were recorded. The number of communication behaviours was 7,299, with appointment length ranging from 2 min 10 s to 29 min 18 s. Two patterns of communication were identified as dyadic (between two people) and triadic (between three people) interactions within a continuous shifting cycle. The three phases of communication were social talking, containing worries and task-focusing. Social talking was characterised by shifts between dyadic and triadic communication interactions and a symmetry of communication turns and containing worries. This typified the cyclical nature of the triadic and dyadic communication interactions, the adoption of talk-turn pairs, and triadic treatment alliance formation. Task-focusing pattern and structure were different for dentists and extended-duty dental nurses. For dentists, task-focusing was characterised by a dyadic interaction and as an asymmetrical communication pattern: for extended-duty dental nurses, task-focusing was typified by symmetrical and asymmetrical communication patterns within dyadic and triadic interactions. Empathy and understanding of the young child's emotional needs during containing worries allowed the formation of the triadic treatment alliance and with this treatment alliance, the acceptance of interventions to prevent early childhood caries during “task-focusing.” This qualitative exploration suggests that dyadic and triadic communication interactions are of a dynamic and cyclical quality and were exhibited during paediatric dental consultations. The communication phases of social talking, containing worries and task-focusing were evident. Successful social talking signalled the entry to containing worries and triadic treatment alliance formation which permitted the preventive goals of the consultation to be achieved (task-focusing). Future work should generate additional data to support the hypotheses created here namely that, social talking and containing worries triggers an integral pathway to task-focusing and the achievement of preventive dental goals.

Postweaning Isolation Alters the Responses of Auditory Neurons to Serotonergic Modulation.

Juvenile social experience, such as social isolation, has profound effects on communicative behavior, including signal production and reception. In the current study, we explored responsiveness to the neuromodulator serotonin as a potential mechanistic link between early life social isolation and auditory processing. The serotonergic system is sensitive to social isolation in many brain regions including the inferior colliculus (IC), an auditory midbrain nucleus. We investigated the effects of social experience on serotonergic responsiveness by measuring cFos, an immediate early gene product, in the IC of female mice. Serotonin was manipulated pharmacologically by administering fenfluramine, pCPA, or saline to mice that had undergone an extreme dichotomy in social experience after weaning: being housed in social groups versus individually. These mice were exposed to a 60-min recording of vocalizations from an opposite-sex interaction and perfused. Using immunohistochemistry, we measured the density of cFos-positive (cFos+) nuclei in the major subdivisions of the IC. Housing condition, drug treatment, and IC subregion all had a significant effect on cFos+ density. The central IC showed the highest density of cFos+ cells and also the most pronounced effects of housing condition and drug treatment. In the central IC, cFos+ density was higher following fenfluramine treatment than saline, and lower following pCPA treatment than fenfluramine. Individually housed mice showed a higher cFos+ density than socially housed mice in both of the pharmacological treatment groups, but not in the saline group. Drug treatment but not housing condition had strong effects on the behaviors of grooming, digging, rearing, and movement. Once the effects of drug condition were controlled, there were no across-individual correlations between cFos+ densities and behaviors. These findings suggest that the responses of auditory neurons to neuromodulation by serotonin are influenced by early life experience.

A Ketogenic Diet and the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by stereotyped behavior and deficits in communication and social interaction. There are no curative treatments for children with ASD. The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-fat, appropriate-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet that mimics the fasting state of the body and is proven beneficial in drug-resistant epilepsy and some other brain diseases. An increasing number of studies demonstrated that a KD improved autistic behavior, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. We reviewed the neuroprotective role of a KD in ASD, which is likely mediated via improvements in energy metabolism, reductions in antioxidative stress levels, control of neurotransmitters, inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, and modulation of the gut microbiota. A KD is likely a safe and effective treatment for ASD.

Conspiracy theory as a propaganda communication model (how 5G towers are related to the coronavirus and B. Gates vaccines)

The article explores one of the most popular conspiracy theories of 2020 — “Coronavirus and quarantine were introduced in order to install 5G towers and force humanity to be vaccinated”. Conspiracy theory — a model of manipulative communication, designed to deny the prevailing view of a particular phenomenon, process or figure. The nature of the emergence and spread of conspiracy concepts in modern mass communication discourse is shown. In particular, the connection between conspiracy theory and cognitive dissonance, information invasion and propaganda has been established. One of the most active and determined adherents of this conspiracy is the American blogger, media consultant, former journalist Olena Nikitska. On the example of hers conspiracy videos on her YouTube channel, the key arguments of the aforementioned conspiracy theory are shown, as well as manipulative techniques for its announcement. In this video, the position of the conspiracy theorist is based on three statements: 1) There are not so many patients with Covid-19, and the statistics are greatly overestimated. 2) 5G towers are harmful, and this is proven by experts. 3) Those who will not be vaccinated will be severely restricted. Among such techniques, the author analyzed: cutting a multimedia message in the right place, shifting emphasis in discourse, categorically stating assumptions, whipping up irrational (religious) fear. In the conclusions was shown leveling of the status of the expert and fast trust of masses to any, even the most bizarre, interpretations are the main communicative trends of today.

Scientific communication in library and information sphere

The recent transformations in scientific communication are reviewed. These changes are owing to information and communication technologies increasingly used by scientific community. The main trends in the “Big Science” scientific communication are specified. The developing system of book and periodical publishing, scientific events, scientific schools and invisible colleges is discussed. The institution of peer reviewing is described. Presentation of library and information scientific publications in international science citation databases is characterized. Main features of scientific schools and invisible colleges within library and information science under the circumstances of wide use of information and communication technologies are defined. The conclusions are made on the status of scientific communications and communications between researchers and practitioners. The modern digital communication channels enable to enhance the interaction and to apply research findings to the library and information sphere which, in its turn, will support greater transparency and visibility of scientific activities and research and their intensive use by professional community.

Hybrid cardiac rehabilitation program as a potential enhancer of adherence to cardiac rehabilitation in smoking patients with coronary heart disease - a retrospective single-centre analysis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has well known beneficial effects on physical capacity, health-related quality of life, morbidity and mortality following an acute cardiac event. It is also known that smoking status is a powerful predictor of recurrent cardiovascular disease events. However, it has been noted that smoker patients may be less likely to access or complete CR. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of anxiety and depression and its improvement, depending on the smoking status of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) on phase 2 of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (CRP). Additionally, we intend to investigate the mental health impact on smoker patients" group in conventional CR versus telemonitored CR. A retrospective study was conducted and patients in CRP between 2017 and 2020 were included. Patient selection and information collection were obtained through medical records. The outcomes of anxiety and depression were evaluated through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 for non-smokers or ex-smokers and group 2 for smokers. For group 2 patients, a sub-analysis was performed for patients following the conventional CR versus the telemonitored CR, with the use of MOVIDA mobile application. Variables were analysed in the beginning (T0) and in the end (T1) of phase 2, around 3 months after. Group comparisons tests and statistical analysis were performed using SPSS software v25.0. A p-value less than 0.05 is statistically significant. We analysed 107 patients, which 93 of these were assiduous and 69 concluded the phase 2 of CRP: 39 patients in group 1 and 30 patients in group 2. Two groups have similar baseline characteristics, except for the higher presence of diabetes (p = 0.02) in group 1. It was noted an improvement in both anxiety and depression items for group 1 (p < 0.01 for both), but only for anxiety item for group 2 (p = 0.03). In subgroup analysis, we observed no improvement for smoking patients following the conventional CR for both anxiety and depression items (p = 0.60 and p = 0.71, respectably) versus a significant difference in telemonitored CR patients (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04). We hypothesise that, when compared to conventional CR, cardiac telemonitored exercise using modern communication methods may result in an improved mental health state among smoking patients, which can lead to a better adherence for CRP. Further studies including more patients and phase 3 of CRP are needed to confirm these results.

Connecting and being connected: investigating friending practices across multiple social networking sites

PurposeSocial networking sites (SNSs) offer people the possibility of maintaining larger networks of social ties, which also entails more complex relationship maintenance across multiple platforms. Whom to “friend” and via which platform can involve complex deliberations. This study investigates the relationships between users' perceived friending affordances of five popular SNSs (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and LinkedIn) and their friending behaviors concerning strong ties, weak ties (existing and latent ties) and parasocial ties.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey using Qualtrics was provided to participants (N = 626) through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). The survey asked their SNS use and their friending behaviors with different ties on each of the sites.FindingsUsers' friending decisions are dependent on an interplay of socio-technical affordances of each SNS and specific needs for the ties. The authors found that the affordances of bridging social capital and enjoyment are aligned with friending weak and parasocial ties, respectively. The affordances of bonding social capital were not valued to friend strong ties.Originality/valueThe study extends the affordance and social capital literature by assessing users' perceived, contextualized SNS affordances in relation to actual communication behaviors in friending different social ties. This approach provides contextualized insights to friending decisions and practices on SNSs.

Pragmalinguistic Concepts of the Phenomenon of Speech Behavior and Speech Discourse

To determine the main content of the phenomenon of human speech behaviour, substantiate the conceptual and terminological apparatus of the study and identify differences in the representation of speech behaviour from the standpoint of different linguistic trends; to define mental structures - modules, with the help of which it is possible to simulate the speech behaviour; to describe the role of such extra-linguistic phenomena as illocution, image/face, motives, emotions and individual psychological features of personality in the linguopragmatic paradigm of speech behaviour; describe speech behaviour as a system of communicative strategies. A pragmatic analysis (the study of goals, intentions, communicative actions, peculiarities of speech interaction of interactants in various communicative situations); discourse analysis (consideration of the act of communication in connection with its form, function, situational and socio-cultural conditionality; linguistic modelling(in singling outmodes and models of speech behaviour); analysis and synthesis, generalization and extrapolation of the obtained conclusions to a wider range of phenomena, contextual, communicative and sociolinguistic analysis of the text. The study of speech behaviour from the position of linguopragmatics allowed to deeper comprehend not only the structure of interaction between interactants but also the mechanisms of realization of their intentions in the process of communication. The study of speech behaviour from the positions of linguopragmatics allowed to deeper comprehend not only the structure of interaction between interactants but also the mechanisms of realization of their intentions in the process of communication. In the future, the results of the study can be used in cross-cultural studies to identify the features of communicative consciousness and related speech behaviour of representatives of the Uzbek and Russian linguocultural community.

Cryptography in Cloud Computing

Cryptography is a key element in establishing trust and enabling services in the digital world. It is represented in a ways that are not accessible to human users. Hence, humans are left out the trust and security in the digital world. Cryptography is necessary in modern communication protocols and to many digital services. A primitive or protocol should be defined to reach the security goal. Beside the introduction part this paper represents the types of cryptography, algorithm of cryptography and techniques of cryptography and the interaction between Government and cryptography.

Cryptography in Cloud Computing

Cryptography is a key element in establishing trust and enabling services in the digital world. It is represented in a ways that are not accessible to human users. Hence, humans are left out the trust and security in the digital world. Cryptography is necessary in modern communication protocols and to many digital services. A primitive or protocol should be defined to reach the security goal. Beside the introduction part this paper represents the types of cryptography, algorithm of cryptography and techniques of cryptography and the interaction between Government and cryptography.

Understatement and Overstatement as Objects of Linguoculturological Analysis

The research is devoted to the study of understatement and overstatement as linguocultural categories that reflect the peculiarities of the national British character and play a special role in situations of intercultural communication. The author considers understatement as a communicative non-positivity, which consists in non-directness, subjectivity, pessimism, non-categoricity, indirection, manifested in motivational speech acts, as well as in all communication situations where the interests of the interlocutor are affected. Overstatement is defined as communicative attractiveness, which implies emotivity, hyperbolized evaluativeness, optimism and informality (democracy), which are characteristic of expressive speech acts. The content of these linguocultural categories is a system of ritualized strategies of communicative behavior (verbal and nonverbal) aimed at harmonious, conflict-free communication and compliance with cultural traditions and norms in interactive communication. The generalization of strategies of understatement and overstatement in the speech of an Englishman reveals not only his strategic intentions, but also the subtle mechanism of interpersonal communication in the British linguoculture.

INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGY WITH COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Today’s society is technology motivated and the educational institutions call for new pedagogical ideas. An education process over hauling is needed in all aspects of education like curriculum improvement, teaching learning aspect, assessment, evaluation procedures, etc. One of the basic requirements for education in the future is to prepare learners for participation in a network, information society in which knowledge will be the most critical resource for social and economic development. Computer - Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is one of the most promising innovations to improve teaching and learning with the help of modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Research on collaborative learning and the use of information and communication technologies has been integrated in the research area called Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). Collaborative technology refers to specific technological support for collaboration built into computer networks. Such collaborative technology in connection with corresponding pedagogical practices is usually called CSCL environment. Collaborative learning is very important in achieving critical thinking. Individuals are able to achieve higher levels of learning and retain more information when they work in group rather than individually. The knowledge of English has become a prime factor for a nation’s development as well as an individual’s development. The present paper highlights the distinction made between the collaborative use of technology and collaborative technology for teaching English to undergraduate students.

The Wheel of Change Moves On: Assessing the Severity of Stalking Behavior.

Stalking is a significant social issue. The inconsistency as to what defines stalking has resulted in the creation of different methods to measure the crime. However, there has been minimal work done that assesses the severity of individual stalking behaviors. The aim of the present study was to assess the level of stalking behavior in terms of severity within a randomly selected sample of 924 cases from the database of the National Stalking Helpline. Item response theory analyses were used to assist in developing a scale that displays the ranking order of each stalking behavior. These analyses were also used to examine whether the stalking behavioral items created a single continuum of severity of stalking. Results indicated that 16 stalking behavioral items of the 28 items present in the National Stalking Helpline, best represented the severity of stalking. Unwanted communication behaviors such as text messages and phone calls were located at the lower end of the severity scale, whereas criminal damage and death threats were mapped on the higher end of the continuum. The findings also revealed that the 16 items categorized under 6 factors. The findings of the present study provide many implications for stalking agency professionals and criminal justice responses.