Frequent Communication Research Articles

CAREGIVERS’ INTERACTIONS WITH HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND THEIR WELL-BEING BY RACE AND ETHNICITY AND GENERATION

Abstract Black and Hispanic family caregivers often face higher levels of care demands than White caregivers, due to factors such as limited resources, cultural differences, and systemic and structural inequalities. Family caregivers from different generations (Baby Boomer vs. Generation X & Millennial ) may approach and experience caregiving process and its health effects to a different extent. Caregivers often interact with healthcare providers on behalf of their care recipients, and these experiences can vary based on caregiver background (race and ethnicity and generation). The current study aimed to explore these interactions and their impact on caregivers’ well-being using nationally representative data from the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC, round 11 (N=1,455; 418 Black caregivers, 926 Non-Hispanic White caregivers, and 111 Hispanic caregivers)). Most caregivers were adult children (70%) and female (70%), with approximately 68% were from the baby boomer generation. While Black and Hispanic caregivers were significantly less likely than White caregivers to communicate with medical providers (χ2(df=2)=12, p<.001), baby boomer caregivers provided more assistance with speaking to medical providers than caregivers from younger generations (χ2(df=1)=4, p<.05). Our regression results indicate that Hispanic caregivers who had more frequent communication with medical professionals reported more depressive symptoms and poorer health, while Black caregivers who rarely communicated with providers reported worse outcomes. Future research should examine the nature and quality of these interactions with healthcare providers to improve caregivers’ well-being.

INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY AND FILIAL PIETY PERCEIVED BY OLDER ADULTS IN RURAL CHINA

Abstract Filial piety—the obligation of adult children to serve and honor older parents—is a fundamental value in Chinese society. This study explores how dimensions of intergenerational solidarity influence parents’ evaluations of their children’s filial piety. Data derive from 1473 respondents reporting about 4000 relationships in the 2021 wave of the Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province China. Strength of filial piety was assessed for each adult child along with other aspects of the relationship. Random effects ordinal logistic regression predicted parents’ perceptions that their children fulfilled expectations of filial piety based on geographic proximity, financial support, and emotional support. Findings indicate that parents consider children who live with them as most filial, and they view residentially independent children who live farther away as less filial. However, financial support from more distant children raises perceptions that these children are meeting expectations of filial piety. In addition, having more frequent contact with distant children strengthens perceptions of them as being filial. Results suggest that weak filial piety perceived by older parents of their more geographically distant children in rural China—an area characterized by high rates of internal migration—is compensated by financial transfers and frequent communication. As research shows that filial piety perceptions are important to the well-being of older adults in Chinese populations, threats to its decline due to forces of modernization and any adverse consequences may be overcome by forms of intergenerational solidarity that involve contributions of money and time by children to their older parents.

CONTACT FREQUENCY WITH CHILDREN FOLLOWING RELOCATION LATER IN LIFE: DO CONTACT MODES AND PROXIMITY TO A CHILD MATTER?

Abstract Contact with children is an important source of support for older adults. It is not clear if relocation and proximity to a child affect in-person communication as well as telephone, email, and social media contact between older parents and children. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (2014-2018: N=3,332) we examined changes in communication frequencies between parents who either stayed or relocated in the last 4 years and potentially changed their close proximity to a child. We found differential effects of relocation on contact frequency depending on contact modes and proximity. Regarding in-person contact, unadjusted and adjusted linear regressions revealed older adults were less likely to meet up with their children regardless of the distance moved when a child was not nearby. In contrast to stayers, movers with proximity to a child were more likely to meet up with their children (adj. β=0.50, p ≤0.001). We found the same trend for telephone and email contact frequency. Movers with proximity to a child were more likely to have telephone (adj. β=0.17,p=0.034) and email contact (adj. β=0.33, p=0.023). Unlike other types of contact modes, social media contact frequency was not influenced by relocation or child proximity. While older adults tend to constrict their relationships, this trend is not applicable to every older adult. In the social convey model, situational characteristics (e.g., relocation) is considered, and heterogeneity in social relations in later life can be explained.

HOME CARE DYADIC COMMUNICATION PATTERNS OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS AND PERSONS LIVING WITH DEMENTIA: SEQUENTIAL ANALYSIS

Abstract Examining temporal relationships of communication patterns between family caregivers and persons living with dementia (care recipients) is useful to determine which caregiver communication patterns are more effective in engaging care recipients and prioritize the use of such communication patterns. This study examined temporal relationships between antecedent family caregiver communication and subsequent care recipient communication during 75 in-home care video observations. A 5-second timed-window analysis was conducted to examine the likelihood of the relationships between dyadic communication patterns. Joint frequency and conditional probability statistics demonstrated that care recipients used the same communication patterns at differing frequencies during and within a 5-second window following each communication pattern by family caregivers. Dyadic communication patterns yielded likelihood probabilities with an effect size greater than chance (Yule’s Q = 0.31-1.00). Care recipient’s engaging body language most likely occurred after the caregiver’s facilitative body language preceded (Yule’s Q = 0.31-.1.00). Care recipient’s relevant communication and verbal response most likely occurred after the caregiver’s simplified message preceded (Yule’s Q = 0.55-1.00). Specific caregiver facilitative communication exhibited subsequent care recipient engaging communication. Future research can expand on how characteristics, types, and frequencies of caregiver communication would impact care recipient engaging communication.

A New Internet of Things Hybrid VLC/RF System for m-Health in an Underground Mining Industry.

This paper proposes a new system based on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for the monitoring of Mobile Health (m-Health) of workers in the underground mining industry. The proposed architecture uses a hybrid model in data transmission. Visible Light Communication (VLC) is used for downlink because of its narrow coverage, which aids in worker positioning. Radio frequency (RF) communication technology is used to send data for primary vital signs in the uplink, which is more efficient in transmission and is a viable solution according to the problem raised. The results obtained in terms of coverage and transmission for the downlink and uplink links show the feasibility of implementing the proposed system.

Evolución de la percepción de la cultura de seguridad de los profesionales sanitarios en una urgencia pediátrica

Background and aimSafety culture (SC) is a fundamental tool for minimizing adverse events and improving safety and quality of care. Our objective, therefore was to analyze the evolution of the SC of healthcare professionals in a pediatric emergency department (PED) after the implementation of a risk management system for patient safety based on the UNE:EN:ISO 179003 Standard and the execution of new safe practices for Joint Commission International accreditation. At the same time describe the current strengths and weaknesses. MethodsQuasi-experimental, single-center study. All PED professionals participated in the study. An initial measurement of SC was performed through the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) questionnaire of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality adapted to Spanish in 2014. Pro-patient safety strategies were implemented between 2015 and 2022. A subsequent measurement was performed in 2022. ResultsThe response rate in 2014 was 55% and 78% in 2022. On both occasions the group with the highest participation was nurses with 35.1% and 34.8%, respectively.Five dimensions improved after the interventions: frequency of adverse events (25.2%, p<0.001), organizational learning (25%, p<0.001), feedback and communication about errors (22.3%, p<0.001), non-punitive response to errors (6.5%, p = 0.176), and management support (4%, p = 0.333). ConclusionsThe actions carried out had a positive influence on organizational learning and the frequency of adverse events reported and communication within the team. In contrast, the perception of SC did not increase.

Recruitment Barriers of an mHealth Pediatric Asthma Pilot Study.

Successful participant recruitment for pediatric studies can be challenging and even result in study discontinuation. In conducting a 2-year pilot study for a pediatric mobile health (mHealth) asthma intervention, a group of researchers experienced multiple barriers and failures in all 4 areas of recruitment: generating initial contacts, screening, consenting, and enrollment and retention. The main failures that resulted in minimal participant enrollment were poor participation, communication issues, and difficulties related to recruiting in an emergency department during a pandemic. The following is a report on this study's recruitment efforts, including preliminary and adapted strategies, the results of these strategies, and considerations for researchers who conduct studies with children. The research team concluded that frequent and clear communication, flexibility, and a willingness to alter initial recruitment plans are essential elements for recruitment success in pediatric studies.

Neural adaptive predefined-time formation tracking control of multiple Euler–Lagrange systems with switching topologies based on hierarchical mechanism

This paper investigates the event-triggered neural adaptive predefined-time time-varying formation tracking control (PTTVFTC) problem for multiple Euler–Lagrange systems (ELSs) with actuator failures and saturation under switching communication topologies. The hierarchical control mechanism (HCM) is employed to overcome the difficulties posed by switching communication topologies to design the control algorithms. Specifically, a new estimator is first developed in the estimator layer for each follower, which can estimate the leader’s position information within a predefined time. Then, based on the designed estimator, a fault-tolerant and anti-saturation controller is proposed in the local control layer for each follower, which enables each follower to achieve PTTVFTC. To reduce the communication frequency, an event-triggered mechanism (ETM) that does not have Zeno behavior determines the controller’s update. In addition, the settling time for formation tracking can be arbitrarily specified as desired. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed control strategy is verified by a simulation experiment.

Design and Implementation of Drive and Control System for Ultrasonic Motor over Power Line Communication

In this study, remote control application of an ultrasonic motor (USM) has been achieved over the power line communication (PLC) system. Fast, practical, affordable and effective operating mode is essential for the USM. This study aimed to develop an original, efficient, effective and economical method. Drive and control of USM control has been succeeded with the developed PLC control system. A two-phase high-frequency inverter, a power line transmitter, and a power line receiver circuits have been designed to drive and control of the ultrasonic motor. Required measurements are acquired from the power line to select the most suitable communication frequency and coupling circuit impedance for the PLC system. For the communication frequency and impedance value measurements the receiver and the transmitter circuits have been designed. The PLC-controlled system has been tested for different operating conditions of the ultrasonic motor. USM control has been accomplished over the existing power line without using extra cables and interfaces for communication. The obtained results show that the PLC-controlled system is practical, reliable, cost-effective, and feasible for the remote control of the USM. This research contributes a new and essential perspective for the PLC-based remote control studies in addition to the USM drive and control strategies.

New Digital Order and its Implications on Indian Family Relationships

The extensive adoption of mobile devices in India has revolutionized family communication patterns, presenting new dynamics and challenges. This study investigates the role of mobile communication in various aspects of family relationships, including parent-child interactions, marital relationships, and intergenerational dynamics. The aim is to see the evolving landscape of family relations in the digital era on family communication patterns, psychological well-being, and social connectedness. Mobile devices facilitate frequent and convenient communication, allowing family members to stay connected despite physical distances. It has also been observed to increase monitoring and supervision by parents, which may positively influence parent-child relationships. However, excessive mobile usage and dependency may lead to neglect of face-to-face interactions, resulting in reduced family interactions and communication. It is essential to explore the potential consequences of excessive mobile usage and identify strategies to promote healthy mobile communication practices within Indian families. The researcher conducted ten semi-structured interviews in a suburban housing society in Mumbai suburbs with similar socioeconomic strata. The aim was to know more about how mobile phones affect family communications. Qualitative grounded theory analysis was used to find themes and interpret results. (Creswell, 2013) The study explores the role of mobile communication in family relationships, emphasizing the need for effective management of mobile device usage within households. Setting time limits, boosting digital literacy, and encouraging family activities offline are among tactics that could help lessen the detrimental effects of mobile communication on family dynamics. Furthermore, understanding the cultural context of Indian families is crucial, as it can influence the adoption and interpretation of mobile technology within familial relationships. The research concludes that the role of mobile communication and usage in Indian family relations is a complex and multifaceted process. While mobile devices offer convenience and connectivity, their impact on family dynamics must be considered. This research abstract highlights the need for further investigation into the effects of mobile communication on different aspects of family relationships in the Indian context.

해외거주 유아를 위한 스마트폰 앱 활용 가정 연계 한국어교육 실행연구

Objectives The purpose was to explore the changes experienced by parents and young children residing overseas through examining the execution process of Korean language education with a focus on smartphone app uti-lization and fostering home-school connections.&#x0D; Methods Following Elliot's (1991) action research model, a 15-week Korean language education program was conducted for ten preschoolers and their parents at a Korean school in City B, State A, USA. Data were collected through observations of children's behavior and language during class, parent-child interactions, teacher-parent conferences, peer teacher workshops, and Korean language proficiency assessments.&#x0D; Results In the first implementation, ‘Korean language education centered daily routines for young children’ and ‘home-school linked education encouraging parental participation through smartphone apps’ were conducted. The second implementation focused on ‘one-on-one support-based Korean language instruction’ and ‘intensive home-school linked education using portfolios’. Through these processes, the children progressed from ‘increased interest in Korean’ to ‘formation of confidence and improvement in Korean language ability’, while parents devel-oped ‘trust in Korean language schools’ and eventually ‘experienced the benefits of active participation in Korean language education’.&#x0D; Conclusions Korean language education for overseas-residing young children can facilitate emotional develop-ment, including improved self-confidence and self-identity formation, not only enhancing Korean language profi-ciency but also when communication and participation frequency with parents through home-school collabo-rations are increased.

Sparse kernel affine projection algorithm based post-distortion scheme using minimum symbol error rate criterion in visible light communication systems

Due to the capability of supporting high-speed data communication with low energy cost, visible light communication has emerged as a promising supplement to radio frequency communications. However, the inherent nonlinearity caused by the light emitting diode could distort the signal, and thus posing a challenging problem for the system performance. In order to mitigate the nonlinear effect, reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces based schemes are recently investigated, where the minimum symbol error rate (MSER) criterion is proposed as a more suitable criterion compared to the commonly used minimum mean square error (MMSE), since MSER directly optimizes the symbol error rate. In this paper, we present a new post-distortion scheme by exploiting the MSER criterion based kernel affine projection algorithm to combat the signal distortion. In addition, to avoid the linearly increased computational complexity, the surprise criterion is introduced for sparsification. Simulations are carried out to validate the performance, and the numerical results show that the proposed method can obtain remarkable performance improvement over the available algorithms.

The intrinsic defects of T cells impact the efficacy of CAR-T therapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

CAR-T cell therapy did not achieve the desired efficacy in some patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We conducted single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing as well as methylation chip profiling of peripheral blood samples in DLBCL patients. Patients who achieved complete remission (CR) showed an upward trend in T-cell levels, especially CD8-effector T cells. The responders exhibited T-cell clone expansion, more active T-cell transformation, and frequent cell communication. Highly expressed genes in the CR group were enriched in functions like leukocyte-mediated cytotoxicity and activation of immune response, while the non-CR group was enriched in pathways related to DNA damage and P53-mediated intrinsic apoptotic. More differentially methylated probes (DMPs) were identified in the baseline of the non-CR group (779 vs 350). GSEA analysis revealed that the genes annotated by DMPs were associated with cellular immune functions in T cells, including the generation of chemokines, leukocyte-mediated cytotoxicity, and cell-killing functions. The genes with low expression in the non-CR group exhibited a high methylation status. There is heterogeneity in the cellular, molecular, and epigenetic characteristics of host T cells in patients with different clinical outcomes. Intrinsic defects in T cells are important factors leading to poor efficacy of CAR-T therapy.

Social Amplification and Attenuation of Flood Risk Perception by Broadcast Media Risk Messages During the 2022 Floods in Selected Southern States in Nigeria

The study examined if the flood risk messages in broadcast media in select states in Southeast and South-south Nigeria effectively amplified risk perception that influenced community response during the 2022 flood in Southern Nigeria. Consistent with the assumptions of the social amplification and attenuation of risk framework, this study looked at the frequency of the flood risk communications, gauged whether the flood risk messages were considered credible and trusted by the communities, and ascertained the extent to which the messages increased public worries and provoked a sense of threat and response to the flood hazards. The data were gathered from 380 flood victims in 4 communities in Anambra (Southeast) and Delta (South-south) States using a descriptive survey method. The study found that the broadcast media information and warnings were credible and increased public concerns but the amplification of flood risk perception in the broadcast media were not effectual as the risk communication did not start in time and the impact of the messages was moderated by institutional, social, economic and psychological variables that affected how the communities perceived, managed and responded to the flood risk messages. The study recommended that the flood risk messages should be timely, emphasise the severity of the threat of an impending flood, and sufficiently dramatize the message and the threat..

Biodegradation of atrazine with biochar-mediated functional bacterial biofilm: Construction, characterization and mechanisms

The abuse and residue of herbicides in the black soil area had seriously affected the soil structure, function and crop growth, posing severe threats to agricultural soil environment and public health. Given the limitation of routine microbial remediation, innovative and eco-friendly functional bacterial biofilm which could adapt under adverse conditions was developed on the biochar to investigate its enhanced bioremediation and metabolic characteristics of typical herbicide atrazine. Results revealed that the atrazine degrading strain Acinetobacter lwoffii had competitive advantage in soil indigenous microorganisms and formed dense biofilms on the biochar which was beneficial to cell viability maintenance and aggregations. Metatranscriptomics and RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that the biochar-mediated biofilm improved the frequency of intercellular communications through quorum sensing and two-component signal regulation systems, and enhanced the atrazine biodegradation efficiency through horizontal gene transfer in co-metabolism mode, providing important scientific basis for the biological remediation of farmland soil non-point source pollution.

A hybrid FSO/RF communication system with DSP for long haul communication

Abstract Due to the exceptional growth in mobile data traffic, emerging mobile access networks need a lot of bandwidth and robust network architecture as a crucial solution in delivering a high capacity for support in the future. The proposed work presents a detailed investigation of hybrid free space optical/radio frequency (FSO/RF) communication system at 320 Gbps channel capacity. A digital signal processing (DSP) compensation mechanism is used in the receiver system along with circular polarization division multiplexed (CPDM) 256-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to improve system performance. Constellation diagrams have been used to measure the effectiveness of the system. The constellation diagrams which are considered for investigating the proposal are, (a) without DSP (digital signal processing), (b) with DSP without normalization and low pass filtering, (c) with DSP without carrier phase estimation (CPE) and frequency offset estimation (FOE) and (d) with DSP using normalization, low pass filtering, CPE and FOE, in FSO/RF system under clear weather, rain and haze. Effects of presence and absence of DSP in the coherent receiver have been investigated. Results show the improvement in system performance with least error vector magnitude (EVM), when DSP incorporated FSO/RF system is implemented using normalization, low pass filtering, CPE, FOE with perfect placements of symbols.

The Environmental Impacts of Radio Frequency and Power Line Communication for Advanced Metering Infrastructures in Smart Grids.

In the neighborhood area network (NAN), the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) enables a bidirectional connection between the smart meter (SM) and the data concentrator (DC). Sensors, such as smart meter nodes or environmental sensor nodes, play a crucial role in measuring and transmitting data to central units for advanced monitoring, management, and analysis of energy consumption. Wired and wireless communication technologies are used to implement the AMI-NAN. This paper delves into a novel approach for optimizing the choice of communication medium, air for radio frequency (RF) or power lines for power line communication (PLC), between the SM and DC in the context of the AMI-NAN. The authors methodically select the specific technologies, RF and NB-PLC (narrowband power line communication), and meticulously characterize their attributes. Then, a comparative analysis spanning rural, urban, and industrial settings is conducted to evaluate the proposed method. The overall reliability performance of the AMI-NAN system requires a packet error rate (PER) lower than 10%. To this end, an efficient approach is introduced to assess and enhance the reliability of NB-PLC and RF for AMI-NAN applications. Simulation results demonstrate that wireless communication is the optimal choice for the rural scenario, especially for a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) lower than 25 dB. However, in urban environments characterized by higher SNR values and moderately dense networks, NB-PLC gains prominence. In denser networks, it outperforms wireless communication, exhibiting a remarkable 10 dB gain for a bit error rate (BER) of 10-3. Moreover, in industrial zones characterized by intricate network topologies and non-linear loads, the power line channel emerges as the optimal choice for data transmission.

Periodic event-based sliding mode tracking control of Euler–Lagrange systems with dynamic triggering

In this article, we propose the design of a robust tracking controller of perturbed Euler–Lagrange systems (ELSs) based on dynamic event-triggered (DET) sliding mode control (SMC) with periodic evaluation of triggering rule. To ensure robustness, we employ the SMC technique and introduce a dynamic periodic event-triggering strategy to reduce communication frequency significantly. This strategy involves the incorporation of an auxiliary dynamic variable to formulate the event-triggering condition, leading to the generation of sparser triggering instants. An upper bound of the sampling period is also obtained in this design to facilitate the periodic assessment of the event-triggered strategy, alleviating the need for continuous verification of the event condition. This technique is more economical with respect to communication resources and practical than its continuous counterpart due to the relaxation of continuous measurements. The stability of the closed loop system is established using Lyapunov analysis within the dynamically triggered event-based SMC framework. The necessary switching gain for maintaining the stable motion of the sliding variable is derived with the help of Lyapunov analysis. The tracking error is shown to be ultimately bounded, and Zeno-behaviour is excluded to ensure finite sampling. A comparative analysis based on simulation results is included to highlight the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, especially in reducing the network usage in the transient phase of the response while achieving comparable steady-state behaviour. Ultimately, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm by simulating a two-link manipulator and experimentally implementing it with a one-link manipulator.

Intelligent-reflecting-surfaces-assisted hybrid FSO/RF communication with diversity combining: a performance analysis

Free space optics (FSO) and radio frequency (RF) communication systems exhibit complementary characteristics, with FSO being susceptible to fog, turbulence, and pointing errors, whereas RF is susceptible to rain and small scale fading. These inherent complementary characteristics between FSO and RF communication systems enable the hybrid configuration to effectively alleviate the impact of environmental impediments. This paper presents the performance analysis of an intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs)-assisted hybrid FSO/RF system under atmospheric turbulence (AT), pointing errors (PE), small scale fading effects, and attenuation due to climatic conditions such as fog, rain, etc. To characterize the AT, gamma–gamma distribution is used, and the multipath fading in the RF link is modeled using Nakagami-m distribution. At the receiver, signals from both the FSO and RF links are combined using either the selection combining (SC) or maximal-ratio combining (MRC) technique. We derive the exact closed-form expressions for outage probability and average symbol error rate (ASER) for both diversity combining schemes. The proposed system is compared with the direct link (DL) FSO system, IRSs-assisted FSO system, and hybrid FSO/RF system with diversity combining schemes. Further, the performance comparison between the SC and MRC schemes is also reported. Finally, the accuracy of the analytical expressions is verified by utilizing Monte Carlo simulations.

CLIMF2: A climatological model of the ionospheric F2 layer. Part 2: Validation and comparison with IRI

Accurate models of the ionospheric F2 layer are required for many applications dependent on the propagation of radio waves through the ionosphere, such as over-the-horizon (OTH) radar, high frequency (HF) communications, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), and low-frequency radio astronomy. CLIMF2 is a new model of the ionospheric F2 layer parameters, foF2 and hmF2, which provides the variance in these parameters as well as the median, and can be used in conjunction with IRI. Currently available climatological models are only able to provide the monthly median and so CLIMF2 represents a significant enhancement to climatological modelling of the ionosphere. An assessment of the performance of the CLIMF2 monthly median results against vertical incidence sounder (VIS) observations and a comparison against IRI are presented in this paper. The models of foF2 and hmF2 in CLIMF2 and IRI perform relatively similarly, with improvement provided by CLIMF2 especially at times around sunrise. An assessment of the CLIMF2 tenth and ninetieth percentile foF2 and hmF2 values against VIS data is also presented.