Friendly Communication Research Articles

Assessment of the Effect of Information Access on Emotional Well-Being of the Elderly in Ibadan

The objective of the study is to assess the effect of information access on emotional well-being among the elderly presented at the Geriatric Center, University College Hospital, Ibadan. The study used a descriptive survey research to retrieve information from the purposively selected 186 respondents attending the Geriatric Centre. Structured questionnaire was used to retrieve information from the respondents after obtaining ethical approval from the hospital research ethics committee. The result was analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) which revealed that, there was a significant effect of print media on the emotional well-being of the elderly at the Geriatric Center, University College Hospital, Ibadan. Internet access had significant effect on the emotional well-being of the elderly at the Geriatric Center, University College Hospital, Ibadan. Also, access to audio-visual had significant effect on the emotional well-being of the elderly at the Geriatric Center, University College Hospital, Ibadan. The multiple regression analysis showed that, audio-visual contributed the most to the emotional well-being of the elderly (s=0.402; t=6.788; p<0.05).Followed by Print-media (s=0.216 t =5.150; p<0.05) and then by Internet access (s=0.211 t=2.300; p<0.05). Recommendations include development of age appropriate production of adult friendly Information Education Communication (IEC) materials. Specialized training in communication skills for Geriatric medical social workers, nurses and physicians to flexibly work in a culturally sensitive environment will enhance promotion dignity and worth of elderly patients presented in hospitals.

Efficacy of patient discharge instructions: A pointer toward caregiver friendly communication methods from pediatric emergency personnel.

Background:Discharge instructions are vital in postemergency patient care to help the caregiver understand the diagnosis and identify symptoms which require prompt readmission. In general, oral or written instructions are provided on discharge. However, there is a dearth of information on the efficacy of discharge instructions provided by physicians in KSA.Objectives:To evaluate the efficacy of discharge instructions for postpediatrics emergency visit.Materials and Methods:This observational cross-sectional survey conducted in the Department of Paediatric Emergency at King Abdul Aziz Medical City, Riyadh, KSA, included 173 literate adult caregivers who had given their consent. Those who had been on admission earlier and been discharged from the emergency department were excluded. Demographic data and variables like knowledge of medicine and treatment follow-up were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 16.Results:Verbal only, written only, or both verbal and written discharge instructions were provided. Written and verbal instructions, when provided together, were the most effective modes of communication with caregivers. The majority of the respondents were unaware of the follow-up plan (64.16%), unable to identify problems that would necessitate a follow-up (58.96%), and unable to identify the signs and symptoms that would require a revisit (62.43%) irrespective of the mode of instruction. However, more attention is necessary because of the 34.68% of the subjects who left the hospital without discharge instructions.Conclusions:Instructions given both verbally and in writing were observed to be more effective than verbal only or written only. The effectiveness of discharge instructions was highly influenced by the level of education of the caregivers. Improved caregiver friendly methods of communication from the pediatric emergency health-care team are necessary for the delivery of discharge instructions.

A Critical Review of Machine Loading Problem in Flexible Manufacturing System

Production planning is the foremost task for manufacturing firms to deal with, especially adopting Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) as the manufacturing strategy for production seeking an optimal balance between productivity-flexibility requirements. Production planning in FMS provides a solution to problems regarding part type selection: machine grouping, production ratio, resource allocation and loading problem. These problems need to be solved optimally for maximum utilization of resources. Optimal solution to these problems has been a focus of attention in production and manufacturing, industrial and academic research since a number of decades. Evolution of new optimization techniques, software, technology, machines and computer languages provides the scope of a better optimal solution to the existing problems. Thus there remains a need of research to solve the problem with latest tools and techniques for higher optimal use of available resources. As an objective, the researchers need to reduce the computational time and cost, complexity of the problem, solution approach viz. general or customized, better user friendly communication with machine, higher freedom to select the desired objective(s) type(s) for optimal solution to the problem. As an approach to the solution to the problem, a researcher first needs to go for an exhaustive literature review, where the researcher needs to find the research gaps, compare and analyze the tools and techniques used, number of objectives considered for optimization and need, and scope of research for the research problem. The present study is a review paper analyzing the research gaps, approach and techniques used, scope of new optimization techniques or any other research, objectives considered and validation approaches for loading problems of production planning in FMS.

Using Electronic Interaction as an Educational Support Tool in Higher Education: Students’ Perception on using M-Learning and the Lecturers’ Reflections

Teaching and learning in higher education must be transformed to give support to the new generation of “digital native” students. Students depend on their mobile phones to do almost everything. The purpose of this research is to determine the perception of students on using mobile phones as an educational supporting tool and discusses higher education challenges and benefits of using electronic communication as an educational supporting tool. Most students use their mobile phones daily and they enjoy the technology that mobile phones offer them. The research was conducted at Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Ekurhuleni Campus. The findings of the research indicate that electronic communication will have a positive impact. Currently, more students have access to mobile phones than computers. Mobile phones can thus be considered an enabling technology in supporting learning and teaching. This research has provided a basis for VUT and other higher learning institutions’ academic leaders to start the discussion and the possibility of introducing the use of m-learning in adult education. With the increasing use of electronic communication, the traditional teaching approach and interaction between the lecturer and student(s) is changing and the adoption of friendly electronic communication has become more important.

Automatic Conversion Method of the Requirements Specification Verification for CTCS Level 3

Chinese Train Control System Level 3(CTCS-3) is a typical complex cyber-physical system which connects the control center, the station and the train. In order to ensure the friendly communication between the different manufacturers equipment, the high reliability is required by the CTCS-3 system. The reliability of a system can be tested with the formal verification method and a lot of formal tools have been developed, such as SPIN, VIS and NuSMV. In this paper, we describe the modeling techniques and abstractions of the control process. The required assembly unit has been specified as extended class. The required behavior has been specified as extended state machine diagrams and translated to temporal logic properties. Then, we propose a method to simplify the steps which transfer a UML model into a formal model. Moreover, the transition can be implemented with development language, where its result-the formal model-can be run by the formal tool and return an analysis result. At last, we take the Radio Block Center (RBC) Handover of CTCS-3 as an example, and the experimental results show the validity and feasibility of this method.

Seafarer Cross-Generational Competence Skills

It was mentioned that the ability to establish a positive relationship between the members of international crews is an urgent issue. This ability influences not only the safety of navigation, but the mental health of seafarers as well. Foreign language competence is essential for the resolution of this problem. Successful everyday communication of seafarers depends on a number of factors: the awareness of cross-cultural, religious and cross-generational differences will help establish a friendly communication onboard a ship with an international crew. This paper presents a study on cross-generational communication of future seafarers. Our study empirically proved that the ability of mutual communication between different age groups facilitates the establishment of friendly relationships onboard a ship. A psychological insight into the peculiarities of different generations helped us see the process of communication of seafarers in a new light. We outlined the main values of different generations, allowing the students to learn the preferred topics of everyday communication. In our opinion, the results of this study may be used by lecturers of maritime educational establishments in the scope of the course Psychology and English language.

Comfort of the patient's family in an Intensive Care Unit related to welcoming

This study aimed to identify the level of comfort of families of patients in a critical health condition related to the welcoming practices performed by the hospital staff. Interviews were conducted with 250 relatives in hospitals of the state Bahia, using a Likert scale. Data were analyzed as percentages and quartiles. For nine of the 12 statements of the scale, most relatives scored their comfort level between very and totally comfortable, median of 4,revealing kindness, tranquility and friendly communication with family members. More than half of the sample scored its level as not at all to more or less comfortable, median of 3, for statements about demonstration of interest towards the relative by the staff and flexible visiting of the patient. The necessity of greater interest of the team in the condition and needs of the family was observed. Promoting comfort from the dimension of welcoming demands interdisciplinary actions grounded in humanistic philosophy, in which the nurse has an important role to play.

Conforto de familiares de pessoas em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva frente ao acolhimento

This study aimed to identify the level of comfort of families of patients in a critical health condition related to the welcoming practices performed by the hospital staff. Interviews were conducted with 250 relatives in hospitals of the state Bahia, using a Likert scale. Data were analyzed as percentages and quartiles. For nine of the 12 statements of the scale, most relatives scored their comfort level between very and totally comfortable, median of 4,revealing kindness, tranquility and friendly communication with family members. More than half of the sample scored its level as not at all to more or less comfortable, median of 3, for statements about demonstration of interest towards the relative by the staff and flexible visiting of the patient. The necessity of greater interest of the team in the condition and needs of the family was observed. Promoting comfort from the dimension of welcoming demands interdisciplinary actions grounded in humanistic philosophy, in which the nurse has an important role to play.

Communicating with Children in Healthcare Settings

Children are vulnerable to experiencing stress during clinic visits and hospitalization. Children process information differently than adults due to their cognitive abilities and communication skills. There is paucity of literature on the subject of communicating with children in pediatric settings in India. This article highlights the developmental and theoretical principles which underscore the need for communicating directly with children about their healthcare experiences. Understanding the ongoing interactional influences of developmental perceptions, stress, coping, information processing, parental role, psychological preparation, and the child rights perspective may reinforce the necessity for pediatric caregivers to develop attitudes and skills to communicate with children and their family members in an inclusive and supportive manner. A brief overview of elements influencing the communication process is provided. Practical recommendations for developmentally appropriate, child friendly communication techniques while respecting children's right to participation and expression are highlighted. Collaborating with parents and child development professionals, as well as using relevant educational programs could facilitate clearer child focused communication. Incorporating effective communication practices in pediatric settings could improve the focus on children's holistic health and wellbeing.

A reply to “Sonographic assessment of the retroperitoneal position of the third portion of the duodenum: an indicator of normal intestinal rotation”

Sir, With interest I noticed your recent online publication of “Sonographic assessment of the retroperitoneal position of the third portion of the duodenum: an indicator of normal intestinal rotation” [1]. I wish to congratulate you in furthering the use of US as the first imaging test to diagnose or exclude malrotation and on validating our previous works [2–4]. Furthermore, your contribution decisively alleviated the concerns and responded to the reservations that were expressed in an editorial regarding our original contribution [5] and proved them to be unwarranted. In this friendly communication, I wish to express my concerns about how my views have been misrepresented in your article and reiterate my reservations regarding Dr. Taylor’s paper [6] because they have not been accurately reflected by you as they were originally enumerated in the letter to the editor [7]. In your paper you stated the following: “Recently, Taylor [6] reviewed abdominal CTs in 100 normal subjects and in 38 children with surgically proven malrotation and demonstrated the position of the D3 between the SMA and the aorta in all studies of normally rotated gut without any false-positive findings. In his group of 38 children with surgically proven malrotation, only one had a normally positioned D3. We fully agree with Yousefzadeh’s [7] expressed reservations regarding the use of CT.” My reservations [7] did not question the wisdom of using CT or its value in diagnosing or excluding malrotation as your statement indicates. For sure, the language suggests that I have disagreed with the use of CT in diagnosis of malrotation. On the contrary, CT, like any other crosssectional imaging modality, i.e. US and MRI, is an excellent and fully trustworthy modality to demonstrate the retromesenteric D3. In fact, this was first published in the adult CT literature 12 years ago and was appropriately referenced in my initial and follow-up publications [2–4]. My reservations [7] pointed to the inaccuracies of Dr. Taylor [6] in presenting his data regarding his single alleged false-negative case, which was addressed in detail in my letter to the editor [7], to the editorial board of Pediatric Radiology and to Dr. George Taylor himself in person. Once again, I want to congratulate you for your efforts and your major contribution, and respectfully request you correct your incorrect representation of my viewpoints and reservations.

License Renewal of Mobile Phone Services: What a Country Should Not Do (A Case Study of Bangladesh)

This paper identifies the major challenges behind the poor performance of the telecommunications licensing regime in Bangladesh. Moreover it explores the negative consequences this emerging economy has to endure in both short and long term future, primarily due to the uncertainties created by the incumbent regulator in mobile phone service renewal process. Mobile telephony is considered to be one of the key enablers for the present Bangladeshi government’s vision of a connected and equitable society. In reality, the uncertain, non-transparent, and arbitrary nature of the license renewal process for 2G mobile services has severely hindered any significant market growth. According to the telecom experts, service authorization and continuation of any communication services need to be consistent with the competitive market environment to ensure maximum benefit for the population the providers cater to. Telecom license assignment and renewal process need to encourage long term investment and minimize the risk of service disruption for the general populace. The situation becomes even more critical when the regulators are required to consider the imminent transition from older to newer services (e.g. , 2G to 3G transition). This paper’s comparative analysis of Bangladesh’s license renewal scenario with the best practices worldwide has helped to show the main bottlenecks of this country’s telecom regulatory process. In person interviews have been conducted with the primary stakeholders to further explore the impacts of poor and uncertain renewal regulations on communication infrastructure, service innovation, and financial investments. Our research have identified high risk of having a stagnated service industry, low foreign investments, and stalled environment for technological innovation as some of the main consequences due to the absence of a responsible regulatory framework for license assignment and renewal. In order to address the challenges identified, the paper has proposed a set of recommendations which can help the Bangladeshi regulator in not repeating the same mistakes again in coming years, and can be used as a learning experience for countries facing similar challenges. Transparent license process, long term and predictable licensing regulations, technology neutrality, provision for secondary spectrum markets, and spectrum refarming are some of the major ways identified by this research, which should help Bangladesh to overcome its present regulatory challenges and establish a stable, pro-competition, and people friendly communication licensing environment.

The role of educational institutions in globalising language towards sustainable hospitality/tourism development

In this paper, we address the issue of globalising language in the hospitality/tourism industry, as one of the key ingredients of sustainable development. English is and has been considered as the lingua franca of business, which is acceptable worldwide, and thus, it needs to be promoted as the medium of communication especially in the tourism/hospitality industry. Travellers/tourists often prefer to visit a country where communication is not a problem. Unfortunately, the language barrier is still one of the priority concerns of the hospitality/tourism industry, particularly in some Asian non–English speaking countries. A home/hotel/restaurant/tourist spot/school/office/village/nation that is friendly communication–wise has always that charm of enticing visitors/guests to come back. Guests that keep on coming back imply repeat business, which ultimately would add figures into the bottom line. Globalising language may help to eliminate the issue of language barriers, and thus help to promote the hospitality/tourism industry.

Listening and Communication Styles of Undergraduate Occupational Therapy Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Listening and communication are two critical aspects of positive relationships. In the context of health care, they have been found to have a positive impact on many aspects of client care, including patient satisfaction, emotional wellbeing, and functional and physiological status. However, little is understood about the specific listening and communication styles exhibited by students enrolled in the health-related disciplines, including occupational therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the listening and communication styles of undergraduate occupational therapy students. Method: This was a cross-sectional study of 210 students (response rate of 95.5%) enrolled in a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) course, who completed paper-based versions of the Listening Styles Profile (LSP) and the Communicator Style Measure (CSM). Both the LSP and CSM are valid and reliable measures. Results: Participants reported a strong preference for the People listening style and the Friendly and Attentive communication styles. A moderate preference was also shown for the Content listening style. There were only two minor differences between participants enrolled in the different year levels of the BOT course, and only minor differences between the male and female students. Conclusion: The participants' reported preferences are well suited for the role of occupational therapy. The findings suggest that occupational therapy students exhibit a disposition towards listening and communication styles that are indicative of an underlying interest in the care and welfare of others and which are traits of the ‘helping, people-oriented’ professions. The implications of these findings are that it is important to consider the listening and communication styles of occupational therapy students during their professional education and while completing practice placement education.

ENGLISH

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and use of social networking sites by the students of Calicut University, Kerala. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from a representative sample of 150 students. The study found that a majority of the students were aware of social networking sites and use these sites for friendly communication. Orkut was the most popular and used social networking site than Facebook and MySpace. A number of students visited social networking sites twice a week and always send scraps and meet new friends. Though the students indicated that lack of security and privacy are the main concerns of social networking sites, a majority of them used their real names and photoes in their profiles. http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/djlit.31.4.1109

Greenways: a sustainable leisure experience concept for both communities and tourists

This paper reviews the development of greenways/car-free trails as an alternative environmentally friendly communication system and assesses their strengths and weaknesses. It gives the results of a questionnaire survey of 1261 users along a 106-km greenway in Spain linking the Pyrenees with the Mediterranean Sea. Unlike previous studies, sampling was random and unequal probabilities of selection were properly accounted for. The results show a complex range of user profiles, tourist and non-tourist, their perceptions of the trail and some of the direct and indirect impacts of the greenway on the communities through which it passes. Management recommendations flowing from the survey are presented with the aim of increasing the use of accommodation services and businesses in the towns and villages near the greenway and helping create a more sustainable tourism system. The paper illustrates the potential importance of greenways in a future low-carbon tourism strategy adapting to climate change.

KİŞİSEL GELİŞİM KİTAPLARININ ELEŞTİREL BİR DEĞERLENDİRMESİ

Various approaches that focused on communication skills have become influential in today’s world. Education for developing communication skills has turned out to be an indivisible part of adult education. These approaches which handles communication within the framework of interpersonal communication makes narrower the content of communication.In spite of this, this “new” communication approaches which is also dominant in the personal development literature claims that its approach to communication is equalitarian, participatory, democratic, human-oriented, new, qualitative and supports free, open and friendly communication. This study investigates the validity of these claims by examining the guide books.

Traditional Churches of Ukraine in the System of International Interreligious Dialogue

International inter-religious dialogue is one of the directions of modern foreign policy of any church. Until recently, the latter was determined by narrow church interests. Due to the changes taking place in the religious sphere, in particular its globalization, which itself responds to the challenges of today, the field of external interests of the church extends to single-religious (say, the danger of non-religious proselytism) or even all-religious (for example, shared threat) clean water or planetary warming). Therefore, the list of tasks defined as elements of the church's international activity includes not only spiritual guardianship and protection of their believers abroad, missionary work among unbelievers and non-believers, pastoral visits to the diaspora, but also friendly communication with the brotherly churches, contacts with theologians spiritual leaders of other religions, consultations with prominent statesmen and public figures, scholars, politicians, representation in international interreligious associations, etc.

Mining Association Rules from TV Watching Log for TV Program Recommendation

This paper proposes a method for extracting association rules from users’ TV watching logs, aiming at TV program recommendation. In Japan, a TV is usually located in a living room, where family members communicate each other while watching the same TV programs. Based on the choice of TV channels and conversation while watching TV, we can estimate other person’s interests and preference, which is a basis for establishing friendly relationship between others. Therefore, giving the robot a capability of recommending TV program will contribute to establish friendly communication with human partners. Furthermore, transition to digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) will bring us difficulty in finding TV program worth watching from a number of TV channels in near future. Therefore, a method for recommending TV programs will be one of the most important technologies for realizing intelligent support of our daily lives, such as a partner robot. The proposed method extracts association rules from user profiles that are generated from their TV watching logs, based on which TV programs are recommend to a target user. In order to have extensibility in terms of information resource for generating user profile, the method employs a user profile of commonly-used bookmark format. When association rules are extracted from a set of the profiles, generalization law is introduced so that variety of users’ behaviors can be reduced. Experiments are performed with actual users’ logs, and the result shows the generalization law contributes to increase the accuracy of TV program recommendation.

Dental students interacting with dental nurses: an investigation of the role of gender and ethnicity in inter-professional communication and working styles

To examine the influence of dental students' gender and ethnicity on their perceptions of dental nurses' duties and upon their communication and working styles when interacting with dental nurses (DNs). A survey of clinical dental students attending Queen's University Belfast and University of Leeds. Students were invited to complete the 34 item Communication and Working Styles Questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the students' perceptions of the duties of a DN and the students' communication and working styles. Factor analysis revealed two communication and working styles which were friendly and difficult styles, respectively. Two hundred and forty-eight students participated giving a response rate of 88%: 58% were female and 30% of students from Leeds were from various ethnic minority groups. The students' perceptions as to the duties of a DN were affected by university attended and ethnicity. The majority of students used friendly communication styles. The type of style used was determined by university attended, gender and ethnicity. Male students had higher mean scores for friendly working styles whereas students from minority ethnic groups had higher mean scores for gender-related communication style. Female students and students from minority ethnic groups had higher mean scores for items relating to teamwork. This survey illustrates the different communication and working styles used by male and female and dental students from different ethnic backgrounds when interacting and working with DNs.

Documentation driven development for complex real-time systems

This work presents a novel approach for development of complex real-time systems, called the documentation-driven development (DDD) approach. This approach can enhance integration of computer aided software development activities, which encompass the entire life cycle. DDD will provide a mechanism to monitor and quickly respond to changes in requirements and provide a friendly communication and collaboration environment to enable different stakeholders to be easily involved in development processes and, therefore, significantly improve the agility of software development for complex real-time systems. DDD will also support automated software generation based on a computational model and some relevant techniques. DDD includes two main parts: a documentation management system (DMS) and a process measurement system (PMS). DMS will create, organize, monitor, analyze, and transform all documentation associated with the software development process. PMS will monitor the frequent changes in requirements and assess the effort and success possibility of development. A case study was conducted by a tool set that realized part of the proposed approach.