Messaging Platform Research Articles

Mandating interoperability of interpersonal communications services in an ecosystems competition context

With the adoption of Article 7 of the Digital Markets Act, the EU has taken a progressive approach to mandating horizontal interoperability of number-independent interpersonal communications services. This legislative measure addresses the structural competition challenge posed by direct network effects, which tend to lock users into established messaging platforms. However, it is not entirely clear how, if at all, the Commission should implement this interoperability mandate. To shed light on this matter, we present an ecosystems competition context where these messaging services transition into digital ecosystems to create value from user-generated data and attention. Within this context, we find interoperability mandates like Article 7 a plausible solution to the structural competition problem, although much is yet to be done to sharpen these mandates against the intricate inter-ecosystem dynamics and to empower multi-homing users in a post-interoperability world. Achieving this goal requires collaborative efforts not only from sector regulators responsible for overseeing these mandates but also from antitrust and data protection authorities.

Unpacking an online peer-mediated and self-reflective revision process in second-language persuasive writing

Online peer feedback has become prevalent in university writing classes due to the widespread use of peer learning technology. This paper reports an exploratory study of Chinese-speaking undergraduate students’ experiences of receiving and reflecting on online peer feedback for text revision in an English as a second language (L2) writing classroom at a northeastern-Chinese university. Twelve students were recruited from an in-person writing class taught in English by a Chinese-speaking instructor and asked to write and revise their English persuasive essays. The students sought online peer feedback asynchronously using an instant messaging platform (QQ), completed the revision worksheet that involved coding and reflecting on the peer feedback received, and wrote second drafts. Data included students’ first and second drafts, online peer feedback, analytic writing rubrics, revision worksheets, and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative analysis of students writing performance indicated that peer feedback led to students’ revisions produced meaningful improvements in the scores between drafts. The results of qualitative analyses suggested that: (1) the primary focus of peer feedback was content; (2) students generally followed peer feedback, but ignored disagreements with their peers; (3) students strategically asked for clarification from peers on the QQ platform when feedback was unclear or confusing while collecting information from the internet, e-dictionaries, and Grammarly; and (4) students thought they benefited from experiencing the peer-mediated revision process. Based on the results, we provide recommendations and instructional guidance for university writing instructors for scaffolding L2 students’ text revision practices through receiving and reflecting on online peer feedback.

When politics is personal: Curating safe spaces through disconnection on instant messaging platforms

ABSTRACT While existing research suggests that the closed digital spaces of Instant Messaging (IM) platforms have important democratic implications, this study examines how users actively curate such spaces through disconnection. Using a mixed-method approach within the context of Hong Kong politics after the introduction of the National Security Law (NSL), we examine the extent to which and why IM users engage in disconnective behaviors (tie dissolution, content filtration), and explain the behaviors through socio-psychological and structural factors. Statistical analysis of survey data (N = 946) shows that encountering political disagreement on IM platforms predicts disconnection, which is strengthened by fear of social isolation and perceived systemic victimhood. Thematic analysis of open-ended survey questions contextualizes these findings: Through tie dissolution, IM users regulate their own visibility and remove problematic contacts to avoid being penalized by authorities and peers. By muting disagreeable content, they turn away from contentious political discourse perceived as risky and ineffective under the NSL to focus on personal and social well-being. Overall, we argue that disconnection is a necessary means to curate safe spaces of withdrawal to cope with an uncertain and insecure political environment – it follows the logic of self-care and is a product of social and systemic threats.

Telerehabilitation of spinal cord injury in limited resources setting during COVID-19 pandemic: A case report

Link of Video Abstract: https://youtu.be/f6IaLnu3sz8 Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation is a resource-intensive and time-consuming process and this is problem in particular for patients from a rural, remote areas, or low socioeconomic backgrounds. This problem is further exacerbated by social restriction policies in place due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This case report aimed to describe how telerehabilitation could overcome these challenges Case presentation: A 20-year-old female involved in a motor vehicle accident. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated a complete burst fracture of the L1 vertebral body. The patient experiences paraplegia and loss of autonomic control. Long spine fusion was performed. After being discharged, the patient could only visit the hospital once one-month post-surgery due to personal financial reasons and COVID-19-related social distancing policy. Telerehabilitation was used for the remaining follow-ups and rehabilitation programs were monitored through instant messaging platform between the patient, the operating surgeon, and the rehabilitation specialist. Telerehabilitation using instant messaging was an affordable and practical platform of communication for patient self-reporting and monitoring of progress. With intensive telerehabilitation program, the patient’s functional abilities recovered from Frankel B to D after 6 months of following the domiciliary telerehabilitation plan. Conclusion: We report a case of satisfactory functional outcome of SCI rehabilitation following the use of instant messaging to assist the rehabilitation. This highlights that instant messaging may be utilized to guide the rehabilitation process with the consideration of other factors such as the patient's engagement and the healthcare provider’s commitment. We recommend for further refinements in the adoption and use of telerehabilitation for orthopaedic and traumatology cases that need long-term rehabilitation.

The development and use of adolescent mobile mental health (m-mhealth) interventions in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

Adult mental health challenges frequently stem from undiagnosed poor mental health earlier in life. With increasing levels of poor adolescent mental health and insufficient health care resources in low- and middle-income countries, mobile mental health may offer expanded service access. Little is known about mobile mental health interventions for adolescents in low- and middle-income countries. Our aim was to review the literature on mobile mental health intervention, development and use for low- and middle-income country adolescents. We searched APA PsycInfo, Web of Science, Psychiatry online, and Ebscohost databases using keywords and phrases. Screening of the 6953 retrieved articles, generated 6 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Arksey and O’Malley’s adapted framework was followed using rigorous inclusion criteria and screening by two reviewers. Studies showed high heterogeneity. Two studies used short message service text messaging platforms, one used phone call reminders, two used smartphone applications (WhatsApp or game-based), and one study compared different short message service, web-based and smartphone app offerings. Generally, adolescents had a positive perception of mobile mental health interventions. Helpline messages, peer group sessions, access to a counsellor and games set in real-life environments were some of the preferred contents of mobile mental health interventions. Noted barriers include low personal mobile phone ownership, leading to lack of confidentiality, data costs and limited internet access. While adolescents in low- and middle-income countries find mobile mental health interventions acceptable and supportive, challenges remain. Mobile mental health interventions can potentially overcome barriers associated with face-to-face care, such as high cost and stigma. However, more research is needed to overcome these challenges and build the evidence-base in low- and middle-income countries for this field to grow.

Human Mimic Chatbot

A Telegram bot that lets users enter a contact's name and a text file for a chat serves as the project's entry point. The bot turns the conversation data into a structured pandas dataframe after extracting it. The chatbot is then trained using the conversation data and the Microsoft Dialogue GPT model so that it can produce responses resembling those of the selected contact. The model is then deployed to the Hugging Face repository after training is finished, and users are given access to a run.py file. This Python programme interacts with WhatsApp using Selenium to keep track of new messages from the chosen contact. The chatbot concept is applied to construct an appropriate reply when a new message is received, automating the reply procedure. The project's benefits include improved productivity, tailored responses, and easy integration with well-liked messaging platforms. As the chatbot responds to incoming messages in line with the conversational style of the designated contact, users may now concentrate on their activities without the need for frequent manual engagement. The project does, however, have several drawbacks, such as its reliance on the reliability and accessibility of the offered conversation history. Future improvements might use sentiment analysis, context awareness, and advanced natural language processing techniques to overcome these restrictions and improve the effectiveness of the chatbot.

Finding Missing Person Using AI

Abstract: The paper focuses on leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, specifically Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) for image classification, along with the Python programming language and the Telegram messaging platform for real-time notifications. The objective is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of search and rescue operations by utilizing AI techniques to detect missing persons using surveillance cameras. This research aims to harness the potential of AI, particularly in facial recognition, to improve the accuracy and speed of identifying and locating missing individuals, thereby aiding in search and rescue efforts..

Addressing the Maternal Mental Health Crisis Through a Novel Tech-Enabled Peer-to-Peer Driven Perinatal Collaborative Care Model

Addressing the Maternal Mental Health Crisis Through a Novel Tech-Enabled Peer-to-Peer Driven Perinatal Collaborative Care Model

A Research Paper on Smart Farming using IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing various industries and impacting people's lives by introducing intelligent capabilities. It encompasses a network of interconnected devices that form a self-configuring system. One of the areas experiencing significant advancements through IoT is smart farming, which is reshaping traditional agricultural practices by optimizing operations and reducing costs for farmers while minimizing crop wastage. In this context, I propose a technology that can generate notifications for farmers through various platforms. This product aims to assist farmers by providing real-time data on crucial parameters such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture, UV index, and infrared radiation from their farmland. Armed with this information, farmers can make informed decisions and implement smart farming techniques to increase crop yields and conserve valuable resources such as water and fertilizers. By leveraging IoT, farmers gain access to a wealth of data from sensors strategically placed throughout their fields. These sensors continuously monitor environmental conditions, transmitting the collected information to a central hub or cloud platform. The data is then processed and analyzed, allowing farmers to receive actionable insights and alerts through different messaging platforms. For instance, the system can send instant notifications to farmers' smartphones or tablets, providing them with updates on the current status of their crops and environmental conditions. They can receive warnings if the temperature exceeds a certain threshold or if soil moisture levels indicate the need for irrigation. These messages can be sent via SMS, mobile applications, or even through voice-enabled assistants to ensure farmers stay informed at all times. With this technology, farmers can take necessary measures promptly, such as adjusting irrigation schedules based on real-time soil moisture levels or deploying protective measures when extreme weather conditions are detected. By optimizing resource allocation and implementing precision farming techniques, farmers can significantly reduce wastage and improve overall productivity. Furthermore, the availability of historical data and analytics allows farmers to gain insights into long-term trends and patterns. They can identify correlations between specific environmental conditions and crop performance, facilitating better decision-making and planning for future seasons. In summary, the integration of IoT technology into smart farming practices enables farmers to make data-driven decisions and optimize their agricultural operations. By receiving live data on temperature, humidity, soil moisture, UV index, and infrared radiation, farmers can increase crop yields while conserving resources. This technology's messaging capabilities ensure farmers are promptly notified of critical information, empowering them to adopt sustainable and efficient farming practices

AgAsk: an agent to help answer farmer’s questions from scientific documents

AbstractDecisions in agriculture are increasingly data-driven. However, valuable agricultural knowledge is often locked away in free-text reports, manuals and journal articles. Specialised search systems are needed that can mine agricultural information to provide relevant answers to users’ questions. This paper presents AgAsk—an agent able to answer natural language agriculture questions by mining scientific documents. We carefully survey and analyse farmers’ information needs. On the basis of these needs, we release an information retrieval test collection comprising real questions, a large collection of scientific documents split in passages, and ground truth relevance assessments indicating which passages are relevant to each question. We implement and evaluate a number of information retrieval models to answer farmers questions, including two state-of-the-art neural ranking models. We show that neural rankers are highly effective at matching passages to questions in this context. Finally, we propose a deployment architecture for AgAsk that includes a client based on the Telegram messaging platform and retrieval model deployed on commodity hardware. The test collection we provide is intended to stimulate more research in methods to match natural language to answers in scientific documents. While the retrieval models were evaluated in the agriculture domain, they are generalisable and of interest to others working on similar problems. The test collection is available at: https://github.com/ielab/agvaluate.

Content Analysis of Emoji and Emoticon Use in Clinical Texting Systems

Emoji and emoticons are quickly becoming an omnipresent feature of virtual communication. As health care systems increasingly adopt clinical texting applications, it is critical to understand how clinicians use these ideograms with colleagues and how it may affect their interactions. To evaluate the functions that emoji and emoticons serve in clinical text messages. This qualitative study's content analysis of clinical text messages from a secure clinical messaging platform was conducted to assess the communicative function of emoji and emoticons. The analysis included messages sent by hospitalists to other health care clinicians. A subset of a random 1% sample of all message threads, which included at least 1 emoji or emoticon, on a clinical texting system used by a large, Midwestern US hospital from July 2020 until March 2021 were analyzed. A total of 80 hospitalists participated in the candidate threads. Whether and what kind of emoji or emoticon was deployed in each reviewed thread was tabulated by the study team. The communicative function of each emoji and emoticon was assessed according to a prespecified coding scheme. A total of 80 hospitalists (49 [61%] male; 30 [37%] Asian, 5 [6%] Black or African American, 2 [3%] Hispanic or Latinx, 42 [53%] White; of 41 with age data, 13 [32%] aged 25-34 years, 19 [46%] aged 35-44 years) participated in the 1319 candidate threads. Within the sample of 1319 threads, 7% of threads (155 unique messages) contained at least 1 emoji or emoticon. The majority (94 [61%]) functioned emotively, that is, conveyed the internal state of the sender, and 49 (32%) served to open, maintain, or close communication. No evidence was identified that they caused confusion or were seen as inappropriate. This qualitative study found that when clinicians use emoji and emoticons in secure clinical texting systems, these symbols function primarily to convey new and interactionally salient information. These results suggest that concerns about the professionalism of emoji and emoticon use may be unwarranted.

Peri-operative management of diabetes mellitus - A survey of current practices among Indian anesthesiologists.

Increased burden of diabetes in India has resulted in a spurt in the number of patients with diabetes posted for surgeries. The paucity of national guidelines can lead to marked practice variations in the peri-operative management of diabetes. This survey intends to discern current peri-operative practices among anesthesiologists working in medical colleges, tertiary care government, and private health care institutes of the country. An anonymous online survey comprising of 25 closed-ended questions was conducted using Google Forms® and disseminated through social media, emails, and messaging platforms. The questionnaire dealt primarily with the peri-operative management of diabetes in patients scheduled for elective surgery. The survey was conducted over a period of 1 month and targeted anesthesia resident trainees with more than 1-year experience, senior residents, and consultants working in India. Statistically significant difference was observed between the three types of health facilities with respect to prior evaluation for diabetes (P = 0.007), prioritizing operative list (P = 0.006), hospital encouragement of day care surgery (P < 0.001), glycated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) level >8.5 for postponement of surgery (P < 0.05), insulin infusion preference (P < 0.001), hourly intra-operatively capillary blood glucose (CBG) assessment (P = 0.021), and avoiding peri-operative use of Ringer's lactate (RL) (P = 0.025). This survey primarily highlights the lack of prioritizing the operative list, early discontinuation of metformin, and reduced tendency to consider diabetics for day care surgeries.

An Intelligent Conversational Agent for the Legal Domain

An intelligent conversational agent for the legal domain is an AI-powered system that can communicate with users in natural language and provide legal advice or assistance. In this paper, we present CREA2, an agent designed to process legal concepts and be able to guide users on legal matters. The conversational agent can help users navigate legal procedures, understand legal jargon, and provide recommendations for legal action. The agent can also give suggestions helpful in drafting legal documents, such as contracts, leases, and notices. Additionally, conversational agents can help reduce the workload of legal professionals by handling routine legal tasks. CREA2, in particular, will guide the user in resolving disputes between people residing within the European Union, proposing solutions in controversies between two or more people who are contending over assets in a divorce, an inheritance, or the division of a company. The conversational agent can later be accessed through various channels, including messaging platforms, websites, and mobile applications. This paper presents a retrieval system that evaluates the similarity between a user’s query and a given question. The system uses natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to interpret user input and associate responses by addressing the problem as a semantic search similar question retrieval. Although a common approach to question and answer (Q&amp;A) retrieval is to create labelled Q&amp;A pairs for training, we exploit an unsupervised information retrieval system in order to evaluate the similarity degree between a given query and a set of questions contained in the knowledge base. We used the recently proposed SBERT model for the evaluation of relevance. In the paper, we illustrate the effective design principles, the implemented details and the results of the conversational system and describe the experimental campaign carried out on it.

Evaluation of a Smart Intercom Microservice System Based on the Cloud of Things

This research migrates a monolithic smart intercom system to a microservice architecture, making the system more secure, stable, and scalable. The security mechanisms of the instant messaging platform are combined with microservices to improve the security of the system. The stability and performance of microservices are shown to be better than those of monolithic services through experimental tests. Residents can use different instant messaging software instead of the handset to improve the convenience of using this system. This system also implements community broadcasts, platform broadcasts, unit broadcasts, and family broadcasts to exchange messages across different instant messaging platforms. This paper proposes OpenAPI for other smart intercoms to integrate this system’s services and resources. In addition, this study deploys two microservice architectures using a native load balancer with a kube proxy and a service mesh load balancer with an istio proxy. Experiments were conducted during which residents tested the kube proxy and the istio proxy using stress testing tools on two microservice architectures, and the results showed that the kube proxy was slightly better than the istio proxy.

Chatbots and messaging platforms in the classroom: An analysis from the teacher’s perspective

Messaging platforms are applications, generally mediated by an app, desktop program or the web, mainly used for synchronous communication among users. As such, they have been widely adopted officially by higher education establishments, after little or no study of their impact and perception by the teachers. We think that the introduction of these new tools and the opportunities and challenges they have needs to be studied carefully in order to adopt the model, as well as the tool, that is the most adequate for all parties involved. We already studied the perception of these tools by students, in this paper we examine the teachers’ experiences and perceptions through a survey that we validated with peers, and what they think these tools should make or serve so that it enhances students learning and helps them achieve their learning objectives. The survey has been distributed among tertiary education teachers, both in universitary and other kind of tertiary establishments, based in Spain (mainly) and Spanish-speaking countries. We have focused on collecting teachers’ preferences and opinions on the introduction of messaging platforms in their day-to-day work, as well as other services attached to them, such as chatbots. What we intend with this survey is to understand their needs and to gather information about the various educational use cases where these tools could be valuable. In addition, an analysis of how and when teachers’ opinions towards the use of these tools varies across gender, experience, and their discipline of specialization is presented. The key findings of this study highlight the factors that can contribute to the advancement of the adoption of messaging platforms and chatbots in higher education institutions to achieve the desired learning outcomes.

Osteoporosis management by primary care physicians in Singapore: a survey on osteoporosis guidelines utilisation and barriers to care.

Primary care physicians (PCPs) are at the forefront of offering osteoporosis screening and treatment. However, osteoporosis remains under-treated in primary care, despite the existence of osteoporosis clinical practice guidelines for PCPs. This study aims to determine the self-reported knowledge and utilisation of local osteoporosis guidelines and associated sociodemographic factors and to determine the confidence and barriers to osteoporosis screening and management among PCPs in Singapore. An anonymous web-based survey was conducted. PCPs in public and private practice were invited to participate in the self-administered survey via e-mail and messaging platforms. Chi-square test was performed for bivariate analysis; multivariable logistic regression models were used for factors with p value < 0.2. Three hundred thirty-four complete survey datasets were processed for analysis. Two hundred fifty-one PCPs (75.1%) had read the osteoporosis guidelines. 70.5% self-reported good knowledge, and 74.9% use the guidelines. PCPs who self-reported good guideline knowledge (OR = 5.84; 2.96-11.49) and utilisation (OR = 4.54; 2.21-9.34) were more likely to perceive confidence in osteoporosis management. PCPs' perception that patients had other medical priorities during the consultation (79.3%) was the commonest barrier to screening. Limited anti-osteoporosis medication (54.1%) in the practice was a hindrance to management. Polyclinic-based PCPs frequently cited the lack of consultation time as a barrier; more systemic barriers were faced by PCPs in private practices. Most PCPs know and use the local osteoporosis guidelines. Knowledge and usage of guidelines was associated with confidence in management. Strategies to address the prevalent barriers to osteoporosis screening and management faced by PCPs are needed.

Misinformation rules!? Could “group rules” reduce misinformation in online personal messaging?

Personal messaging platforms are hugely popular and often implicated in the spread of misinformation. We explore an unexamined practice on them: when users create “group rules” to prevent misinformation entering everyday interactions. Our data are a subset of in-depth interviews with 33 participants in a larger program of longitudinal qualitative fieldwork ( N = 102) we conducted over 16 months. Participants could also donate examples of misinformation via our customized smartphone application. We find that some participants created group rules to mitigate what they saw as messaging’s harmful affordances. In the context of personalized trust relationships, these affordances were perceived as making it likely that misinformation would harm social ties. Rules reduce the vulnerability and can stimulate metacommunication that, over time, fosters norms of collective reflection and epistemic vigilance, although the impact differs subtly according to group size and membership. Subject to further exploration, group rulemaking could reduce the spread of online misinformation.

Self-efficacy resources program for behavior changes

Self-efficacy resources program for behavior changes

The Effectiveness of Interactive Text Messaging and Structured Psychosocial Support Groups on Developmental Milestones of Children From Adolescent Pregnancies in Kenya: Quasi-Experimental Study

In sub-Saharan Africa, one-quarter of all pregnancies occur in adolescents. Children born to adolescent mothers have poorer physical and socio-cognitive development. One reason may be inadequate knowledge on childcare and psychosocial support during pregnancy and post partum, since adolescent mothers have less antenatal care attendance and overall interaction with the health care system. Mobile health technology has been used to relay health information to special groups; however, psychosocial support commonly requires physical interaction. We aimed to assess the efficacy of an interactive mobile text messaging platform and support groups in improving adolescent mothers' knowledge and practices as well as infant growth and development. This was a quasi-experimental study, conducted among adolescent mothers with infants younger than 3 months, in Homa Bay County, Kenya. Five of the 8 subcounties in Homa Bay County were purposively selected as study clusters. Four subcounties were assigned as intervention clusters and 1 as a control cluster. Adolescent mothers from 2 intervention subcounties received interactive text messaging only (limited package), whereas those from the other 2 subcounties received text messaging and weekly support groups, moderated by a community health extension worker and a counselor (full package); the control cluster only received the end-line evaluation (posttest-only control). The follow-up period was 9 months. Key outcomes were maternal knowledge on childcare and infant development milestones assessed using the Developmental Milestones Checklist (DMC III). Knowledge and DMC III scores were compared between the intervention and control groups, as well as between the 2 intervention groups. We recruited 791 mother-infant pairs into the intervention groups (full package: n=375; limited package: n=416) at baseline and 220 controls at end line. Attrition from the intervention groups was 15.8% (125/791). Compared with the control group, adolescent mothers receiving the full package had a higher knowledge score on infant care and development (9.02 vs 8.01; P<.001) and higher exclusive breastfeeding rates (238/375, 63.5% vs 112/220, 50.9%; P=.004), and their infants had higher average DMC III scores (53.09 vs 48.59; P=.01). The limited package group also had higher knowledge score than the control group (8.73 vs 8.01; P<.001); this group performed better than the full package group on exclusive breastfeeding (297/416, 71.4% vs 112/220, 50.9%; P<.001) and DMC III scores (58.29 vs 48.59; P<.001) when compared with the control group. We found a marginal difference in knowledge scores between full and limited package groups (9.02 vs 8.73; P=.048) but no difference in DMC III scores between the 2 groups (53.09 vs 58.29; P>.99). An interactive text messaging platform improved adolescent mothers' knowledge on nurturing infant care and the development of their children, even without physical support groups. Such platforms offer a convenient avenue for providing reproductive health information to adolescents. Pan African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR201806003369302; https://tinyurl.com/kkxvzjse.

What Explains the Spread of Misinformation in Online Personal Messaging Networks? Exploring the Role of Conflict Avoidance

Online personal messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are now hugely popular around the world. Yet their role in the spread and social correction of misinformation remains under-researched. We carried out in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the UK public (N = 102) to explore how social relationships and technological design interact and foster norms regulating how people respond when their everyday social ties share misinformation on these platforms. Conceptualizing messaging as hybrid public-interpersonal communication, we develop a framework that situates online political talk in the context of everyday social interaction. We show that, among our participants, a norm of conflict avoidance is particularly powerful on these platforms and makes people reluctant to speak out. Conflict avoidance should therefore be taken seriously as a contributor to the diffusion of misinformation in everyday life. Policymakers and other stakeholders, including news organizations, should explore new, tailored ways to empower citizens to challenge misinformation in these important online spaces, where automated and algorithmic interventions are impossible.