Method Approach Research Articles

Effects of Social Media Usage on Gratification Obtained: A Study Based among University of Sindh, Jamashoro Students

This study aims to assess the influence of social media use by undergraduate students at University of Sindh. The examination explores the relationships between students’ gratifications and usage of social media, as well as possible consequences that these have on their psychological health, academic achievement, and social interactions. Data for this research was collected using mixed methods approach from a sample population consisting of undergraduate students from different faculties. Questionnaires, interviews and focus groups constituted the research methods. Social media platforms are mainly utilized by students for self-expression purposes, entertainment purposes, connecting with others socially and looking up information among others. A total of 386 students of university of Sindh, Jamshoro participated in survey in order to analyses the data. In addition to this study expanding our understanding about how social media use is impacting college student’s lives; it also helps us understand how it affects general well-being among them.

MANAGING RECRUITMENT AND DATA COLLECTION: ONLINE FOCUS GROUPS BEST PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS SCAMMERS

Common methods to collect data include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches. Although it is common to complete data collection in-person, the onset of COVID-19 has resulted in the increased use of online modalities. Qualitative research is commonly gathered through individual or focus group interviews. However, best practices outlining strategies when conducting online focus groups and approaches to address issues specific to online research (i.e., scammers) are limited. Due to the growing use of data collection through such means, it is imperative to draw out specific strategies that could regulate data quality and reduce the chances of scamming. The current article addresses this practical gap by providing a synthesis of the available literature on online focus groups that document best practices and suggestions to deal with scammers which is currently missing from the literature. The goal was to provide initial suggestions to improve data quality of online focus groups by examining the available literature that outlines best practices, addresses the issues of scammers, and to provide a concise and comprehensive overview of identified literature The article is organized beginning with a review of the literature. The research is then synthesized including an outline of best practices and strategies to address scammers when engaging in online focus groups. The article closes with a discussion of the significance of the review, limitations, and article summary. Scammers are prevalent in online spaces. Although this article provides a preliminary outline of suggestions from the literature, more research is necessary that provides specific examples of how challenges have been addressed and the impact of including the recommended strategies on the research process and outcomes.

Green ammonia adoption in shipping: Opportunities and challenges across the fuel supply chain

The IMO’s 2023 revised targets increase pressure on shipping and trading organisations to urgently cut energy consumption and transition away from fossil fuels. Although there are several alternative fuel options for shipping, ammonia is a prominent contender. Green ammonia is produced from renewable hydrogen with no direct CO2 emissions when combusted, making it an important option to interrogate. This research uses a mixed methods approach, including analysing shipping stakeholders’ perspectives, to consider the full range of factors relating to its deployment and use. Challenges to its adoption include low fleet renewal as a result of uncertainties around being first movers, managing NOx and N2O emissions if used in a combustion engine and lack of economic incentives. Nevertheless, green ammonia's storage advantages over hydrogen, established experience of ammonia handling for the fertiliser industry and its direct emission free application in fuel cells, underpin interest in its development. The study emphasizes though that the on-ground realities of transitioning away from fossil fuels require significant developments across the entire fuel supply chain. This extends beyond considerations around ammonia’s technological viability and encompass changes needed to onboard and portside infrastructure, incentives to accelerate retrofit and fleet renewal, and recognition of risks posed by first-movers in the sector. Furthermore, with short timeliness associated with Paris targets, and anticipated rising costs of new fuel infrastructure, there is an imperative to implement mitigation policy that focuses on urgently reducing reliance on liquid fuels, while alternative fuel deployment is established at scale.

Instagram vs reality: Exploring local culture through various lenses

Rather than viewing online and face-to-face learning as two dichotomous domains (Kessler, 2018), this study seeks to explore ways that social media can be used to support and facilitate face-to-face exploration and communication in target language environments. It also aims to help English language learners improve their ability to critically evaluate social media by exploring a local community through a critical lens. This study applied the concept of “social media pathways” (authors, 2024) through an experiential learning model to integrate an authentic social networking site, Instagram, into an ESL curriculum for a community engagement project promoting a deeper and multifaceted understanding of the target language community. This study employed qualitative method approach, including seven international students’ reflections, a post-task questionnaire, and focus-group interview data, to investigate how the assumptions made from social media compare with observations made in the field. The findings were then used to establish a “Model for Community Exploration within Virtual and Face-to-face Contexts” that adds to the experiential learning framework the additional stages of experimentation, reflection, and new conceptualization that take place when learners use social media to form assumptions about a community and then use in-person exploration to test those hypotheses.

Analysis of The Legal Arguments in The Fatwa of The National Sharia Council of The Indonesian Ulema Council Number 22 Of 2002 Concerning Parallel Istishna

This research aims to analyze the relevance and accuracy of the legal arguments in the National Sharia Council Fatwa No. 22/2002 on Parallel Istishna. With a qualitative research method and normative legal approach, the analysis in this study adapts the method used by Haisy (2019). The results show that the arguments of parallel istishna, which consist of hadith, fiqh rules, and aqliyah rules, are relevant to the content of the fatwa, especially in the fiqh rules section. However, to improve the accuracy and applicability of the evidence, it can be supplemented with other sharing evidence that is closer to the study of parallel istishna, including Surah Al-Kahf Verse 94, hadith related to the making of rings and pulpits, ijma' amaly, and istihsan. This research contributes to the study of parallel istishna, namely in terms of helping to identify and summarise the shar'i arguments as the legal basis for parallel istishna.

Feasibility, Acceptability, Satisfaction, and Challenges of an mHealth App (e-ASCov) for Community-Based COVID-19 Screening by Community Health Workers in Rwanda: Mixed Methods Study.

Although at the base of the pyramid-shaped organization of the Rwandan health system, community health workers (CHWs) are central to the community-based management of disease outbreaks. This mixed methods study aimed to explore the feasibility, acceptability, satisfaction, and challenges of a mobile health (mHealth) tool for community-based COVID-19 screening in Rwanda. Two urban (Gasabo and Nyarugenge) and 2 rural (Rusizi and Kirehe) districts in Rwanda participated in the project (smartphone app for COVID-19 screening). A mixed methods approach was used to inform the feasibility (awareness and expectation), acceptability (use and perceived benefits), satisfaction, and challenges of the mHealth intervention. At the end of the project, CHWs were asked to complete a quantitative questionnaire on the use of and satisfaction with the app. Then, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were organized with CHWs. A content analysis was performed on the transcripts. Overall, 383 CHWs were recruited and trained; 378 CHWs participated in the study. The mean age of CHWs was 36.7 (SD 6.6) to 45.3 (SD 9.9) years and most were women (237/378, 62.7%). More than 7000 people were registered with the use of the app and 20% were referred to a local COVID-19 testing facility. According to CHW reporting, the median number of people screened by each CHW ranged from 152 (IQR 70-276) for Nyarugenge to 24 (IQR 16-90) for Rusizi. COVID-19 positivity rates were higher in urban than rural districts: more than half of the CHWs in Gasabo reported a confirmed positive case versus only 2.4% for Kirehe and 15.4% for Rusizi. Despite the app being a novel tool, CHWs were well aware of the use of such a tool and had appropriate expectations. Acceptability and satisfaction were very high, with differences between urban and rural districts. Satisfaction was higher in Nyarugenge (72.8/100) and Gasabo (80.7/100) than in Kirehe (61.6/100) and Rusizi (64.5/100). More than 80% of the CHWs were willing to continue using the e-ASCov app, with the exception of CHWs in Kirehe (56.7%). The app was perceived as a tool to generate information on COVID-19, inform on the status of the pandemic, and help curb the spread of the pandemic in Rwanda. CHWs were satisfied with the app at all stages of its implementation in their districts. In this proof-of-concept study, a smartphone app for screening COVID-19 was useful as an mHealth tool to be used by CHWs, with the potential to increase health system efficiency in an epidemic context. The context should be analyzed for generalization on a country-wide scale, both in case of an epidemic and to take into account certain conditions at the community level. Information is needed on the conditions of generalization and transferability of this type of app to other health conditions so that CHWs can be given their full place in a pyramidal health system.

Addressing Hispanic Veterans that Live in Rural Area's Needs to Improve Suicide Prevention Efforts.

Despite the alarming recent increase in suicide rates among Hispanic Veterans, suicide among this population remains relatively understudied and little is known about their needs and how to prevent suicide in this population. A mixed methods approach was utilized to conduct a needs assessment of community suicide prevention services and resources available to Hispanic Veterans living in rural areas in the Veterans Health Administration's Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) 8. Five themes related to the suicide prevention's needs and gaps in services were identified: (1) lack of adequate information; (2) disruptions in social support network; (3) limited or lack of access to services; (4) risky behaviors; and (5) natural disasters. Understanding the unique needs of Hispanic Veterans in rural communities and the gaps in services in these areas can help in the development of tailored suicide prevention efforts and potentially mitigate suicide disparities.

Compartmental Model for Unemployment Dynamics in Ghana using Caputo Fractional Derivative

The study develops a compartmental model for unemployment dynamics in Ghana. The compartmental model is first developed through the method of compartmental designs under certain assumptions such as, all entrants into the labor force qualify for any job, some of the employed become unemployed with time, some of the unemployed go through skill training, among others. The compartmental model is further represented in terms of integral form, and the value of the kernel is thereafter substituted as a power law correlation function to achieve a Caputo fractional derivative model. The Caputo model is analyzed to ascertain its invariant and boundedness, its fixed points and its stability. The unemployment basic reproduction number \(\Re_0\) which determines the threshold of recruitment is analyzed using the Next Generation Method Approach, and the global stability for the unemployment-free equilibrium is also analyzed through the approach of Lyapunov function. The results from the analysis show that, there is attraction of all the solution of the model in \(\mathbb{R}_+^4\) since the region is positively invariant. Again, the results indicates that, the model has two fixed point. Thus, unemployment-free equilibrium and risky-unemployment equilibrium. Notwithstanding, the analysis of both the local and global stability of the model show that, the unemployment free equilibrium is local asymptotically stable (LAS) for \(\Re_0\) <1, and global asymptotically stable (GAS). The results indicate that, the model can examine the unemployment dynamics decision making.

The feasibility and acceptability of engaging older adults living with multiple long-term conditions, frailty, and a recent deterioration in health in research: Findings from the Lifestyle in Later Life – Older People’s Medicine (LiLL-OPM) study

BackgroundOlder adults living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC, also known as multimorbidity) and frailty are more likely to experience a deterioration in their health requiring specialist referral or hospital admission than individuals without these syndromes. However, this group of older people are underserved by research meaning that there is a limited evidence base for their care. This study therefore aimed (1) to determine if it is feasible to recruit and collect quantitative data to describe the health and lifestyle of older adults living with MLTC, frailty and a recent deterioration in health and (2) to assess if taking part in research is acceptable to this group of older adults.MethodsParticipants were approached and recruited for this study via an Older People’s Medicine Day Unit in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The study took a mixed methods approach, involving quantitative and qualitative data collection. To determine the feasibility of carrying out research in this group, we quantified recruitment rate and collected data on the health and lifestyle, including diet and physical activity, of the participants. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken to assess acceptability. Two separate interviews were carried out focusing on involving older adults in research and the participants’ experiences of taking part in the research. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsFifty patients were approached to participate in the study with twenty-nine (58%) successfully recruited. It was feasible to collect information to describe the health and lifestyle of these older adults who demonstrated very low levels of physical activity. Participants reported that taking part in the research was acceptable to them with interview analysis generating three themes (1) developing a meaningful partnership, (2) enabling factors to participation: research at home with flexible delivery and (3) social and psychological benefits of research participation.ConclusionsIt is feasible and acceptable to recruit and carry out research with this underserved group of older adults. Participants found taking part in this research to be acceptable and reported overall positive experiences of their involvement in the study and indicated that they would be willing to contribute to further research in the future.

Engineering modelling requirements for integration of assistive technology as a pathway for inclusive education in the disability unit

The phenomenon of 'massification in higher education ', which refers to the significant increase in the number of students enrolling in universities, has made it difficult for inclusive education to be attainable owing to unknown reasons that are encumbering the students living with disability from having a sense of belonging. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the relationship between students living with disability and social justice through inclusivity in higher education with the aid of Assistive Technology (AT) to conceptualise a framework. The researchers employed a mixed methods approach to collect and analyse data statistically and descriptively. The requirements for integrating the model to ease the lack of consideration of students living with disability in the digital age were evaluated and critically reviewed regarding its impact on students’ sense of belonging in the digital age. The major findings from this study elucidate the factors perceived as the central requirements for mitigating the lack of inclusivity and social justice in higher education. The procurement of ATs was topical as most respondents (83%) categorically opined the need to improve this process by making timely purchases of the proper ATs from reliable service providers. The successful implementation of this framework could significantly enhance the educational experience of students with disabilities at the University of Venda, making it a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. The findings on the appropriateness of ATs for students overwhelmingly indicated that many of the available devices and technologies meant to assist learners were not fit for the tasks they were intended for. The university should establish a procurement committee and a high-level action plan outlining the requirements for delivering assistive products & services.

Democratic leadership in the Batak Tribe: lessons from Customary Law for modern governance

The main aim of this research is to explore and analyse leadership in the very democratic Batak tribe in Indonesia from the perspective of Batak customary law. The research method used is normative juridical legal research with a qualitative descriptive analysis method approach and also uses an existing conceptual approach model on leadership to then generate new ideas. as well as processing primary data and secondary data. The findings of this study are that the leadership style resulting from Machiavelli's political philosophy tends to be expensive, and there is a political dowry. Then, leadership in the Trias Politics conception tends to manipulate and abuse power such as corruption, tyranny and dynastic power. As a result, gave birth to leaders who behave like immoral wolves, homo homini lupus. On the other hand, the leadership style of the Batak tribe from the perspective of Batak customary law tends to mean maintaining harmony, which is a noble cultural value in terms of organizational leadership related to social relations, a well-organized organization and power distributed evenly. Thus, it is hoped that this study will be useful for the government, legislators and other stakeholders to use as an idea and reference approach in making efforts to choose a harajaon leadership based on dalihan natolu, which is a medium that contains objective legal principles based on kinship, brotherhood and cooperation by the mandate of paragraph IV of the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

The law politics of bankruptcy decision execution against debtor's assets abroad

The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze law politics related to the execution of bankruptcy decisions against debtor assets abroad. The research method used is normative legal research with a qualitative descriptive analysis method approach, based on comparative law, with prescriptive analytical specifications. The research findings conclude that sovereignty is interpreted as the responsibility to improve and protect all national and international community interests, manifested in the form of the state's ability to interact and establish relations with countries in the world, as well as cooperate and coordinate bilaterally, multilaterally and in international organizations. The provisions on international bankruptcy in Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 37 of 2004 concerning Bankruptcy and Suspension of Debt Payment Obligations or Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 37 Tahun 2004 tentang Kepailitan dan Penundaan Kewajiban Pembayaran Utang (Bankruptcy Law) are similar to the Dutch Bankruptcy Law, there are no comprehensive regulations related to international bankruptcy. To ensure legal certainty, a legal policy is needed in the form of changes and updates to the Bankruptcy Law by adding articles to apply the principles of international bankruptcy in the Model Law, namely the Principle of Access, the Principle of Recognition, the Principle of Assistance and the Principle of Cooperation and Coordination, as applied in the US Bankruptcy Code Chapter 15. Article 299 of the Bankruptcy Law also needs to be amended so that the procedural law applied is the special procedural law for international bankruptcy.

Evaluation of segmentation and semi‐supervised learning for spotted spurge recognition in bermudagrass turf

AbstractDiverse datasets are crucial for training machine learning‐based weed recognition models. However, annotating (i.e., labeling) images can be laborious and time‐consuming. Choice of annotation method and training approach not only affects the overall model effectiveness but also its minimum training data requirements and development pace. Segmentation and semi‐supervised learning (SSL) may offer performance or training enhancements. This study evaluated (1) segmentation against object detection in spotted spurge [Chamaesyce maculata (L.) Small] recognition in Latitude 36 hybrid bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt‐Davy] maintained as a golf course fairway and (2) the potential of two‐step SSL‐based training procedure using data labeled both manually and automatically with a pre‐trained model to expedite the model development. The architecture used across this research was You Only Look Once version 8 (YOLOv8) employing nano, small, and medium variants. All models were trained with a dataset restricted to 1200 training and 300 validation images. Both annotation methods resulted in adequate spotted spurge identification, as evidenced with >0.60 (>0.50 acceptability threshold) medium average precision at intersection over union threshold of 0.50 (mAP@50). Although the difference was minimal, object detection performed superior to segmentation. The two‐step training effectively accelerated image annotation while preserving or improving (with 8:4 and 6:6 splits between manually and auto‐labeled data) object detection performance. Segmentation tolerated only 10:2 split and exhibited increased sensitivity to declining dataset quality proportionally to the increase in auto‐labeled images in the final training dataset. Findings show a two‐step SSL‐based training procedure expedites annotation, enhancing model development efficiency.

The Impact of Coaching on Development of Transversal Skills: An Exploratory Study of Teacher Candidates in Kazakhstani Primary Education

In Kazakhstan, the development of future teachers' transversal skills is currently underemphasized in both curricula and basic educational programs. This gap poses a risk that many pedagogy graduates will lack essential transversal skills, thereby potentially reducing their effectiveness in their professional lives and hindering their career improvement. However, empirical data on the effectiveness of interventions, such as coaching, in enhancing transversal skills among future teachers are limited. This study aims to examine the impact of coaching interventions on enhancing transversal skills in future educators using a mixed methods approach. The experiment involved 100 participants and highlighted challenges such as limited knowledge of transversal skills, motivation issues in skill development, and difficulties in utilizing coaching technology effectively. However, the study findings reveal significant improvements in participants' transversal skills after implementing and testing an academic program designed for this purpose. These findings can serve as a basis for developing strategies to enhance transversal skills in university settings and inform the adaptation of educational programs focused on transversal skill development.

Roots tourism experiences, identity construction, social equity and social justice: a mixed methods approach

ABSTRACT The incidence of African diaspora’s pilgrimage to their ancestral motherland in Africa has recently increased. Indeed, initiatives such as the Black Travel Movement and Year of Return have increased the desire for black diasporans to ‘go back home’. Evidence in the literature illustrates that this homecoming is a deliberate effort towards identity construction. Using a mixed-method research approach (and W.E.B Du Bois’s sociological; terror management, and substantive identity negotiation theories), this study examined root tourism’s effects on identity construction, social justice, and equity using data from the Cape Coast and Elmina Castles in Ghana. The study’s key outcome shows root tourism’s power to influence social justice and human rights equality. Furthermore, the study discovered that terror management and substantive identity negotiation theories are limited in their relevance to non-Western contexts. This study demonstrates how managers of tourism firms can rightly position root tourism as a distinct tool for identity construction, social justice and social equity. The study also discusses its implications, limitations and future studies.

Microenvironment modulation of biocatalyst derived from natural cellulose of wheat straw for enhancing p-nitrophenol degradation via boosting peroxymonosulfate activation

Defect-rich nitrogen-doped biocatalyst (B-NC) was synthesized from natural cellulose of wheat straw using straightforward mechanical method and one-step pyrolysis approach. In contrast to the nitrogen-doped biocatalyst (NC), by leveraging the synergistic effects of nitrogen dopants and surface defects, the microenvironment-modulated B-NC exhibited the enhanced mass transfer efficiency and a significant improvement in reactivity for p-nitrophenol degradation (111 %–196 %). The catalyst's exceptional performance primarily arose from graphitic N, pyridinic N and CO active sites, which mainly derived from the cellulose structure of wheat straw and nitrogen dopants. Electron paramagnetic resonance and quenching tests confirmed that the B-NC/peroxymonosulfate system generated more reactive species (SO4•−, •OH, O2•−, and 1O2) during p-nitrophenol degradation, surpassing the NC/peroxymonosulfate system. Additionally, both density functional theory calculations and electrochemical experiments provided evidence of peroxymonosulfate strongly adsorbing onto B-NC's defect sites, facilitating the formation of catalyst/peroxymonosulfate* complexes and promoting electron transfer processes. This research provides valuable insights into the regulation of defects in nitrogen-doped biocatalyst derived from natural cellulose, presenting a promising solution for remediating refractory organic pollutants.

Positive Politeness in “James Corden on Final Week of the Late Late Show” Video

This research analyzed positive politeness strategies using Brown & Levinson (1987) theory in the video "James Corden on Final Week of The Late Late Show." A descriptive qualitative method and Sugiyono (2013) observational approach was employed. The researcher followed a systematic process that included watching the video, identifying positive politeness utterances, and categorizing them based on the 15 strategies proposed by Brown & Levinson. The analysis revealed a total of 27 instances of positive politeness. The fifth strategy, seeking agreement, was the most frequently observed, appearing 14 times. This strategy often involved responses that affirmed or agreed with the speaker's statements, contributing to a harmonious and cooperative interaction. Other identified strategies included exaggerating (found once), intensifying interest to the hearer (found twice), avoiding disagreement (found four times), presupposing or raising or asserting (found four times), and joking (found twice). Exaggeration was seen when Jimmy enthusiastically responded "Absolutely" instead of a simple "yes." Intensifying interest was demonstrated through James's father's captivating storytelling, which engaged Jimmy's curiosity. Avoiding disagreement was evident when James chose a vague response to Jimmy's comment about his middle name. Presupposing, raising, or asserting was used by James with filler words like "you know" to create a sense of shared understanding. Joking was exemplified by Jimmy's humorous introduction to James, which entertained the audience. The remaining nine strategies from Brown & Levinson's framework were not observed in the data. This study provides insights into the use of positive politeness in media discourse, highlighting the practical applications of these strategies in maintaining positive social interactions.

Revisit of uncertainty principles via OPS method approach in the framework of quaternion quadratic phase Fourier transform

Revisit of uncertainty principles via OPS method approach in the framework of quaternion quadratic phase Fourier transform

Urbanization factors and the vagaries of the rural health care industry in Nigeria: an analysis of the accessibility of healthcare services by older adults in the Nsukka Local Government Area

This study sought to determine the effects of urbanization on access to healthcare services by older adults in Nsukka Local Government Area. The Nigerian healthcare industry is organized under the three tiers of government: Federal, State and Local governments. As such, most of the healthcare facilities are located in urban areas while majority of older adults reside in different local governments in rural communities where there are a few of the facilities. This has led to poor utilization of medical services by older adults in rural areas. This study adopted a mixed method approach. While questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data, interviews were used to collect qualitative data for the study. Questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 1180 older adults between the ages of 60 years and above from six communities in the study area. Descriptive statistics and Chi square were used to analyze the data while frequency distribution tables and percentages were used to present the results. The research showed that there are inadequate health facilities for the older adults in rural communities in Nsukka LGA. It also found that the older adults suffered challenges arising from lack of medical doctors, nurses, equipments, and drugs for effective healthcare delivery. It is recommended that more efforts should be geared towards providing adequate health facilities and health workers by government at public hospitals in rural communities to increase accessibility and adequate utilization by the older adults.

Implementation of Public Service Policy in Agile Government Study at Public Service Mall of Parepare City

The aim of this research is Implementation of Public Service Policy in Agile Government Study at Public Service Mall of Parepare City). The method used in this research is a qualitative research method approach. The focus of research on the Implementation of Public Service Policy in the Agile Government perspective at the Public Service Mall in Parepare City will be focused on two main aspects, namely the implementation process and its impact on service effectiveness. The results of this research show that the Implementation of Public Service Policy from an Agile Government perspective in the Parepare City Public Service Mall towards regulatory changes, community needs, and ever-changing market demands. The Public Service Mall in Parepare City has shown improvements in various aspects of public services, although there are some areas that still need further improvement.