Online Blogs Research Articles

Does virtual discussion of a retail space affect the economic outcomes of the retail stores? The dynamics among retail environment, economic performances, and the perceived characteristics of the traditional retail markets by bloggers in Seoul

AbstractUsing texts from online blogs, this study aimed to analyze the effect of perceived characteristics of a place in the virtual space and their influence on its economic performance. Specifically, this study analyzed old retail space (traditional markets) in Seoul by empirically examining the relationship among the perceived characteristics, economic performances, and the physical and operative conditions of the markets’ facilities. The perceived characteristics by the bloggers were analyzed by the text‐mining of the blog posts. Next, the associations among the multiple factors including the perceived characteristics, economic measures, were analyzed by PLS‐SEM. Three types of characteristics were found from the texts: (a) value shopping, (b) novelty & food, and (c) affective sentiments. Among them, novelty & food have significant positive effects on annual sales growth and the vacancy reduction rates of the markets. The improved physical condition also had a positive direct effect on annual sales growth, which can be partially explained by its positive mediating effects on Novelty & Food. The operating condition had no significant relationship with the perceived characteristics but had significant effects on the four economic measures. The results imply that renovation projects could diminish certain characteristics of the space (i.e., affective sentiments), but it enhanced other place characteristics (i.e., food and novelty) following economic gains.

Эмигранты-субботники из Астраханской губернии в исторической памяти современного Израиля и России: восприятие и интерпретация

В статье определены особенности восприятия и интерпретации наследия эмигрантов-субботников из Астраханской губернии в исторической памяти наших современников, проживающих в Израиле и России. Применены идеографический, сравнительно-исторический и ретроспективный методы, а также метод опроса. Материалами явились статьи православных миссионеров XIX в., современные научные исследования, записи и комментарии в сетевых дневниках и результаты проведенного автором интернет-опроса. Реконструирована биография одного из пионеров движения халуцим, Йоава Дубровина, выявлены различные аспекты восприятия его личности нашими современниками, охарактеризована степень известности И. Дубровина в современном Израиле и среди членов еврейской общины Астрахани, определено его значение в создании образа первопроходцев и в современном культурном наследии страны. Автор заключает, что имя Дубровина и других иудействующих не известно большинству респондентов, однако отмечен интерес к «халуцим с русским лицом». The aim of the article is to determine the peculiarities of the perception and interpretation of the heritage of the Subbotnik emigrants from Astrakhan Province in the historical memory of our contemporaries living in Israel and Russia. The author used the ideographic (descriptive-narrative), comparative-historical, and retrospective methods, as well as the survey method in the study. The materials were articles by 19th-century Orthodox missionaries; research by historians, religious scholars, and culturologists; the content of online blogs on the livejournal.com platform; and the results of an Internet survey that the author conducted. The author examines the factual record of the emergence and data on the settlement of sectarians in Astrakhan Province and analyzes the attitude of provincial officials and eparchy missionaries towards them. She does a detailed analysis of the manifestations of religious identity among the Judaizers, pointing out the generally calm attitude of the latter towards the professed teaching. The author also determines the circumstances of the spread of eschatological and émigré aspirations among them in the 1880s against the background of the nascent Zionist movement and notes the emergence of individuals who were active conductors of these ideas. In modern Israeli culture, the carriers of such sentiments (“grassroot Zionism”) appear to be outstanding people who stand out from among their contemporaries by the very fact of their involvement in Judaism. The author reconstructs the biography of one of such people, Yoav Dubrovin. He became one of the first participants in the movement of Halutzim, pioneers of the development and settlement of the future territory of the State of Israel. Already in old age, he emigrated to the Promised Land with his family. The author describes the difficulties the migrants encountered, which led to the death of many family members, as well as to the subsequent resettlement of the remaining Dubrovins to a new place of residence. At present, a museum is located in the former estate of the Dubrovins. The author reveals the various aspects of the perception of Dubrovin by today’s contemporaries, characterizes the degree of his popularity in modern Israel and among members of the Jewish community of Astrakhan, determines his role in creating the image of pioneers and in the modern cultural heritage of Israel. The author concludes that the majority of the respondents do not know the names of Dubrovin and of other Judaizers, but they show interest in “Halutzim with a Russian face”.

How White nationalists mobilize genetics: From genetic ancestry and human biodiversity to counterscience and metapolitics.

Our aim in this study was to understand how genetics ideas are appropriated and mobilized online toward the political projects of White nationalism and the alt right. Studying three different online venues, we investigated how genetics is used to support racial realism, hereditarianism, and racial hierarchy. We analyzed how these ideas are connected to political and metapolitical projects. In addition, we examined the strategies used to build authority for these interpretations. We analyze three online venues in which genetics has been mobilized to advance racial realism and hereditarian explanations of racial differences. These were (a) the use of genetic ancestry tests in online nationalist discussions, (b) blogs and other venues in which the human biodiversity ideas are articulated, (c) activities surrounding the OpenPsych collection of online journals. Ethnographic and interpretive methods were applied to investigate scientific and political meanings of efforts to mobilize genetic ideas. We found that White nationalists use genetic ancestry tests to align White identity with ideas of racial purity and diversity, educating each other about genetics, and debating the boundaries of Whiteness. "Human biodiversity" has been mobilized as a movement to catalog and create hereditarian ideas about racial differences and to distribute them as "red pills" to transform online discourse. The OpenPsych journals have allowed amateur hereditarian psychologists to publish papers, coordinate activity, and legitimate their project at the academic margins. These various appropriations of genetics aim to further racial realism and hereditarian explanations of racial social and behavioral differences. Beyond these substantive aims, on a "metapolitical" level, they serve to reframe concepts and standards for political and scientific discussion of race, challenge structures of academic legitimacy and expertise, and build a cadre of ideological foot soldiers armed with an argumentative toolkit. As professional anthropologists and geneticists aim to accurately communicate their science and its implications for understanding human differences to the public, they must contend with these substantive claims and metapolitical contexts.

Students’ experiences and perceptions of online collaborative learning in two Kenyan universities

Modern advancements in technology have diffused into the higher education sector with electronic communication platforms being used for learning in these institutions. While course instructors are utilizing these platforms in Kenyan universities, there is a dearth of evidence on students’ experiences and perceptions of online collaborative learning tools. As such, this study sought to establish the experiences and the perceptions students have of one of the tools, namely blogs, as a learning and collaborative tool. A questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions was administered to 71 students from a public and a private university in the country. The findings indicate that blogging enhanced interaction among fellow students and instructors and encouraged students to research further outside the classroom. However, students also experienced challenges in blogging, such as a lack of adequate infrastructure and slow internet speed. The study recommends that instructors should adopt the use of collaborative learning tools as teaching and learning moves from physical interaction to online platforms. In addition, institutions should mitigate the challenges faced by the students. This is especially so considering that students have a positive perception towards online collaborative learning.
 Keywords: Online learning, Collaborative learning, Blogging, Students experiences, University teaching and learningHow to cite this article:Kiarie, C. & Muindi, B. 2020. Students’ experiences and perceptions of online collaborative learning in two Kenyan universities. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. 4(2): 138-159. https://doi.org/10.36615/sotls.v4i2.130.This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Evaluation of a rural undergraduate nursing student employment model

<h2>ABSTRACT</h2><h3>Background</h3> Developing a sustainable rural nursing workforce is key to good rural health outcomes, but nursing recruitment and retention is a significant challenge. Internationally, there is a body of literature that describes undergraduate nursing student employment models. There is, however, a lack of robust evaluation of these models as a workforce strategy. <h3>Aim</h3> The aim of this study was to evaluate an undergraduate nursing student employment model implemented in a rural context. <h3>Methods</h3> A mixed-methods design was used with a well-established process evaluation framework. Data collection methods included monthly online surveys, blogs, focus groups, individual interviews, and client experience surveys. <h3>Findings</h3> Paid employment models are a workforce strategy for rural health services and staff are mostly supportive. For students, engaging in healthcare employment was seen as more advantageous than other forms of employment, such as hospitality and retail. Patients/clients rated the model highly. There were significant challenges with balancing university commitments with service requirements, issues related to scope of the role, and concerns around ongoing funding of the model. <h3>Discussion</h3> The rural undergraduate student of nursing employment role was implemented as planned with key findings primarily supporting the benefits of the role. <h3>Conclusion</h3> While there is ongoing interest in nursing student employment, there is a paucity of rigorous evaluation of models. This study adds to knowledge on paid employment of nursing students, but longitudinal studies are needed. Robust economic modelling must occur to identify costs and benefits. In Australia, government interest in nursing student employment appears to wax and wane.

Abstract PO-035: Public social media discussion of COVID-19 in relation to cancer services disruption

Abstract Online discussions have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as countries around the world established restrictive measures to limit the spread of the virus. Patients and carers have taken to social media to express concerns about challenges to access and disruption of diagnostic and treatment services and seek support and guidance on their prognosis. The goal of this report was to understand the online discourse around COVID-19 for key patient and caregiver audiences, specifically in relation to patients with cancer. Public social media conversations across the US and UK (English only) in relation to COVID-19 and cancer were evaluated to gather this information. Conversations were monitored for 1 week (April 30 to May 6, 2020) and filtered to focus on delays to cancer services. Initial analyses took place across all media channels followed by deep-dive analyses on Twitter and public forums. The online conversation around cancer in relation to COVID-19 is large and multifaceted. Although delays and cancellations to diagnostic services and treatment have undergone intense scrutiny in the media, social media have also seen significant conversation around the real-world implications for cancer patients and their families. The number of COVID-19-related cancer mentions in social media over 1 week was 111.5K. Of these cancer conversations, just over one-third (38K) were related to delays to cancer services. Discussions around delays to cancer services were seen across 10 of the most common cancers. Delays to cancer services are primarily being discussed on Twitter (31.1%) both by those directly affected and those interested in the implications for the health care system. A considerable amount of media reporting also drove the conversation, with online news (24.8%) and blogs (typically news media; 21.9%) highlighting the ongoing concerns about the effect of COVID-19 on future of cancer services and patient prognosis. Forums, typically comprising patients, carers, and others seeking advice and sharing concerns and frustrations around cancer service delays, made up a smaller share of voice (5.5%). There was a pronounced trend towards negative sentiment among conversations in public Facebook pages (49.7%), Twitter (46.3%), and forums (38.4%) regarding cancer service delays. Acute fear, anger, and helplessness were key drivers of negative sentiment in Twitter. Based on analyses of forum-specific conversations, the top COVID-19-related concerns associated with delays in cancer services are delays in cancer diagnostics, access to care (i.e., cancer surgery), and treatment decisions (especially undergoing treatment alone due to social distancing). COVID-19 has led to patients feeling increasing uncertainty about the future. Disruptions to cancer services and lack of clarity as to when these will resume cause patients to feel “abandoned” by their health care providers, frustrated that COVID-19 has overshadowed their battles with cancer, and scared of facing the treatment journey alone. Citation Format: Damian Eade, Laura Galimam, Mónica Fernández-Sierra, Caryn Gordon, Jason McDonough. Public social media discussion of COVID-19 in relation to cancer services disruption [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2020 Jul 20-22. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(18_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-035.

A description of students’ commenting behaviours in an online blogging activity

Student-student interaction can benefit learning as well as provide a sense of community in online courses. Blogging is a common approach to provide opportunities for students to communicate with each other. This study used Social Network Analysis to depict commenting behaviour between students in an online graduate-level course. By examining the weekly interaction data, the results revealed how students’ commenting behaviours changed during the semester. Student participation and interaction in the blogging activity was influenced by the various pedagogical elements that were either directly or indirectly related to the blogging activity.

The Impact of COVID -19 Pandemic on Hospitality (Tourism&amp; HotelSector) and Mitigation Mechanism in Ethiopia review

The tourism industry is one of the sectors that would be greatly affected by COVID-19 pandemic. Data for the review was generated from desk review of secondary materials, online blogs and interview through social media chat. Findings of the review reveal that the outbreak of pandemic disease led to rapid shutdowns in cities and states across the country, which greatly affected the hospitality industry. This pandemic showed the rapid negative impact on the country tourism and hotel industry. The findings of the review reveal that COVID-19 has increased cancellations of hotels and travel bookings resulted in revenue loss and unemployment situations, resulting loss of substantial revenue to the government and increasing incidence of poverty among others. The review recommends that provision of alternative service and diversification of service and product and compensation to business operators in the sector to return back to normal operations.

Death Row Narratives: A Qualitative Analysis of Mental Health Issues Found in Death Row Inmate Blog Entries

Death row inmate narratives, culled from online blogs, are used to explore the social determinants of mental health in the context of the stresses and deprivations of living on death row. Legal and correctional procedures that affect death row inmates are conceptualized as social determinants of mental health. These procedures include the granting or denying of stays of execution, conditions of solitary confinement during death row and particularly the death watch, and impending dates of execution. Death row narratives offer a nuanced account of the many ways condemned prisoners must contend with their powerlessness as an essential element of life under sentence of death.

The social and environmental impact of hybrid cars

Technology is rapidly evolving in this 21st century era. It is a marvel to behold as it makes human lives much easier. With advancement of technology and increase of vehicles and factories, pollution and destruction of natural resources has increased on a huge scale. The study is based on a product substitute, introduced to replace vehicles which run on gasoline, with a hybrid of electric and gasoline vehicles. The objective of this research will be aiming at understanding the effect of hybrid cars on the environment. An analysis of the hybrid cars will be carried out along with evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of said vehicles from the perspective of customers, support and maintenance. The research will also aim on proposing a government policy that must be implemented to regulate the usage of hybrid vehicles. The methodology used for this research will consist of primary sources wherein meetings will be conducted with the company selling such cars or people who own them. Secondary sources will include literature review from research papers and online blogs. With this study, the researchers hope to achieve a clear understanding on the influence of hybrid cars on the environment and individuals, the way hybrid cars operate, its advantages and disadvantages and the proposed government policy that will regulate the impact of hybrid car on environment.

Peer mentoring for professional and personal growth in academic medicine

Mentorship is a critical component of career development, particularly in academic medicine. Peer mentorship, which does not adhere to traditional hierarchies, is perhaps more accessible for underrepresented groups, including women...

Using Flipgrid to improve reflection: a collaborative online approach to coach development

ABSTRACT Background: Coaching researchers have stressed the need for critical reflection in practitioners, as an important tool to facilitate development. In parallel, however, coaches’ preference for more informal development methods are well documented. The increased impact of social media and other online applications offers new ways to pursue these important factors, and previous research has explored the use of written online blogs as a medium for this purpose. Purpose: The objective of the current study was to explore the potential effectiveness of Flipgrid, a video-based online communication tool that enables face-to-face, short verbal interactions, for facilitating and promoting collaborative online learning and critical reflection. Research design and data collection: The intervention was applied to a group of student-coaches (n = 21), enrolled in an undergraduate sports coaching degree programme at a higher education institution in the UK, as a part of their educational diet. Responses were analysed using Hatton and Smith’s [Hatton, N., and D. Smith. 1995. “Reflection in Teacher Education: Towards Definition and Implementation.” Teaching and Teacher Education 11 (1): 33–49] reflective framework; an approach used previously in coach development studies. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected reflecting the number and reflective level of interactions over a fifteen-week period. Findings: Results showed good support for the approach, with participants exhibiting more frequent and more critical responses as compared to earlier studies which had used a blog-based written response and interaction format. Conclusion: Further research is worthwhile to examine the broader usage of the approach. However, in this higher education setting, the approach proved impactful with these student-coaches.

An Analysis of Parental Opinions of Human Milk Sharing Options

Background: Mothers who are unable to breastfeed their infants can obtain donor breast milk (DBM) from lactating mothers through milk banks (MB) or informal, “mother-to-mother” donation. Informal milk sharing is discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), but has become increasingly popular, most likely through online milk sharing groups and personal anecdotes shared on parenting blogs. To date, however, no study has examined parental opinions and practices regarding DBM use expressed online. Purpose: To study parental practices and perceptions of receiving/donating breast milk (BM) via informal/formal routes, as discussed on publicly-accessible online blogs. Methods: …

The role of mass media in political socialization of modern Russian youth

The article analyzes the role of mass media in the process of political socialization of the Russian youth, taking place in the context of deep socio-economic and political transformations. The crucial impressionable years in the development of citizens’ political outlook are between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. Young Russian citizens are just in the process of developing political habits and are easily influenced by different factors. Much of political information comes from the traditional and innovative mass media: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. Television helps to shape public opinion by providing news and analysis, its entertainment programming addresses important contemporary issues that are in the political arena. The growth of the Internet is especially significant. Political news aggregators and online bloggers present a broad range of political opinion, information, and analysis. The importance of an adequate assessment of the role of the traditional and innovative media in the political socialization of young people, in shaping the political subjectivity of young Russian citizens is obvious.

Disseminating the Foundations of Knowledge Translation and Patient Engagement Science Through the KnowledgeNudge Blog and Twitter Profile: Quantitative Descriptive Evaluation.

BackgroundThere is a documented need to build capacity for theory- and evidence-informed knowledge translation (KT) and patient engagement (PE) practice in health research. Dissemination of foundational content online coupled with social media promotion may build capacity by increasing awareness, knowledge, and positive attitudes.ObjectiveThis retrospective study sought to (1) describe exposure and engagement of the KnowledgeNudge KT and PE dissemination strategy (online blog and Twitter profile) over 2 years and (2) identify and compare characteristics of individual posts with the most and least exposure and reach.MethodsExposure was assessed by blog site views per month and Twitter profile impressions per month. Engagement was assessed by Twitter profile interactions per month. Descriptive statistics were calculated for 6-month blocks and compared using one-way analysis of variance or Student t test. Individual post exposure was assessed by average post views per week. Individual post reach was assessed by average post reads per week. High- and low-profile blog posts with the highest and lowest 10th percentile for exposure and reach were identified.ResultsA total of 99 posts and 755 tweets were published during the study period. There was a significant increase in exposure (P=.004) and reach (P<.001) during the final 6 months. Seven high-profile and 6 low-profile posts were identified. High-profile posts had a significantly greater average word count than low-profile posts (P=.003). There were no other significant differences between posts.ConclusionsThe increases in KnowledgeNudge exposure and engagement offer preliminary evidence in support of this dissemination strategy for the practice of KT and PE. Variation in individual post exposure and reach warrants further exploration to tailor content to user needs. Future work will include a prospective evaluation strategy to explore the effect of KnowledgeNudge on awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.

Promoting cultural sensitivity with the ethical and professional use of social media during global pharmacy experiences

IntroductionWhile the use of social media and blogging is an attractive and rapidly growing method to disseminate student reflections and information, the use of digital online methods of learning also require professional and ethical accountability. This commentary describes two approaches to using a checklist to promote the culturally sensitive, professional, and ethical use of social media platforms when students are expected to share their global pharmacy experiential experiences. CommentarySocial media sites and online blogs have the potential to enhance student experiences and promote intercultural competence of participants due to their ease of use and familiarity. If social media applications are used by students as a means of gaining self-awareness of cultural differences or promotion of cultural knowledge and attitudes, a framework for how to approach this process methodically should be employed by educators. E-professionalism criteria, such as self-evaluation of implicit biases, appropriateness of visual images, and timing of online posting can be used to set expectations as part of pre-departure training and to ensure ethical dissemination of online student reflections. ImplicationsPharmacy educators can assist students during global experiences abroad by improving their cultural competence when sharing reflections online. To ensure postings are culturally sensitive, ethical, and professional, consideration should be given to the deliberate use of a checklist that can assist with ensuring appropriateness of content and student reflections as part of a formal educational experience.

Wild Honey: Reading New Zealand Women’s Poetry.

Wild Honey is an expansive anthology which covers the last 150 years of women’s poetry in New Zealand. Paula Green is widely known as an advocate of poetry and a generous and inclusive builder of community, as seen in her online blog NZ Poetry Shelf. This book continues her crusade to celebrate poetry in a way that is both accessible and welcoming. In Wild Honey Green has built a home for women’s poetry, a metaphor that she emphasizes in the structure of the book. The book is structured in the form of a house with different parts of the house providing the basis for each chapter.

A​ ​ Review on Sentiment Analysis

In a current scenario, we have become an integrated part of the internet as our daily life activities are fully dependent on it​ . Social media such as Twitter, Facebook connect with friends, family, and the main source of information about the world. ​ Today we buy our daily essential items from the internet (Amazon, Flipkart), we get education using online blogs and videos. Lots of emotions are generated on the internet. Sentimental Information on the internet is very helpful for businesses, customers, and the government. We have a bulk of content on the internet but we have lots of challenges for sentiment analysis and the evaluation process. Natural language processing helps to find sentiment information from the text. This paper surveys sentiment analysis techniques and challenges.

Challenges and Successes in Raising a Child With Type 1 Diabetes and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundSelf-management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) requires numerous decisions and actions by people with T1D and their caregivers and poses many daily challenges. For those with T1D and a developmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), more complex challenges arise, though these remain largely unstudied.ObjectiveThis study aimed to better understand the barriers and facilitators of raising a child with T1D and ASD. Secondary analysis of web-based content (phase 1) and telephone interviews (phase 2) were conducted to further expand the existing knowledge on the challenges and successes faced by these families.MethodsPhase 1 involved a qualitative analysis of publicly available online forums and blog posts by caregivers of children with both T1D and ASD. Themes from phase 1 were used to create an interview guide for further in-depth exploration via interviews. In phase 2, caregivers of children with both T1D and ASD were recruited from Penn State Health endocrinology clinics and through the web from social media posts to T1D-focused groups and sites. Interested respondents were directed to a secure web-based eligibility assessment. Information related to T1D and ASD diagnosis, contact information, and demographics were collected. On the basis of survey responses, participants were selected for a follow-up telephone interview and were asked to complete the adaptive behavior assessment system, third edition parent form to assess autism severity and upload a copy of their child’s most recent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) result. Interviews were transcribed, imported into NVivo qualitative data management software, and analyzed to determine common themes related to barriers and facilitators of raising a child with both ASD and T1D.ResultsFor phase 1, 398 forum posts and blog posts between 2009 and 2016 were analyzed. Common themes related to a lack of understanding by the separate ASD and T1D caregiver communities, advice on coping techniques, rules and routines, and descriptions of the health care experience. For phase 2, 12 eligible respondents were interviewed. For interviewees, the average age of the child at diagnosis with T1D and ASD was 7.92 years and 5.55 years, respectively. Average self-reported and documented HbA1c levels for children with T1D and ASD were 8.6% (70 mmol/mol) and 8.7% (72 mmol/mol), respectively. Common themes from the interviews related to increased emotional burden, frustration surrounding the amount of information they are expected to learn, and challenges in the school setting.ConclusionsCaregivers of children with both T1D and ASD face unique challenges, distinct from those faced by caregivers of individuals who have either disorder alone. Understanding these challenges may help health care providers in caring for this unique population. Referral to the diabetes online community may be a potential resource to supplement the care received by the medical community.

Colloquy: Musicology and the Middlebrow

Colloquy: Musicology and the Middlebrow