Text Messages Research Articles

Abstract MP10: A Remote Pharmacist Intervention for Monitoring and Treating Hypertension for Patients Living in Rural Areas

Background: Hypertension is a significant, but modifiable, cause of morbidity. Many people are unaware that they have hypertension, and of those with a diagnosis, many do not have controlled blood pressure (BP). Undertreatment may be especially problematic in medically unserved rural areas with reduced access to medical care. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether a remote pharmacist-based intervention improves BP management for patients in rural areas. Methods: We recruited English- and Spanish-speaking rural adults from University of Iowa Health Care with at least 2 previous clinically measured BP values > 145 mmHg systolic or > 95 mmHg diastolic, for a 12-month study. Patients submitted up to 14 home BP measurements via text messaging pre-randomization. They had one conversation with the research pharmacist, and then they were randomized to the intervention or control group. The control group received only usual care for the rest of the study period. The intervention group received calls as often as once a month from a remote pharmacist who reviewed their home BP, gave medication recommendations to patients’ providers through the electronic medical record, and provided lifestyle recommendations. Research BPs and antihypertensive medication use were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. At the end of the study, patients were asked about their experiences with the remote pharmacist and the study in general. Results: There were 211 patients in the control group, and 209 in the intervention group. Average age was 58 years. Four percent of participants were Black, and 23% were Hispanic. Average BMI was 33, and 29% had diabetes. The decrease in systolic BP in the intervention group was 9.5 mmHg lower than the control group at 6 months (p<0.001), and 4.8 mmHg lower than the control group at 12 months (p=0.019). There were no changes in the probability of being treated, but the intervention group had 75% more medication changes in the first 6 months compared to the control group (p<0.001). Many patients commented about the ease of participation and were interested in continuing communications with the pharmacists and reporting home BP readings after the study finished. Conclusions: Our bi-directional texting and remote pharmacist intervention successfully lowered BP levels. Future work will expand this study to other populations and examine this study’s cost effectiveness.

Makkan Arabic in the digital age: A sociolinguistic analysis of the representation of fricative, stop, and sibilant variation in WhatsApp text messages

This study examines Makkan Arabic speakers’ orthographic representation of standard and colloquial variants in their WhatsApp text messages. In particular, we examine the role that speaker gender, speaker age, gender composition of conversations, and topic of discussions play in Hadari Makkans’ representation of standard and colloquial variants of the variables (th), (dh), and (Dh). Statistical analyses reveal that women favor colloquial variant stops [t] and [d], while men exhibit a preference for standard variants [θ] and [ð], particularly when conversing with other men. For (Dh), however, both women and men favor the standard variant [ðˤ]. Age also plays a role in the distribution of variants, with speakers favoring standard variants as they age. The use of fricatives [θ] and [ð] also increases when participants discuss formal topics, which suggests an implicit association between standard language and formality, despite the inherent informality of WhatsApp interactions. This study provides insights into how phonological variation is orthographically represented within a written genre designed to mimic spontaneous conversation and enriches the broader discourse on Arabic language variation and digital communication.

Biochemical approaches for decoding the information stored with metabolites

Molecular data storage is an emerging supplement to conventional information storage methods. In addition to the information storage with DNA or synthetic polymers, a recently proposed strategy that uses small molecule mixtures as information carriers has sparked interest since it is a synthesis-free method. Here, we demonstrate two methods for decoding digital information stored in two sets of small-molecule metabolites. The information is stored as binary code, 0 or 1, based on the absence or presence of each particular metabolite in the mixture. In the first approach, the information was encoded by five metabolites (sarcosine, cholesterol, xanthine, glucose, and galactose) and stored as mixture solutions in a 384-well microplate. The information was read out by cascade enzymatic reactions that can specifically convert the metabolites to a colorimetric product, which was then assayed by a microplate reader. We stored a 60×32-pixel picture (1920 bits) with 384 mixtures of small molecules with a reading accuracy of 96.68 %, and also demonstrated the encoding of a 220-bit text message. Alternatively, another set of six metabolites (bilirubin, uric acid, urea, creatinine, glucose, and triglyceride) was deployed to encode a 78×102-pixel picture (7956 bits) with 1326 mixtures, which was decoded automatically by a biochemistry analyzer with a 98.96 % accuracy. This work showcases that common metabolites can be used as digital molecules for information storage, and the information decoding can be done by accessible instruments in an ordinary biochemical laboratory.

Podcast and Translation Learning as a Means of Developing Students' Reading, Speaking, and Listening Skills

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of employing podcast content and translation to improve reading, listening, and speaking abilities. An analysis using a mix of methods was developed to address such a query. To address such an issue, a treatment has to be administered. In the tenth grade of high school, there were ten students. For the lesson, the students used books with podcasts and translation-method content. To improve students' reading and listening abilities, the teacher began using podcasts. The teacher used translation to make understanding easier. The teacher instructed the students in grammar by taking the text's message to heart. In order to improve students' speaking abilities, the teacher also taught retelling, explaining pictures, and discussion. Pre and post tests were administered as part of the treatment. An assessment rubric was utilized to evaluate the pre-test and post-test. Analysis was done on the pre-test and post-test results. It is possible to conclude from the analysis of this type of result that the use of podcasts and translation to improve reading and listening comprehension and speak more fluently is successful. This outcome can be used by the teachers to teach the pertinent subjects. It can also be developed for comparable applications by other researchers.

Post COVID-19 conditions in an Australian pediatric cohort, 3 months following a Delta outbreak.

Pediatric long COVID remains incompletely understood with scant Australian data available. We aimed to assess the impacts of the 2021 Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on symptoms and functioning 12 weeks post-acute infection in a cohort of children and adolescents. The parents/carers of 11,864 patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 were invited, via email or text message, to complete an online survey assessing symptoms and functional impairment. 1731 (17.6%) responded to the survey. 203 (11.7%) reported continued symptoms and/or functional impairment which were flagged for clinical review, all others reported recovery. Of the 169 subsequently clinically reviewed, 63 had already recovered (37.3%) and 17 had exacerbation of pre-existing condition(s) (10.1%); 63 (37.3%) were diagnosed with a Post COVID Condition (PCC). Of these, 21 (12.4%) were considered to have features compatible with the United Kingdom consensus cases definition for Long COVID. During an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 an online questionnaire with subsequent clinical review revealed self-reported non-recovery at 12 weeks in a minority of cases, with a spectrum of features. Long COVID comprised only a subset of cases with self-reported non-recovery, and is infrequent in children and adolescents, but still comprises a likely significant burden that warrants attention. Our study provides the only comprehensive estimate of the frequency and spectrum of post-COVID conditions in children from Australia. The high frequency of self-reported recovery, and low frequency of Long COVID compatible illness adds to the literature from other settings. Risk factors for post-COVID conditions in children are identified and include: age >11 year, and previous medical co-morbidity.

No Consistent Evidence for Associations Between Various Forms of Social Media Usage and Emotional Prowess: A Multi-⁠Study Approach With Three Adult Samples

The good and bad impacts of social media on individuals and societies remain poorly understood and highly debated. An often-discussed, yet little-studied worry about social media usage is that it may breed diminished social and emotional abilities. Here, we tested this assumption across three studies with adult samples (N = 316, 1,879, 903). We used different indicators of emotional prowess (i.e., emotional intelligence, emotion recognition), a broad set of social media usage measures and adopted a three-pronged analysis approach featuring zero-order correlations, multiple regressions, and conditional random forests. Our findings do not support consistent evidence for associations between social media usage and emotional prowess. Instead, we find conflicting evidence for passive social media usage (related to lower overall emotional intelligence but better emotion recognition) and active social media usage (related to higher overall emotional intelligence but worse emotion recognition). We find some evidence for positive associations between emotional prowess and general smartphone usage and text messaging usage. Further, we find largely inconsistent and/or null effects for social media addiction, general social media usage, general smartphone usage, video gaming, and media sharing. In the absence of consistent effects of social media usage, we find strong, robust, and replicable associations between age and emotional prowess.

Exploring the Impact of Emojis on Paralanguage in Social Media Communication among University Students

This research investigated the evolving role of emojis in shaping paralanguage within social media communication, with a particular focus on how these visual symbols enhance linguistic and emotional expression. The study examined the nuanced ways in which emojis contribute to the overall tone, context, and meaning in written discourse, while also considering cultural and contextual variations in emoji usage among individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Conducted with a sample of 55 Year-3 Bachelor of Education students at a university in Fiji, where English is a second language, the research employed a mixed methods approach to analyze data on the usage and perception of emojis in social media communication. This paper argues that emojis play a crucial role in conveying emotions, fostering engagement, and adding personality to messages, thereby augmenting textual communication with emotional nuance and clarity, leading to more empathetic and meaningful online interactions. The findings indicate that emojis are widely used across various communication channels, including text messages, comments, and direct messages, reflecting their versatility and widespread adoption. Respondents overwhelmingly perceive emojis as positive tools that enhance the effectiveness of digital communication by conveying emotions, fostering engagement, and adding personality to messages. The study also highlights the significant role emojis play in nonverbal communication, particularly in expressing emotions that may be difficult to articulate through text alone. By providing emotional nuance, clarity, and depth, emojis contribute to more empathetic and meaningful interactions in online spaces. Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the dynamic interplay between emojis and paralanguage in contemporary digital communication, signifying the importance of these symbols in enriching text-based exchanges and fostering more engaging and emotionally resonant social media interactions.

Black Women and the Preemie Prep for Parents (P3) Program: Exploratory Analysis of a Clinical Trial.

The smartphone Preemie Prep for Parents (P3) program was developed to address the gap in prenatal education of preterm birth in high-risk pregnancies. Despite a higher incidence of preterm birth, Black women are less likely to receive prenatal education. Pregnant women with medical conditions that predisposed them to preterm birth were randomized to receive the P3 program or links to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists webpages (control). The P3 group received periodic text messages, starting as early as 18 weeks gestational age, each with a link to a short, animated educational video. Participants completed the Parent Prematurity Knowledge Questionnaire, PROMIS Anxiety scale, and a feedback survey. This is a subgroup analysis of the Black, non-Hispanic participants in the P3 trial. Of the 26 Black non-Hispanic women enrolled, the P3 group (n=14) had higher knowledge scores than the control group (n=12), 67.5% correct vs. 43.6% (difference 24.0; 95% CI, 7.4 to 40.6), without experiencing an increase in anxiety. More P3 participants reported discussing preterm birth with their partner (100%) than control participants (57%; difference 43; 95% CI, 6 to 80). The P3 program appears to be an effective method of providing preterm birth education to Black pregnant women.

Preferences for Text Messaging Supports During Youth Transition to Adult Mental Health Services: Theory-Informed Modified e-Delphi Study.

For many young people, the transition from child to adult mental health services is a vulnerable time associated with treatment disengagement and illness progression. Providing service information and options to youth, appealing to them, and tailoring to their needs during this period could help overcome systematic barriers to a successful transition. We know little about how SMS text message-based interventions might be leveraged to support the motivational, informational, and behavioral needs of youth during this time. Ascertaining youth preferences for the content and functionality of an SMS text message service could inform prototype development. This study investigated consensus preferences among youth on important content, technology features, and engagement supports to inform a transition-focused SMS text message service. A modified e-Delphi survey design was used to collect demographics, current levels of technology use, importance ratings on message content, preferred technical features, and barriers and enablers to engagement for youth in Canada aged 16-26 years who have accessed mental health services within the past 5 years. Survey items on content were categorized according to the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model. Survey items on technical features were categorized according to the persuasive system design (PSD) model. A predefined consensus rating matrix and descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample. The high consensus threshold was 70%. A total of 100 participants, predominantly non-White (n=47, 47%), aged 20-26 years (n=59, 59%), and who had first accessed mental health services between the ages of 13 and 19 years (n=60, 60%), were selected. The majority (n=90, 90%) identified as daily SMS text message users. A high level of consensus on importance ratings was reported in 45% (9/20) of content items based on the IMB model. There were higher levels of consensus on importance ratings related to behavior domain items (3/3, 100%) than information domain items (4/9, 44%) or motivation domain items (2/8, 25%). A high level of consensus on importance ratings was reported in only 19% (4/21) of feature and functionality items based on the PSD model. Among PSD model categories, there was a high level of consensus on importance ratings in 8% (1/12) of the primary task support domain items and 100% (3/3) of the system credibility support domain items. None of the dialogue-support and social-support domain items met the high level of consensus thresholds. In total, 27% (27/100) of youth indicated that the most significant enabler for engaging with a transition-focused SMS text message intervention was the personalization of text messages. Scientists developing next-generation SMS text messaging interventions for this population need to consider how levels of consensus on different features may impact feasibility and personalization efforts. Youth can (and should) play an integral role in the development of these interventions.

Deceptively Simple yet Profoundly Impactful: Text Messaging Interventions to Support Health.

This paper examines the use of text message (SMS) interventions for health-related behavioral support. It first outlines the historical progress in SMS intervention research publications and the variety of funds from US government agencies. A narrative review follows, highlighting the effectiveness of SMS interventions in key health areas, such as physical activity, diet and weight loss, mental health, and substance use, based on published meta-analyses. It then outlines advantages of text messaging compared to other digital modalities, including the real-time capability to collect information and deliver microdoses of intervention support. Crucial design elements are proposed to optimize effectiveness and longitudinal engagement across communication strategies, psychological foundations, and behavior change tactics. We then discuss advanced functionalities, such as the potential for generative artificial intelligence to improve user interaction. Finally, major challenges to implementation are highlighted, including the absence of a dedicated commercial platform, privacy and security concerns with SMS technology, difficulties integrating SMS interventions with medical informatics systems, and concerns about user engagement. Proposed solutions aim to facilitate the broader application and effectiveness of SMS interventions. Our hope is that these insights can assist researchers and practitioners in using SMS interventions to improve health outcomes and reducing disparities.

Drivers of Inpatient Subspecialty Consultation Among Pediatric Hospitalists: A Qualitative Study.

Inpatient subspecialty consultation is often medically necessary but in some cases may represent overuse. While pediatric consultation patterns have been described using observational data, qualitative methods may generate knowledge about contextual determinants of consultation behavior. Our objective was to understand how pediatric hospitalists make decisions about subspecialty consultation. This qualitative study took place at a large academic children's hospital as part of an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design (QUAN → qual). We conducted semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of previously identified high-consulting (top quartile) and low-consulting (bottom quartile) pediatric hospitalists. Interviews were conducted virtually, and audio recordings were transcribed. Two analysts coded transcripts using an integrated approach and established high interrater reliability (κ > 0.75). We organized findings using the Social Ecological Model. Participants (n = 12) included high-(n = 6) and low-(n = 6) consulting hospitalists. Our respondents identified considerations including patient characteristics, confidence in their own competence and that of their team, and perceived helpfulness of consultants. Participants viewed consultation requests as being strongly influenced by a desire to maintain relationships with families. Specific to this context, the hospital's elite reputation was believed to influence families to expect consultations. Other considerations included medicolegal risk, clinical pathways, and availability of secure text messaging to facilitate informal "curbside" conversations with subspecialists. Decision-making around pediatric subspecialty consultation is complex and influenced by factors unrelated to a patient's clinical need. Efforts to reduce low-value consultation must account for the social and organizational dynamics that promote consultation.

A Pregnancy and Postnatal RCT Among Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Overweight/Obesity: The PAIGE2 Study.

This study examined the influence of a pregnancy and postnatal multicomponent lifestyle intervention for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and overweight/obesity from 6 weeks to 12 months postnatal. The primary outcome was weight at 12 months. Secondary outcomes included change in body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). The study involved 235 pregnant women with GDM and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 during pregnancy. Intervention components included an educational session, activity tracker (Fitbit), monthly phone calls, weekly motivational text messages, 12-week voucher for a commercial weight management organization and anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical measurements taken at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months postnatal. The control group received routine local maternity care. A mean weight change of -2.0 (SD 7.1) kg was observed in the intervention group compared with -0.6 (SD 8.0) kg in the control group, difference -1.4 (95% CI -4.4, 1.5) kg from 6 weeks to 12 months postnatal, but this was not statistically significant (P = .34). Neither were significant differences obtained for any secondary outcomes: BMI -0.6 (-1.6, 0.5) kg/m2, WC -1.0 (-5.1, 3.2) cm and FPG 0.07 (-0.15, 0.29) mmol/L. This lifestyle intervention among women with overweight/obesity and GDM resulted in a statistically nonsignificant 1.4 kg greater weight loss compared with routine care at 12 months postnatal. Further research is needed to understand how the different components of this lifestyle intervention might be better applied to elicit more successful results.

Text messaging to improve retention in hypertension care in Bangladesh.

Visit non-attendance is a common barrier to hypertension control in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile text messaging in improving visit attendance among patients with hypertension in primary healthcare facilities in Bangladesh. A randomized A/B testing study was conducted with two patient groups: (1) patients regularly attending visits (regular patients) and (2) patients overdue for their follow-up clinic visit (overdue patients). Regular patients were randomized into three groups: a cascade of three text reminders, a single text reminder, or no text reminder. Overdue patients were randomized into two groups: a single text reminder or no text reminder. 20,072 regular patients and 12,708 overdue patients were enrolled. Among regular patients, visit attendance was significantly higher in the cascade reminder group and the single reminder group compared to the no reminder group (78.2% and 76.6% vs. 74.8%, p < 0.001 and 0.027, respectively). Among overdue patients, the single reminder group had a 5.8% higher visit attendance compared to the no reminder group (26.5% vs. 20.7%, p < 0.001). The results remained consistent in multivariable analysis; adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) was 1.04 (95% CI 1.02-1.06) for the cascade reminder group and 1.02 (95% CI 1.00-1.05) for the single reminder group among regular patients. The adjusted PR for the single reminder group vs. the no reminder group among overdue patients was 1.23 (95% CI 1.15-1.33). Text message reminders are an effective strategy for improving retention of patients in hypertension treatment in LMICs, especially for patients overdue to care.

Phishing Cyber Security Threats

Phishing is a growing threat in the realm of cybersecurity, where cybercriminals use various phishing techniques to steal sensitive information from individuals and organizations. In practice, phishing aims to obtain personal, account, and financial data by impersonating trusted parties through fake emails, websites, text messages, or social media. The term "phishing" comes from the word "fishing" which describes an attempt to lure prey with fake bait. The most common types of phishing include web phishing, email phishing, smishing phishing, scam phishing, blind phishing, whaling phishing, and angler phishing, each with different approaches and targets. Phishing causes losses to individual victims and significantly impacts the information and communication technology profession, including loss of data, reputation, security, time, cost, quality, and trust. An in-depth understanding of the types of phishing, their impacts, and their prevention and countermeasures is essential to protect yourself and your organization from phishing attacks. Therefore, awareness and education about phishing are key in building resilience to this cyber threat. As such, further research and proactive actions are needed to tackle phishing effectively in the ever-evolving digital age.

Emotional text messages affect the early processing of emoticons depending on their emotional congruence: evidence from the N170 and EPN event related potentials.

Emoticons have been considered pragmatic cues that enhance emotional expressivity during computer-mediated communication. Yet, it is unclear how emoticons are processed in ambiguous text-based communication due to incongruences between the emoticon's emotional valence and its context. In this study, we investigated the electrophysiological correlates of contextual influence on the early emotional processing of emoticons, during an emotional congruence judgment task. Participants were instructed to judge the congruence between a text message expressing an emotional situation (positive or negative), and a subsequent emoticon expressing positive or negative emotions. We analyzed early event-related potentials elicited by emoticons related to face processing (N170) and emotional salience in visual perception processing (Early Posterior Negativity, EPN). Our results show that accuracy and Reaction Times depend on the interaction between the emotional valence of the context and the emoticon. Negative emoticons elicited a larger N170, suggesting that the emotional information of the emoticon is integrated at the early stages of the perceptual process. During emoticon processing, a valence effect was observed with enhanced EPN amplitudes in occipital areas for emoticons representing negative valences. Moreover, we observed a congruence effect in parieto-temporal sites within the same time-window, with larger amplitudes for the congruent condition. We conclude that, similar to face processing, emoticons are processed differently according to their emotional content and the context in which they are embedded. A congruent context might enhance the emotional salience of the emoticon (and therefore, its emotional expression) during the early stages of their processing.

Experiences of Parent Coaches in an Intervention for Parents of Young Children Newly Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

This paper explores parent coaching experiences supporting parents of young children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in a clinical trial. In a trial for 157 parents, those in the intervention arm (n = 116) were paired with a parent coach (n = 37; Mage = 37.9 years, SD = 3.9; 94.6% mothers, 81.1% White non-Hispanic). Parent coaches provided diabetes-specific social support. Parent coaches completed monthly surveys and satisfaction/feasibility surveys, with a subset (n = 7) undergoing qualitative interviews at the end of this study. There were 2262 contacts between participants and their parent coaches, averaging 14.4 (SD = 9.3) per participant. Parent coaches reported that the most commonly used methods were text messages (67.9%) and emails (18.7%), with 33.6% having in-person visits. Coaches reported high satisfaction and belief in their usefulness to participants during the first 9 months after T1D diagnosis. Themes discussed by parent coaches about their experience in mentoring included relationship building, expertise sharing, personal growth, gratification, and intervention optimization suggestions. Parent coaching post T1D diagnosis involves regular, multi-method contacts. It is highly acceptable and valuable for parent coaches to mentor other parents of young children newly diagnosed with T1D.

Kick Vaping: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of a vaping cessation text messaging intervention for Latino young adults

Objective To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of Kick Vaping among Latino young adults. Methods Forty Latino young adults (ages 18 to 25) who were currently vaping received Kick Vaping, a vaping cessation text messaging intervention available in English and Spanish. Feasibility was measured by the eligibility, enrollment, and follow-up rates. Acceptability was measured by overall satisfaction with the intervention. Preliminary impact was measured by self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence and changes in self-efficacy. Results Two hundred three individuals were identified, 61 were assessed for eligibility, and 55 were eligible. Forty individuals consented to participate and were enrolled in Kick Vaping. At baseline, most participants used disposable devices (70%), vaped daily (97.5%), had low (37.5%) or medium (35.0%) e-cigarette dependence, and had attempted to quit in the past year (72.5%). At Month 3, the follow-up rate was 90% (36/40). Treating those lost to follow-up as participants who continued vaping, 75% (30/40) of participants self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence. Self-efficacy mean scores significantly increased from 30.65 (SD 8.07) at baseline to 50.11 (SD 10.57) at follow-up (p < 0.01). Most participants (88.9%, 32/36) reported being satisfied/extremely satisfied with Kick Vaping. Conclusion It is feasible to recruit and retain Latino young adults in a vaping cessation text messaging intervention. Kick Vaping generated high satisfaction among Latino young adults, significantly increased self-efficacy, and resulted in a notable vaping cessation rate at Month 3. Additional testing in a randomized controlled trial is warranted to assess the efficacy of the intervention.

The Semantic Roles as Hidden Messages in Advertisement Texts

Advertising has been analyzed by scholars presenting various branches of science: semiotics, stylistics, marketing, and, of course, text linguistics. Unlike other texts, advertisements have a target audience and correspondingly perform specific functions. The aim of any advertisement text is to make the reader/listener of the advertisement potential customers, buyers, or clients. The authors have chosen the object-matter of their research texts advertising cosmetics. The application of the theory of semantic cases or roles proposed by Charles Fillmore with the purpose of specifying their functions, helps visualize the target audience. The analysis of the semantic cases in advertisement texts shows a connection between the type of the semantic case, age group and price category of the cosmetic products. These semantic cases can be considered as signals of addressee-orientation; in our case the addressee are people belonging to different age group.

Self-reported alcohol consumption during participation in a text messaging-based online drinking moderation platform.

Many individuals with excessive alcohol consumption desire moderation but do not seek formalized treatment. Commercially available, technology-assisted options are flexible and highly accessible, yet often not empirically validated. Individuals desiring alcohol moderation (age 21+) self-selected to use Sunnyside®, a web application with tailored and adaptive text messaging. The evaluable dataset included 46,411 members who completed a baseline assessment, enrolled in the program, and tracked their drinking at least once. An adaptive and customizable weekly plan was generated from typical drinking patterns, goals, and weekly reported progress. Personalized daily messages included reminders for real-time drink tracking, plans, and available interactive messaging with peer coaches. Generalized mixed-effect growth models characterized change in drinks per week and daily drinking for 12 weeks after enrollment. Models allowed for nonlinear change and individual variability across members and weeks. A majority (64.3%) of members reported typically drinking 7 of 7 days per week at baseline. During tracking, drinks per week decreased most in the initial weeks and slowed thereafter, with an overall 33% reduction in weekly drink counts. More severe alcohol-use patterns and concern over drinking at baseline were associated with greater relative benefit. Drinking patterns appeared amenable to change during 12 weeks of daily drink tracking with Sunnyside®, a tailored web program to reduce drinking and improve overall wellness. Overall, the findings of this naturalistic study, one of the first of its kind, supplement data from randomized clinical trials and support the use of adaptive, technology-assisted tools for alcohol moderation.

Smart Virtual Assistant Academic Model for a University Website

This paper presents the query chatbot system implemented by an institution, which is designed to deliver prompt and efficient responses to inquiries from both students and faculty members. Machine learning algorithms and natural language processing techniques were used in the creation of the chatbot. Using a dataset of commonly asked questions by students, we evaluated the system's functionality. The outcomes showed that the chatbot could deliver precise answers on schedule. The system's ability to provide prompt responses to often- asked questions might potentially save time for both teachers and pupils. Our study demonstrates the value of chatbots in educational environments and suggests avenues for further investigation into this area. A conversational buddy is a piece of software that facilitates online text or voice messaging conversations. They can contextualize human participation, making dialogue more interesting. A powerful tool for building chatbots that can serve as a college inquiry system is the Python framework Rasa X The goal of this research project is to establish guidelines for building a dynamic chatbot that can communicate with users via text and speech.