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The Novel COVID-19 has dramatically transformed the globe into an exponential digital world. Considering the unprecedented need for social distancing, the surge of digital communication has prevailed all around the sphere. The natures of relationships based on the dreamlike and illusory identities on digital communication apps are cultivating the diverse intersections of self-concept. The first section intends to deals with people awareness about their actual self-concept. The second section revolves around if they recognize their traits so to what extent they understand them. Furthermore, the third section states that self-concept doesn’t merely represent the person’s claim as me or mine but also demonstrates their self-evaluation based on their social experiences. The natures of relationships due to digital communication on social media applications are distorting the relationship-induced self-concept of adolescents. These variations in self-concept are promoting rapidly and people are finding refuge in alcohol consumption for temporary relief. Here the question arises does alcohol dependence leads to negative self-concept or negative self-concept escort to alcohol dependency. The literature depicts that alcohol dependency leads to poor self-concept among people. Hence, the current study findings contradict the literature and revealed that negative selfconcept escort alcohol dependence. The America psychological association and ICD-10 must add the nature and treatment modality of cyber-disorders. The government and policymakers must formulate laws to reduce the ratio of cyber dependency. Furthermore, the researchers, psychologists and psychiatrists must practice advanced therapeutic intervention for the intervention and counselling of the patients [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the evolving landscape of education in the context of digital innovations and the transformative impact of technology on learning. They emphasize the challenges and opportunities presented by educational technologies, the need for adapting education systems to technological changes, and the role of digital skills alongside other essential skills to navigate the rapidly evolving global economy.

Diagnosis in healthcare systems relies heavily on the use of medical images. Images such as X-rays, ultrasounds, computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), and other scans of the brain and other internal organs of patients include private and personal information. However, these images are vulnerable to unauthorized users who unlawfully use them for non-diagnostic reasons due to the lack of security in communication routes and the gaps in the storage systems of hospitals or medical centers. Image encryption is a prominent technique used to protect medical images from unauthorized access in addition to enhancing the security of communication networks. In this paper, researchers offer a lightweight cryptosystem for the secure encryption of medical images that makes use of the present block cipher and a five-dimensional chaotic map. More than 25 images from the open science framework (OSF) public database of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were used to evaluate the proposed system. DICOM stands for "digital imaging and communications in medicine". The efficiency of the proposed system is proved in terms of adjacent pixels' correlation analysis, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) analysis, mean square error, information entropy, unified average changing intensity, peak-to-signal noise ratio, entropy, and structure similarity index image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increasingly strong and varied performance requirements, cooperative wireless communication systems today occupy a prominent place in both academic research and industrial development. The technological and economic challenges for future sixth-generation (6G) wireless systems are considerable, with the objectives of improving coverage, data rate, latency, reliability, mobile connectivity and energy efficiency. Over the past decade, new technologies have emerged, such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay systems, intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS), unmanned aerial vehicular (UAV)-assisted communications, dual-polarized (DP) antenna arrays, three dimensional (3D) polarized channel modeling, and millimeter-wave (mmW) communication. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of tensor-based MIMO cooperative communication systems. Indeed, during the last two decades, tensors have been the subject of many applications in signal processing, especially for digital communications, and more broadly for big data processing. After a brief reminder of basic tensor operations and decompositions, we present the main characteristics allowing to classify cooperative systems, illustrated by means of different architectures. A review of main codings used for cooperative systems is provided before a didactic and comprehensive presentation of two-hop systems, highlighting different tensor models. In a companion paper currently in preparation, we will show how these tensor models can be exploited to develop semi-blind receivers to jointly estimate transmitted information symbols and communication channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating a country's brand value and strengthening its image and reputation are possible through public relations efforts. In today's world, where digital technologies and networks are widely prevalent, communicating with target audiences digitally provides an advantage. In this context, the Republic of Türkiye is celebrating its centennial in 2023. The yuzuncuyil.gov.tr website has been launched to preserve state traditions, maintain Türkiye's longstanding brand value, and leverage communication opportunities. The aim of this study is to examine the yuzuncuyil.gov.tr web site from a dialogic perspective and assess its compatibility with communication techniques. Therefore, as we enter Türkiye's centennial year, it is important to analyze the yuzuncuyil.gov.tr website, which has been designed as a digital channel, from a dialogic standpoint and highlight the reciprocal and interactive aspect of communication. Content analysis method was used in this study, and the data was obtained from the yuzuncuyil.gov.tr website. By determining categories within the framework of dialogic communication theory, an analysis was conducted. The findings revealed that the website was not designed in line with dialogic communication principles, primarily serving informational and announcement purposes, lacking regular updates and interactivity. Consequently, it was concluded that designing a website that is suitable for Türkiye's Centennial, integrates with social media, and promotes interactivity would be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been growing interests on the study of software-oriented computer numerical control (Soft-CNC) system which plays an important role in the field of advanced manufacturing. However, existing Soft-CNC systems have somewhat limitations in that special motion control and I/O card should be inserted into PC or needed to use the servo driver based on digital communication such as SERCOS, EtherCAT, and so on. To get a better universality, in this paper we propose a novel external modular hardware architecture for developing Soft-CNC system on general PC. The external modular hardware architecture consists of seven kinds of partial module units: main module unit, axis module unit, spindle module unit, digital I/O module unit, analog I/O module unit, MPG module unit, and MCP module unit. We present the detailed design and functions of seven kinds of particular module units, and the data communication methods are described. Also the software implementations of Soft-CNC system using the external modular hardware architecture are presented. The proposed system has implemented on three axis machine tool and verified the operating correctness of proposed architecture by experiments on path of 3D butterfly shape. The experimental result shows that the external modular hardware architecture for Soft-CNC system operates correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There was a concern about the shortage of nurses that resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, universities and university colleges were instructed to continue educating nursing professionals but were challenged by the social distancing and the limitations of clinical placements and clinical-field instructors. Clinical placement is essential in the students' development of practical skills and knowledge. Thus, transitioning to a digital follow-up platform of communication with the students between the universities/college and the clinical practice sites became necessary. Purpose: To obtain knowledge about the experiences from the university/college teachers, students, and clinical-field instructors regarding the transition to a digital learning environment that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Qualitative individual digital interviews were conducted for data collection at three different nursing education programs from three Norwegian university/university college sites. Five students, four clinical-field instructors, and nine university/college teachers participated (n = 18). Results: The inductive analyses identified two main themes: (1) Efficiency compromising pedagogical quality, and (2) Digital alienation. Conclusions: Students and university/college teachers were worried about fluctuating quality with digital pedagogical. There were concerns that the students educated during this period will have reduced clinical competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metaverse is emerging as a next-generation internet paradigm that will enhance human interaction and connectivity. Digital twinning, a fundamental strategy used in the metaverse, allows for the virtualization of real-world items, people, actions, and settings. A virtual world called the metaverse is built on a variety of technologies. Wireless communication is an important part of these technologies. In particular, wireless 6G communication can be essential for the growth of the metaverse. In line with the goal of achieving higher rates in the next-generation wireless network for the metaverse, in this paper, a novel conceptualization of intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-assisted multiple-input single output-based wireless communication in physical world environments is proposed. More specifically, this paper proposes that in the physical world, the IRS-assisted communication between a communication network and users can be reflected in the metaverse through the virtual world (such as digital avatars and the virtual environment). In the simulations, the bit-error rate and spectral efficiency of the receiver terminal were performed and calculated in the metaverse engine for future consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging smart cities and digital twins are currently built from heterogenous cutting-edge low-power remote sensing systems limited by diverse inefficient communication and information technologies. Future smart cities delivering time-critical services and responses must transition towards utilizing massive numbers of sensors and more efficient integrated systems that rapidly communicate intelligent self-adaptation for collaborative operations. Here, we propose a critical futuristic integrated communication element named City Sensing Base Station (CSBS), inspired by base stations for cell phones that address similar concerns. A CSBS is designed to handle massive volumes of heterogeneous observation data that currently need to be upgraded by middleware or registered. It also provides predictive and interpolation modelling for the control of sensors and response units such as emergency services and drones. A prototype of CSBS demonstrated that it could unify readily available heterogeneous sensing devices, including surveillance video, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ground sensor webs. Collaborative observation capability was also realized by integrating different object detection sources using advanced computer-vision technologies. Experiments with a traffic accident and water pipeline emergency showed sensing and intelligent analyses were greatly improved. CSBS also significantly reduced redundant Internet connections while maintaining high efficiency. This innovation successfully integrates high-density, high-diversity, and high-precision sensing in a distributed way for the future digital twin of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns forced populations across the world to become completely dependent on digital devices for working, studying, and socializing, there has been no shortage of published studies about the possible negative effects of the increased use of digital devices during this exceptional period. In seeking to empirically address how the concern with digital dependency has been experienced during the pandemic, we present findings from a study of daily self-reported logbooks by 59 university students in Copenhagen, Denmark, over 4 weeks in April and May 2020, investigating their everyday use of digital devices. We highlight two main findings. First, students report high levels of online fatigue, expressed as frustration with their constant reliance on digital devices. On the other hand, students found creative ways of using digital devices for maintaining social relations, helping them to cope with isolation. Such online interactions were nevertheless seen as a poor substitute for physical interactions in the long run. Our findings show how the dependence on digital devices was marked by ambivalence, where digital communication was seen as both the cure against, and cause of, feeling isolated and estranged from a sense of normality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has forced governments around the world to launch various digital information campaigns in an attempt to boost public awareness about the virus and increase public information on effective measures to prevent its diffusion in local communities. Different public relations and data preservation, data retention, and data distribution strategies have been applied by healthcare policymakers to initiate, implement, and promote a wide range of public information campaigns, unique open data-driven platforms, and related digital solutions and tools to achieve the goal. Likewise, they were driven by different motivations and priorities as well as demands and political signals that they received from both top government leadership and civil society. In this regard, it is interesting to analyze how these different public relations and data management strategies were manifested in real administrative and technological practices, what priorities policymakers put in promoting such digital platforms, what communication and data management tools they used, and how effective they were in raising public awareness about the pandemic via such digital information platforms and related data-driven projects, startups, and initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Practical experiences with the use of digital communication solutions in probation assistance" deals with the results of a bachelor's thesis in which five professionals in probation assistance were interviewed about the opportunities and challenges of using digital communication solutions. The study shows that digital solutions have the potential to facilitate access to communication between offenders and professionals and to increase contact intensity. The results provide interesting insights into practice and offer impulses for further discussions. It is emphasized that adequate funding is the basis for the further institutionalization of online counseling and recognition. The media literacy of the clientele is assessed differently. It is recommended to select the appropriate setting and consider the challenges and risks of digitization. It is also pointed out that the availability and usability of such solutions pose an ongoing challenge. [Extracted from the article]

Text-based communication is becoming an increasingly salient feature of the psychotherapeutic landscape. Yet little is known about the factors distinguishing high- and low-quality therapeutic conversations taking place over this modality. Prior research on therapist effects has outlined several common factors associated with better clinical outcomes. But these common factors can only be researched in the context of text-based communication if they can be measured. Accordingly, we developed and validated a new behavioral task and coding system: the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills Performance Task for Text (FIS-T) to measure therapists' messaging quality across eight dimensions of facilitative interpersonal skill. 1150 survey-takers rated the interpersonal dynamics and response difficulty of the FIS-T Task's text-based stimuli. The FIS-T was then administered to 64 therapists. The FIS-T stimuli displayed similar interpersonal dynamics to those elicited by the original FIS task, demonstrated a similar range of difficulties to those of the video-based stimuli of the original FIS Task, and showed high inter-rater reliability. The text-based FIS-T Task demonstrates high reliability and convergent validity with the original FIS Task, making it appropriate for use in assessing the common factors in text-based therapy. Future directions in the quality assessment of internet-delivered psychotherapies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the reconstruction of high-resolution 3D digital content in integral imaging, an efficient wireless 3D image transmission system is required to convey a large number of elemental images without a communication bottleneck. To support a high transmission rate, we herein propose a novel wireless three-dimensional (3D) image transmission and reception strategy based on the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique. By exploiting the spatial multiplexing capability, multiple elemental images are transmitted simultaneously through the wireless MIMO channel, and recovered with a linear receiver such as matched filter, zero forcing, or minimum mean squared error combiners. Using the recovered elemental images, a 3D image can be reconstructed using volumetric computational reconstruction (VCR) with non-uniform shifting pixels. Although the received elemental images are corrupted by the wireless channel and inter-stream interference, the averaging effect of the VCR can improve the visual quality of the reconstructed 3D images. The numerical results validate that the proposed system can achieve excellent 3D reconstruction performance in terms of the visual quality and peak sidelobe ratio though a large number of elemental images are transmitted simultaneously over the wireless MIMO channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In digital communication systems featuring high-resolution analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), the utilization of successive interference cancellation and detection can enhance the capacity of a Gaussian multiple access channel (MAC) by combining signals from multiple transmitters in a non-orthogonal manner. Conversely, in systems employing one-bit ADCs, it is exceedingly difficult to eliminate non-orthogonal interference using digital signal processing due to the considerable distortion present in the received signal when employing such ADCs. As a result, the Gaussian MAC does not yield significant capacity gains in such cases. To address this issue, we demonstrate that, under a given deterministic interference, the capacity of a one-bit-quantized channel becomes equivalent to the capacity without interference when an appropriate threshold value is chosen. This finding suggests the potential for indirect interference cancellation in the analog domain, facilitating the proposition of an efficient successive interference cancellation and detection scheme. We analyze the achievable rate of the proposed scheme by deriving the mutual information between the transmitted and received signals at each detection stage. The obtained results indicate that the sum rate of the proposed scheme generally outperforms conventional methods, with the achievable upper bound being twice as high as that of the conventional methods. Additionally, we have developed an optimal transmit power allocation algorithm to maximize the sum rate in fading channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In our current digital world, smartphones are no longer limited to communication but are used in various real-world applications. In the healthcare industry, smartphones have sensors that can record data about our daily activities. Such data can be used for many healthcare purposes, such as elderly healthcare services, early disease diagnoses, and archiving patient data for further use. However, the data collected from the various sensors involve high dimensional features, which are not equally helpful in human activity recognition (HAR). Methods: This paper proposes an algorithm for selecting the most relevant subset of features that will contribute efficiently to the HAR process. The proposed method is based on a hybrid version of the recent Coronavirus Disease Optimization Algorithm (COVIDOA) with Simulated Annealing (SA). SA algorithm is merged with COVIDOA to improve its performance and help escape the local optima problem. Results: The UCI-HAR dataset from the UCI machine learning repository assesses the proposed algorithm's performance. A comparison is conducted with seven well-known feature selection algorithms, including the Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA), Gray Wolf Optimizer (GWO), Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA), Reptile Search Algorithm (RSA), Zebra Optimization Algorithm (ZOA), Gradient-Based Optimizer (GBO), Seagull Optimization Algorithm (SOA), and Coyote Optimization Algorithm (COA) regarding fitness, STD, accuracy, size of selected subset, and processing time. Conclusions: The results proved that the proposed approach outperforms state-of-the-art HAR techniques, achieving an average performance of 97.82% in accuracy and a reduction ratio in feature selection of 52.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social protests of 2019 and 2021 in Colombia marked a turning point in the political culture of protest. From the perspective of the processes of mediatization, digitalization, and democratization that digital convergence confers on political participation, a reflection is made around the concept of participatory culture as the axis of analysis of the transformations of social protest, its media construction, and its individual and collective experimentation. Sixteen digital communicative pieces produced by native digital media were analyzed, which, supported by resources of digital communication, evidence a political and media culture of protest, supported by the logic of social media, with a strong counter-hegemonic and discursive opposition component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to understand the therapeutic relationship in a virtual environment from the therapist's perspective, considering the digital resources used by therapists in online psychotherapy. The research adopts a qualitative methodological approach based on grounded theory and involves three therapists experienced in both face-to-face and online psychotherapy. Data were collected in the digital world through field journals and in-depth interviews. The results highlight that the therapeutic relationship is formed through virtual interactions by appropriating the media ecosystem, an environment co-created by the therapist and the patient. It is concluded that, from the therapist's experience, the formation of the therapeutic relationship begins with the first digital contact, and the content and media used gradually shape the virtual experience, framing the therapeutic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the article was to describe selected factors of hotel business in the Slovak Republic in the years 2001 to 2020 and identify the economic impacts of measures related to the pandemic crisis COVID-19 in 2020. At the same time through selected marketing tools. Paper is also focused on innovative marketing tools used in the hotel business during a pandemic time and their impact on business effectiveness. To analyze the situation in the hotel business in the Slovak Republic, we used a statistical method of comparison within the period under study. To obtain qualified answers to the stated research goals and subsequent research questions, we statistically processed available data on the number of domestic and foreign visitors, as well as the capacity of accommodation facilities in the monitored period. Subsequently, we carried out research in the hotel sector using the method of controlled structured interviews. The results were processed through exploratory factor analysis, based on which we were able to evaluate marketing tools with the most significant impact on efficiency in the hotel business in the Slovak Republic. The measures taken in connection with the coronavirus COVID-19 caused significant economic impacts on the hotel business in the Slovak Republic, as in 2020 the number of foreign visitors dropped to 20-year lows. The analysis of the environment in the hotel business for the period under study showed that the impact of measures within the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the number of visitors, the amount of revenues and the number of accommodation facilities. The research of structured interviews with accommodation facility managers showed that the use or non-use of marketing activities (websites, PPC advertising, social media) had a significant effect on the reduction of revenues. The findings of the analysis of the environment clearly show that the relaxation of the economic measures in the summer of 2020 increased the number of domestic visitors to a higher level than in the same period in 2019, but there was no increase in the number of foreign visitors. We can state that if the epidemic comes under control, there will be a massive increase in the number of visitors and thus an increase in revenues. In case, that Slovak hotel managers would use innovative marketing tools more in the future when communicating with potential customers, it is highly probable that their potential losses would be lower in the next crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As gender equality is a democratic priority worldwide and sport is a platform with repercussions for its discussion, this article aims to understand how the Brazilian Football Confederation, the entity responsible for the regulation and administration of Brazilian football, represents gender in its online communication. Using quantitative content analysis, we have systematized 12,836 CBF publications on football and futsal by themes and content formats, on their official online channels, between January 1 and March 31, 2022. The results reveal the sub-representation of women's football in seven of the eight communication channels studied; and in the eight channels, in the case of futsal. The study aims to contribute to critical studies of digital sports communication involving the notion of gender equality and to research on sports communication within the scope of regulatory bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in technology and the area of digital communications have rendered digital images increasingly susceptible to tampering and alteration by persons who are not authorized to do so. This may appear to be acceptable, especially if an image editing process is necessary to delete or add a particular scene that improves the quality the image. But what about images used in authorized governmental transactions? The consequences can be severe; any altered document is considered forged under the law and may cause confusion. Also, any document that cannot be verified as being authentic is regarded as a fake and cannot be used, inflicting harm on people. The suggested work intends to reduce fraud in electronic documents using a novel generator. It employs modern encryption methods to conceal the data represented by the watermark and hide it secretly inside the document so that it is easy to check for signs of counterfeiting; thus, allowing for the discovery of forged papers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Audiovisual co-creation has always had a pedagogical nature, which has been maintained in its adaptation to digital communication, although it is applied in different ways. This study analyses the pedagogical proposals in collaborative interactive non-fiction in the digital environment, and compares them with previous projects of participatory practices. As case studies we selected five interactive audiovisual projects that stand out for their educational intent and their preparation of teaching resources, and analyzed their pedagogical proposals. First, we looked at pedagogy in pre-digital or analogical collaborative creation, which was used to develop an original analytical table. We used this table to study the five collaborative projects through three identified categories. The results show that these categories continue in initiatives today, although the findings show a shift in the pedagogy about audiovisuals, particularly concerning the technical aspects, as well as a weakening of the connection between learning and participation in the collective production. Finally, we can highlight that combining educational practices with collaborative production on the Internet is important to increase citizen participation and give a social perspective to this audiovisual modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If in recent years the European Union (EU) has had to face complex and multifactorial "poly-crises" (such as Brexit, refugees or the euro), the pandemic caused by COVID-19 has been an unprecedented event on a global scale with important implications at all levels. Indeed, it has reinforced public health issues aimed at protecting the population as nodal elements of the policies implemented by this organization. This research aims to analyze the different organizational communication strategies on Twitter implemented by the main EU institutions during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, in order to examine the presence of this exceptional milestone. This study has been carried out using an eminently quantitative methodology, based on a content analysis to quantify the different variables and indicators established for the publications of the official profiles of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council. The proposed categories focus on exploring their predominant thematic areas, as well as main purposes/attributed functions. In the light of the results obtained, it is concluded that the vaccination campaign is a milestone with a considerable volume of publications by all profiles. However, among the attributed functions, the distribution of aseptic information has been predominant, which is why it is discussed whether these institutions have sufficiently taken advantage of the possibilities offered by the digital environment of Twitter for the dissemination of the European message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the use of Facebook by cultural professionals in Vietnam to maintain connections with their audiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. Facebook provided a simple and free way of maintaining connections with audiences at a time of increased pressure to shift and adapt to online work immediately. However, concerns have emerged about the nature of arts-centred endeavours that are at odds with this for-profit platform and the production of digital culture in the Global South via a Western platform. The investigation uses findings from 50 semi-structured interviews with cultural professionals and a digital ethnography of seven art organizations' Facebook posts over two months. It highlights that the Covid-19 pandemic propelled a paradigm shift in how cultural professionals communicated with their audiences via Facebook. These shifts have longer and broader implications for the future of work in the cultural sector, both in Asia and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the design and the implementation of a stabilising feedback law for an engine throttle valve system are investigated while taking into account the digital communication over the vehicle network. In particular, the digital communication between sensors, controller, and actuators is studied using the event-triggered theory. Considering the sampled-data nature of the closed-loop system, the emulation approach is used to synthesise the control law to stabilise the plant in the continuous-time domain. Next, we provide a systematic methodology to derive, both, time-triggering and event-triggering rules such that the closed-loop stability is preserved. The approach is illustrated by simulation on the dynamic model of the throttle valve system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Romanian high schools, Information and Communications Technology is a required subject. The field of study in high school will determine the curriculum, which might be theoretical (science or humanities), technical, vocational, or services and economics. Our goal was to examine how first-year students perceived their pre-university education-based knowledge and abilities in computer literacy. We created an original, anonymous, online questionnaire regarding the students' perception of general computer use skills, Internet browsing, online information search skills, digital communication skills, and the use of programs from the Microsoft Office package. Eligible participants were first-year students (academic year 2022-2023) in the Romanian section at the Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca. All eligible participants were invited to self-evaluate their computer literacy skills. Two hundred and twenty-one students participated. About 88.69% of respondents declared that they have good skills in general computer use, but only 57.47% understand basic computer terminology at an average or expert level. Analyzing the statements about skills at the beginner-up-to-expert level: 95.93% have knowledge about using the Internet, 98.19% can use the keyboard well, 97.29% know how to use an e-mail, and 87.33% consider themselves suitable for computer-assisted training. The participants self-assessed their proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, with the majority (97.74%) considering themselves beginner-up-to-expert level users in Word or PowerPoint. However, their proficiency in Excel was slightly lower, with only 89.59% claiming beginner-up-to-expert level. About half of the respondents understood basic computer terminology, even though most respondents said they had general computer skills. While most respondents have average-expert-level knowledge of PowerPoint, only about half are proficient in Excel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term stoic pragmatism was coined by John Lachs for a theory and practice of the good life in individual, social, and cultural contexts. My intention is not only to promote this interesting idea but also to develop it at some points. In the first instance, I propose something that we may call digital-culture public intellectual as a way for stoic pragmatists to be more visible with their teachings nowadays. Indirectly, and at least to some degree, stoic pragmatists may contribute to the task of the humanization of cyberspace despite its massive algorithmizing according to the Big Tech business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a leading contemporary British scholar of critical communication, Christian Fuchs has long devoted himself to the study of human communication in the digital age from the perspective of academic tradition of Western Marxism, thus systematically proposing the critical theory of communication. Based on this, the paper aims to explore the basic clues of the formation of Fuchs' critical theory of communication, mainly by researching Fuchs' academic dialogues and debates with thinkers such as Marx and Engels, scholars of the Frankfurt School and Dallas W. Smythe through the method of intellectual history. In conclusion, it finds that from historical materialism and labor theory of value to critical theory and audience commodity, all of them have been critically interpreted and digitally combined by Fuchs, forming the historical foundation of his critical theory of communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of new technologies applied to social interaction currently reproduces actions that violate human rights; meanwhile, they limit the capacity of the democratic State to unite in a fair way the diverse human ways of being. In consideration, the validity of equitable relationships of coexistence requires guaranteeing the prevalence of dignity in the situations that digital mediation presents. Consequently, the research has the purpose of analyzing the ethical limits of digital communication media; considering the relationship between the Extracontractual Civil Liability System and the violation of privacy in social networks. The type of inquiry is descriptive-explanatory, with a descriptive correlational design. The study considers a sample of 110 judges, prosecutors and lawyers from the Judicial District of Lima. It is about enabling legal strategies that guarantee the capacity of surveillance and control of the ways in which social mediations take place as a guarantor of common equitable provisions. It concludes that all interaction must be ethically regulated to make possible democratic arrangements for coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interconnection of technology and politics and the enactment of particular political goals (technopolitics) has been closely articulated with emotions and the building of foreign policy narratives. In the current context of change in the communication paradigm, global and disintermediated, bringing together in the same digital space distinct actors, and having wide diffusion and reach, the challenges to international politics are diverse. Digital and media literacy are, in this regard, key to address the implications of these changes, avoiding the spreading of disinformation, fake news and distorted practices that might have profound effects at societal and political level. In this context, this paper aims at providing a basis for understanding the emerging and increasingly clear connection between political communication, polarization, disinformation, and emotions in social networks and digital literacy as a central factor explaining misuse or alleviating deficiencies, on the one hand, and how this context is affecting the reconfiguration of international relations and politics, on the other hand. The case of the war in Ukraine is illustrative of these trends and dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the framework of object biographies can be used to analyse our digital activities, both disseminating and expanding these same biographies. During the digitisation and cataloguing processes, biographies are not only – and in limited format – recorded, but are also expanded by the affordances of the digital medium. Similarly, digital interpretation and engagement programmes, and their reception by museum audiences contribute to the establishing of new relationships around the object and the emergence of new narratives. User-generated content is also a witness of contemporary interpretation and networks emerging from public interest in, and use of, cultural heritage objects. The case-study of the Victory of Samothrace, and its traces in the Louvre's own digital offer and among audiences' data is used to discuss the range of digital content surrounding an object. This paper argues that all these instances of an object in the digital sphere are worth studying as adding new chapters in its life-history, in an ever-changing scenario of both ephemeral and meaningful digital representations. The relationship between originals and this digital content is considered as multifaceted, documenting, mediating, and expanding the original object biography, but also enabling digital surrogates to develop their own independent biographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By analysing 600 Instagram posts that use mental health related hashtags, this article investigates how mental health communication and support practices are enacted on Instagram, and how such practices relate to the perceptible affordances and hegemonic uses of the service. The article demonstrates how Instagram tends to privilege casual snapshots of individual recovery, in line with broader discourses of positive thinking and individual responsibility. Whereas this hegemonic way of using the service may be functional for many users, three examples of negotiated and oppositional use are also discussed in the article: motivational picture quotes, text-rich posts, and non-recovery oriented posts. It is suggested that different ways of imagining and approaching the affordances of the service engender different patterns of support practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we sought to provide an accurate and detailed diagnosis of the transformations witnessed by Palestinian media institutions in light of the new environment of communication, and to know how Palestinian media institutions can establish a new communication model within their organizational structures in line with the new environment of communication in the digital age. It also discussed the mechanisms used by professional journalists in traditional Palestinian media institutions to deal with the contents produced by citizen journalists. In this context, we posed the following problem: What are the contexts of transformation and integration of traditional Palestinian media in the context of communication digitization, and how did citizenship journalism practices employed in newsrooms? In order to answer this problem, we followed the qualitative content analysis approach. The tool of the qualitative approach was the (codified) scientific interviews with editors-in-chief in the local Palestinian media. It sought to activate the participation of citizen journalists in furnishing news spaces, and created platforms for it to communicate with its audience" Crowd Sourcing", and to form supporters for its "crowd journalism" to take advantage of the feature of communicative interaction through social media, and this indicates that smart TV newsrooms are looking forward because Convergence News room [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This has implications for the ethics of digital communication: O'Neill concludes that excessive preoccupation with rights overshadows other ethical and epistemic duties we have as participants of digital communication (67-68). In Chapters 2 and 5, O'Neill argues that some ethical frameworks and conceptual apparatus are inadequate or too narrow to develop a robust ethics of digital communication. Rethinking the ethics of digital communication: Onora O'Neill: A philosopher looks at digital communication. [Extracted from the article]

This study aims to discover the views of researchers in the field of social sciences working in areas relating to education of the importance of social networks in scientific dissemination. For this purpose, the study population was taken as the totality of researchers who have published scientific content in academic journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science (WoS) in the last five years (2016-2020), through quantitative research executed between September 2021 and January 2022. The results show a scenario of scientific dissemination through social networks in which there is still a significant percentage of researchers who do not use or have a positive perception of the importance of this type of current digital communication resource, as well as low levels of scientific dissemination. In conclusion, the study shows the need to ensure a scientific context, at the level of social science researchers, aimed at improving the motivation and culture of dissemination of research projects, and to promote the intensive use of social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is conducted to bring into focus the different dimensions of digital humanities as an independent academic discipline, especially in the Indian context. The data and information for the study are gathered through email communication with the pioneers in digital humanities in India, which is further enriched with evidence from institutional websites and already published literature in digital humanities. All the data and information is grouped into events, literature, programmes and courses, departments, centres, organisations and associations, projects, and practises, which also exist in other disciplines, to derive conclusions. The findings show that at this moment in time, especially in the Indian context, it would be unjustified to opine in favour of digital humanities as an independent academic discipline. In the days to come, it may emerge as an independent academic discipline, merge with information science, or remain a humanities discipline only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a review of four recent books by authors Tonia Sutherland, Meredith Broussard, Catherine Knight Steele and Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, each of which concern the intersection between digital technology, social identity and social norms. The reviewer frames his analysis of these works between the opposing concepts of technological determinism and social determinism.

The article focuses on advancements in veterinary technology, highlighting several technologies, such as Practice Information Management Systems (PIMS), telehealth, and wearable devices, aiming to enhance patient care, streamline workflows, and strengthen client relationships. It mentions that these technologies encompass digital platforms, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and innovative tools that contribute to efficient, accessible, and high-quality veterinary practices.

In our sample of 380 000 environmentally oriented users, nearly 50% became inactive on Twitter after it was sold in October 2022, a rate much higher than a control sample. Given Twitter's importance for public communication, our finding has troubling implications for digital environmental information sharing and public mobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter presents an improved Self‐Interference Cancellation (SIC) receiver with Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)‐based power estimation for In‐band Full‐duplex (IBFD) transmission. The performance of the SIC scheme is highly dependent on the power of transmit signal. The DMRS‐based power estimation can obtain accurate power. Numerical results show that SIC with DMRS‐based power estimation improves the performance of an IBFD system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]