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The main purpose of this study was to provide a unified framework of key stakeholder action-oriented approaches to extended producer responsibility based on behavioral estimates of consumers. For Twitter data, descriptive analysis and content analysis (thematic modeling) were performed after reviewing the literature. In addition, a new text analysis framework was employed to analyze extended producer responsibility reports. A total of 2,561,216 tweets and 708 documents related to producer responsibilities were analyzed. According to descriptive analysis, tweets related to North American countries represent about 35 percent of Twitter activity, while tweets related to African countries represent about 5 percent. A further consideration is the amount of attention paid by policymakers to issues related to mobile phones and environmental concerns among young people (about 5% in the 10–20 age group and 15% in the 20–30 age group). Consumer participation is significantly influenced by social factors such as education, awareness, and trust. In addition, consumers are increasingly concerned about data security and privacy. Also, cost, economic benefits, proximity, and convenience influenced consumer participation. The second part of the analysis revealed that producers are attending to enhance the economic benefits of recovery, develop infrastructure (for consumer convenience), ensure data security and privacy for participants, and increase knowledge and awareness about recycling and recovery. The developed countries also work with producers to increase engagement, while developing countries are trying to overcome information transparency, a lack of economic potential, and public awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, the number of forcibly displaced persons has risen worldwide, with approximately 40% being children and adolescents. Most of them are hosted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many individuals meet the criteria for mental health issues, which can also be exacerbated by a number of risk factors, including low socioeconomic status, displacement, and stressors linked to conflicts in their country or region of origin. However, the vast majority never receive treatment for their psychological problems due to multiple reasons, including a shortage of mental health professionals in LIMCs, transportation challenges in accessing clinics, and clinic hours conflicting with family commitments. In the current study we investigated whether individual psychotherapy delivered by trained lay counsellors over telephone to Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon is effective and overcomes barriers to treatment access. Methods: After adaptation of Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) to remote delivery over telephone (t-CETA), preliminary effectiveness of the treatment modality was assessed with a pilot single blind randomised controlled trial including a total sample of 20 refugee children with diagnosed mental health problems. Data was analysed applying a Bayesian approach. Results: There was a significant session-by-session decrease in self-reported mental health symptoms over the course of treatment. Independent assessments showed that t-CETA resulted in a greater reduction of symptoms than standard in-person treatment as usual. There was no difference between groups for impairment. Importantly, the majority of children allocated to t-CETA completed treatment whilst no children in the treatment as usual condition were able to do so. Conclusion: The study provides preliminary evidence that telephone-delivered psychotherapy in a humanitarian setting, delivered by lay counsellors under supervision, works and significantly increases access to treatment compared to traditional in-person treatment. However, findings remain to be replicated in larger trials. Trial Registration: Clinical Trials. gov ID: NCT03887312; registered 22nd March 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In recent years, the number of forcibly displaced persons has risen worldwide, with approximately 40% being children and adolescents. Most of them are hosted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many individuals meet the criteria for mental health issues, which can also be exacerbated by a number of risk factors, including low socioeconomic status, displacement, and stressors linked to conflicts in their country or region of origin. However, the vast majority never receive treatment for their psychological problems due to multiple reasons, including a shortage of mental health professionals in LIMCs, transportation challenges in accessing clinics, and clinic hours conflicting with family commitments. In the current study we investigated whether individual psychotherapy delivered by trained lay counsellors over telephone to Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon is effective and overcomes barriers to treatment access. Methods After adaptation of Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) to remote delivery over telephone (t-CETA), preliminary effectiveness of the treatment modality was assessed with a pilot single blind randomised controlled trial including a total sample of 20 refugee children with diagnosed mental health problems. Data was analysed applying a Bayesian approach. Results There was a significant session-by-session decrease in self-reported mental health symptoms over the course of treatment. Independent assessments showed that t-CETA resulted in a greater reduction of symptoms than standard in-person treatment as usual. There was no difference between groups for impairment. Importantly, the majority of children allocated to t-CETA completed treatment whilst no children in the treatment as usual condition were able to do so. Conclusion The study provides preliminary evidence that telephone-delivered psychotherapy in a humanitarian setting, delivered by lay counsellors under supervision, works and significantly increases access to treatment compared to traditional in-person treatment. However, findings remain to be replicated in larger trials. Trial Registration Clinical Trials. gov ID: NCT03887312; registered 22nd March 2019.

Background: The high maternal and neonatal mortality rate in sub‐Saharan Africa could be reduced by using navigation by means of mobile devices to increase the number of women who choose to give birth in a health center (HC) with a skilled healthcare practitioner. Methods: A quasi‐experimental design was used to test a midwife‐delivered navigation by means of mobile phone. A total of 208 women were randomized to two groups (intervention and control). Women in the intervention group received up to three navigation calls from midwives. Women in the control group received usual antenatal education during prenatal visits. Data were collected using semistructured questionnaires. Childbirth location was determined through medical records. Results: Overall, 180 (87%) women gave birth in a HC with a 3% advantage for the intervention group. A total of 86% (88/102) of the control group gave birth in a HC versus 89% (92/103) for the intervention group (Χ2 = 0.44, p‐value = 0.51), with an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.33 (95% CI: 0.57, 3.09). Among those with personal phones, 91% (138/152) had a birth in a HC versus 79% (42/53) in those without a personal phone (Χ2 = 4.89, p‐value = 0.03). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that it is feasible to deliver phone‐based navigation to support birth in a HC; personal phone ownership may be a factor in the success of this strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nomophobia can be defined as a disorder in which people fear being away from their smartphone. Studies on the determinants of nomophobia in young adults seem to be limited. This study aims to determine the levels of nomophobia, social appearance anxiety and loneliness in young adults and to examine the effects of social appearance anxiety and the level of social and emotional loneliness on nomophobia levels. This is a descriptive and correlational study. Data were collected from 687 young adults. Data were collected using the Information Form, the Nomophobia Scale, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults. Descriptive and multiple linear regression statistics were used. The mean Nomophobia Scale score of the participants was 73.76 ± 27.46, which points to moderate nomophobia levels. The findings revealed those with a high level of social appearance anxiety have higher nomophobia levels. It was revealed that social appearance anxiety, social and emotional loneliness explain 8 % (Adjusted R2 = 0.082) of the variance in the nomophobia. A sample of 687 participants showed that young adults were relatively moderately nomophobic. In this study, social appearance anxiety, social and emotional loneliness was determined as predictor of nomophobia. • Young adults show relatively moderate levels of nomophobia. • There is a weak positive relationship between nomophobia and social appearance anxiety in young adults. • When social admiration anxiety and social and emotional loneliness are together, it explains nomophobia at a rate of 8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phone surveys have increasingly become important data collection tools in developing countries, particularly in the context of sudden contact restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, there is limited evidence regarding the potential of the messenger service WhatsApp for remote data collection despite its large global coverage and expanding membership. WhatsApp may offer advantages in terms of reducing panel attrition and cutting survey costs. WhatsApp may offer additional benefits to migration scholars interested in cross-border migration behavior which is notoriously difficult to measure using conventional face-to-face surveys. In this field experiment, we compared the response rates between WhatsApp and interactive voice response (IVR) modes using a sample of 8446 contacts in Senegal and Guinea. At 12%, WhatsApp survey response rates were nearly eight percentage points lower than IVR survey response rates. However, WhatsApp offers higher survey completion rates, substantially lower costs and does not introduce more sample selection bias compared to IVR. We discuss the potential of WhatsApp surveys in low-income contexts and provide practical recommendations for field implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital phenotyping is a promising method for advancing scalable detection and prediction methods in mental health research and practice. However, little is known about how digital phenotyping data are used to make inferences about youth mental health. We conducted a scoping review of 35 studies to better understand how passive sensing (e.g., Global Positioning System, microphone etc) and electronic usage data (e.g., social media use, device activity etc) collected via smartphones are used in detecting and predicting depression and/or anxiety in young people between 12 and 25 years-of-age. GPS and/or Wifi association logs and accelerometers were the most used sensors, although a wide variety of low-level features were extracted and computed (e.g., transition frequency, time spent in specific locations, uniformity of movement). Mobility and sociability patterns were explored in more studies compared to other behaviours such as sleep, phone use, and circadian movement. Studies used machine learning, statistical regression, and correlation analyses to examine relationships between variables. Results were mixed, but machine learning indicated that models using feature combinations (e.g., mobility, sociability, and sleep features) were better able to predict and detect symptoms of youth anxiety and/or depression when compared to models using single features (e.g., transition frequency). There was inconsistent reporting of age, gender, attrition, and phone characteristics (e.g., operating system, models), and all studies were assessed to have moderate to high risk of bias. To increase translation potential for clinical practice, we recommend the development of a standardised reporting framework to improve transparency and replicability of methodology.

Copyright of ABHATH is the property of ABHATH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Communication Management Review is the property of Edward Bernays University of Applied Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

When therapists provide teletherapy they can choose between teletherapy via phone and teletherapy via videoconferencing, however, little is known about differences between using these two teletherapy formats. We aimed to compare therapists' attitudes, level of professional self-doubt, and experience of the therapeutic relationship in sessions conducted via phone versus via videoconferencing. We administered an online survey to 117 therapists who had experience with sessions both via phone and videoconferencing. The results suggested that therapists' attitudes and perceptions of the therapeutic relationship were similar. However, therapists' level of professional self-doubt was higher in sessions conducted via videoconferencing. Therapists with previous experience of conducting teletherapy via phone perceived phone sessions more positively. Thus, familiarity with videoconferencing technology might be more important in shaping therapists' attitudes and confidence than the type of technology per se. This highlights the importance of practicing with new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Communicating bad news such as a new cancer diagnosis to patients may have a major impact on their well-being. We investigated differences in patients' psychological distress due to the disclosure of bad news by telephone compared to in person in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We included all studies that investigated anxiety, depressive or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in adult patients in whom bad news by telephone compared to in person were disclosed. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL from the inception of each database to October 18, 2022. We included randomized and non-randomized trials. Results: We screened 5944 studies and included 11 studies in the qualitative analysis and 9 in the meta-analyses, including four randomized controlled trials. Overall, the quality of studies was moderate to good. There was no difference regarding psychological distress when bad news was disclosed by telephone compared to in person with similar symptom levels of anxiety (3 studies, 285 participants; standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.10 [95% CI -0.15 to 0.35]), depression (3 studies, 284 participants; SMD 0.10 [95% CI -0.30 to 0.49]), and PTSD (2 studies, 171 participants; SMD -0.01 [95% CI -0.48 to 0.36]). Results were similar for satisfaction with care. Discussion: This meta-analysis found no difference regarding psychological distress regardless if bad news were disclosed by telephone or in person, but there were overall only few and heterogeneous studies with a small number of eligible patients. The findings suggest that the modality of disclosure might play a secondary role and the way in which the bad news are communicated might be more important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focused on mobile phone Apps usage among rice farmers in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area (LGA),Ogun State. Specifically, it determined; frequency of usage of phone Apps; agricultural purposes for which mobile phones Apps were used; benefits of using mobile phone Apps; and constraints to use of mobile phone Apps among rice farmers in the study area. Population for the study comprised of all rice farmers in Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun State. Random technique was used to select 120 respondents. Questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage and mean. Findings reveal eight Apps being used by farmers, including phone book (x =2.85), radio (x =2.64), calculator (x =2.55), SMS (x =2.52) were highly utilized while calendar (x =2.30), WhatsApp (x =1.57), Facebook (x =1.33) and Twitter (x =0.54) were poorly utilized mobile phone Apps by rice farmers in the study area. Other findings are nine purposes for using phone Apps. These are for calculation of expenses on input e.g. fertilizer, rice seed (94.2%), access market information (90.8%), for purchase of fertilizer (86.7%), listening to radio programs related to rice farming (82.5%) were the leading agricultural purposes of using phone Apps. Also nine benefits from use of Apps were identified. These include; utilization of mobile phone Apps has improved rice production (98.3%), helped them to determine amount of profit and loss on rice sales (97.5%), helped to access extension information on rice production (95.8%). Seven constraints were identified. These include; high tariff deduction from telecommunication companies (68.3%), and unstable power supply (61.7%) among others. It is recommended that rice farmers associations should help members to procure solar facilities to power their mobile phone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we propose an operationalization of the concept of emergence which plays a crucial role in usage-based theories of language. The abstractions linguists operate with are assumed to emerge through a process of generalization over the data language users are exposed to. Here, we use two types of computational learning algorithms that differ in how they formalize and execute generalization and, consequently, abstraction, to probe whether a type of language knowledge that resembles linguistic abstractions could emerge from exposure to raw data only. More specifically, we investigated whether a phone, undisputedly the simplest of all linguistic abstractions, could emerge from exposure to speech sounds using two computational learning processes: memory-based learning and error-correction learning (ECL). Both models were presented with a significant amount of pre-processed speech produced by one speaker. We assessed (1) the consistency or stability of what these simple models learn and (2) their ability to approximate abstract categories. Both types of models fare differently regarding these tests. We show that only ECL models can learn abstractions and that at least part of the phone inventory and its grouping into traditional types can be reliably identified from the input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The use of mobile phones has considerably increased, and the Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) caused by these devices may influence intraoral appliances. Intraoral elastics are commonly employed in orthodontics and require periodic changing by the patient to be effective. Unfortunately, changes in mechanical properties are one of the biggest drawbacks of using elastics. Aim: To evaluate the effects of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation (RF-EMR) on the mechanical properties of intraoral orthodontic elastics under in-vitro conditions. Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics at Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from February 2022 to June 2022. A total of 300 elastics with different diameters and force-exerting abilities were selected and divided into five categories (n=60). The five elastic groups were yellow, blue, green, red, and pink. These elastics were then exposed to EMR emitted from a cellular device for 1.5 hours per day over two days. The mechanical properties of the elastics were tested before and after exposure to EMR. Analysis of variance was used to determine if a significant difference existed between the groups, and Tukey’s post-hoc test was used to determine significant differences in the mean (p-value

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted clinical research in dermatology and practices around the country transitioned to teledermatology amid physical distancing requirements. Despite their growing use in teledermatology and clinical care, dermatology applications have not been studied extensively in the research space. The use of mobile applications has the potential to improve the experience of study subjects and physicians and increase the pool of individuals willing to participate in research beyond the pandemic. We discuss the various pros and cons of mobile apps, as well as the necessary components they require to successfully conduct research.

Introduction: In the modern era of advancement and technology, use of smart phones and laptops is common. Literature suggests that these digital devices have many negative effects on the health of humans. One of the most common adverse effects associated with prolonged use of mobile and laptop is neck pain. Material & Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at Khyber Medical University (KMU) from July 2019 to December 2019. A total of 206 undergraduate physical therapy students having age 18 to 25 years participated in the study. For data collection, smart phone & laptop usage and neck pain questionnaire was used. For data analysis, SPSS version 20 was used. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 21.15 ±1.89 years. The prevalence of neck pain was 82.5% (n=170). Neck pain was significantly associated (P-value< 0.05) with smart phone and laptop usage for greater than 4 hours. Surprisingly, neck pain was not associated (p valve>0.05) with different positions (standing/sitting/lying) in which students use smart phones for majority of the time, however, it had significant association (P-value< 0.05) with use of laptops in sitting position for majority of the time. Conclusion: The prevalence of neck pain is high in students who used smart phones and laptops for long hours.

The goal of this work is to evaluate generation and metals recycling potentials of retired mobile phones in Korea. The generation estimation is conducted with the sales&new method and statistic data, such as sales of mobile phones and amount of the subscribers. The result shows that there are 17.99 million of mobile phones retired in 2022, compared 13.12 million in 2001. Accordingly, the deduced lifetime has minimum and maximum values in 2003 and 2020, which are 2.02 and 4.33 years, compared with 4.16 years in 2022 and 2.21 years in 2001. The deduced lifetime trends to increase with the increased values of subscribers and the fluctuated values of sales. The crosscheck testifies to the veracity of the result in comparison with the actual condition. The amount and dynamic of critical metals are also calculated with the content and amount of retired mobile phones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The use of mobile phones has considerably increased, and the Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) caused by these devices may influence intraoral appliances. Intraoral elastics are commonly employed in orthodontics and require periodic changing by the patient to be effective. Unfortunately, changes in mechanical properties are one of the biggest drawbacks of using elastics. Aim: To evaluate the effects of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation (RF-EMR) on the mechanical properties of intraoral orthodontic elastics under in-vitro conditions. Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics at Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from February 2022 to June 2022. A total of 300 elastics with different diameters and force-exerting abilities were selected and divided into five categories (n=60). The five elastic groups were yellow, blue, green, red, and pink. These elastics were then exposed to EMR emitted from a cellular device for 1.5 hours per day over two days. The mechanical properties of the elastics were tested before and after exposure to EMR. Analysis of variance was used to determine if a significant difference existed between the groups, and Tukey's post-hoc test was used to determine significant differences in the mean (p-value <0.05). The analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The results of the present study showed a statistically significant difference in rupture strength (p<0.001) and force decay (p<0.001) of the intraoral elastics before and after exposure to EMR. However, there was no change in the thickness and optical properties of all the elastics after exposure. The average remaining force of the intraoral elastics after exposure to EMR emitted from a cell phone device was 41.1% after force decay, and red elastics were the least colour stable, while green elastics were the most colour stable. Conclusion: EMR emitted from mobile phones and other devices can influence the mechanical properties of intraoral elastics in terms of rupture strength, force decay, and colour stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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BACKGROUND: Many current cell phone (mobile phone, smartphone) batteries are lithium-ion. These batteries can overheat and catch fire under certain conditions. If it happens during a flight or air activity, this might compromise aviation safety. We report a case of a man whose phone caught fire during a parachute jump. CASE REPORT: The individual, a member of Police Special Forces, is required to regularly perform parachute jumps. During the incident flight, the man had a cell phone in a pocket that ignited during the jump. He was able to land and then extract the phone with burns requiring acute medical care and later a skin graft. DISCUSSION: This is a cautionary tale of lithium-ion batteries in flight. Many other situations could also occur with these batteries. There is little medical documentation of the risk of fire with lithium-ion batteries causing injuries during flight operations. To reduce the risk of fire, the devices should be powered down and phones should not be worn directly touching the skin. Damaged devices are more prone to overheating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Przegląd Elektrotechniczny is the property of Przeglad Elektrotechniczny and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nowadays, a person can hardly do without a gadget. All participants in the educational process of a modern school are also actively involved in the use of technical means in the didactic process. In the context of the 21st century, it is crucial for a modern teacher to recognize the challenges of the times, be mindful of gadget addiction, and understand both the positive and negative attributes of smartphones. Furthermore, it is essential for parents to comprehend the value of a smartphone as a source of educational information. Practical evidence suggests that only close collaboration between schools, families, and teachers ensures effective use of technology by students. Pedagogically expedient cooperation will enable students to acquire better knowledge in the modern world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physicians are a notoriously difficult group to survey due to a low propensity to respond. We investigate the relative effectiveness of reminder phone calls, pre-notification postcards, mailed paper surveys, and $1 upfront incentives for boosting survey response rate by embedding a randomized experiment into a mixed-mode operational survey at the American Board of Internal Medicine in 2019. Expected response rates and average marginal effects for each follow-up method were computed from a logistic regression model. The control group which only received email reminders achieved a response rate of 18.2%, 95% CI: (15.0%, 21.9%). The intervention group which included reminder emails, pre-notification postcards, and mailed paper surveys with $1 incentives achieved a response rate of 43.1%, 95% CI: (38.8%, 47.5%). Mailed paper surveys yielded the largest percentage point increase in response rate of 11.2%, 95% CI: (7.3%, 15.2%), while $1 upfront monetary incentives and phone call reminders increased survey response rate by 5.9%, 95% CI: (1.6%, 10.2%) and 5.5%, 95% CI: (2.6%, 8.3%) respectively. Pre-notification postcards are associated with a 2.0%, 95% CI: (−1.7%, 5.6%) increase in survey response rate. Cost-effectiveness for each method is discussed. This research supports optimal decision making for researchers when planning a physician survey study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mobile phone use is known to be a distraction to pedestrians, increasing their likelihood of crossing into oncoming traffic or colliding with other people. However, the effect of using a mobile phone to text while walking on gait stability and accidental falls in young adults remains inconclusive. This study uses a 70 cm low friction slip hazard and the threat of hazard to investigate the effects of texting while walking on gait stability, the ability to recover balance after a slip hazard and accidental falls. Methods: Fifty healthy young adults performed six walking tasks, and one seated texting task in random order. The walks were conducted over a 10-m walkway. Four progressive hazard levels were used: 1) Seated; 2) Normal Walk (walking across the walkway with no threat of a slip); 3) Threat (walking with the threat of a slip); and 4) Slip (walking with an actual 70 cm slip hazard). The three walking conditions were repeated twice with and without the mobile phone texting dual-task. Gait kinematics and trunk posture were recorded using wearable sensors attached to the head, trunk, pelvis and feet. Study outcomes were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with significance set to P≤.05. Results: Mobile phone use significantly impaired postural balance recovery when slipping, as demonstrated by increased trunk sway. Mobile phone use negatively impacted gait stability as demonstrated by increased step time variability and decreased harmonic ratios. Increased hazard levels also led to reduced texting accuracy. Conclusions: Using a mobile phone to text while walking may compete with locomotor tasks, threat assessment and postural balance control mechanisms, which leads to an increased risk of accidental falls in young adults. Pedestrians should therefore be discouraged through new educational and technology-based initiatives (for example a “texting lock” on detection of walking) from texting while walking on roadside footpaths and other environments where substantial hazards to safety exist.

When therapists provide teletherapy they can choose between teletherapy via phone and teletherapy via videoconferencing, however, little is known about differences between using these two teletherapy formats. We aimed to compare therapists’ attitudes, level of professional self-doubt, and experience of the therapeutic relationship in sessions conducted via phone versus via videoconferencing. We administered an online survey to 117 therapists who had experience with sessions both via phone and videoconferencing. The results suggested that therapists’ attitudes and perceptions of the therapeutic relationship were similar. However, therapists’ level of professional self-doubt was higher in sessions conducted via videoconferencing. Therapists with previous experience of conducting teletherapy via phone perceived phone sessions more positively. Thus, familiarity with videoconferencing technology might be more important in shaping therapists’ attitudes and confidence than the type of technology per se. This highlights the importance of practicing with new technologies.

During the ongoing worldwide epidemic, SARS-CoV-2 has infected millions of individuals and taken the lives of numerous victims. It is clear that early detection of infected individuals, especially asymptomatic carriers, is possible with the development of innovative analytical tools for rapid identification of COVID-19 present in nasopharyngeal swabs, serum, and saliva. The saliva, as a diagnostic sample, can be easily collected by the patient with almost no discomfort and needs specialized healthcare personnel to manage, which reduces the risks for the operator. Moreover, smartphone-based sensing systems are one of the most attractive techniques that can speed up the detection time of COVID-19 agents without the need for professional staff and clinical centers. In this review, recent advances in precise salivary-based SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis using smartphones via viral RNA detection, antibody identification, and viral antigen identification were summarized. Finally, the conclusion and future perspective of this field are described in brief.

Background and Aim: Serum bilirubin is an established marker of liver disease. Reliable tools for non‐invasive assessment of jaundice in cirrhosis patients, at risk of clinical decompensation, are highly desirable. While smartphone‐based imaging has been described in neonatal jaundice, it has not been investigated in advanced cirrhosis patients. Methods: We included 46 hospitalized patients with acute cirrhosis decompensation and jaundice. Scleral images using an Android smartphone were taken to derive "Scleral Color Values (SCV)," which were matched with same day serum bilirubin measurements. In 29 patients, repeat SCV and bilirubin measurements were performed over time. We analyzed the relationship of SCV and its dynamics with serum bilirubin, clinical scores, and patient outcomes. Results: Of 46 patients, 26 (57%) had alcoholic hepatitis as the decompensation precipitant. Seven patients died during admission; a further 12 following hospital discharge. SCV had an excellent linear correlation with serum bilirubin (rho = 0.90, P < 0.001); changes in SCV and serum bilirubin across different time points, were also closely associated (rho = 0.77, P < 0.001). SCV correlated significantly with CLIF Consortium Acute Decompensation score (rho = 0.38, P < 0.001) and grade of Acute‐on‐Chronic Liver Failure (rho = 0.42, P = 0.039). SCV was higher in patients who died, however, not significantly (86.1 [IQR 83.0–89.7] vs 82.3 [IQR 78.5–83.3], P = 0.22). The associations of SCV with clinical parameters mirrored those of serum bilirubin. Conclusion: Smartphone‐based assessment of jaundice shows excellent concordance with serum bilirubin and is associated with clinical parameters in acute cirrhosis decompensation. This approach offers promise for remote assessment of cirrhosis patients at‐risk of decompensation, post hospital discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonebooks are periodic documents that give an idea about the social life of cities. Our chattels-real estates, intangible-tangible cultural assets found above ground, underground and underwater are largely reflected in telephone directories. On the other hand, the diversity and freedom of new lifestyles that emerged with the development of trade and industry can be also followed from the guides. Neighborhoods, avenues, streets, dead ends, stairs, slopes, downhills, inns, pavilions, mansions, palaces, apartments, official buildings, piers, monumental trees, groves... and citizens who live and share these extraordinary privileges. Seen in such a perspective, this article presents phone books as also renewed inventory books of Nature, Culture and Art as well as the reports of democracy and social state. They are witnesses of integrity, continuity, and renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Cuba, in the 90s, in the midst of the economic and social crisis caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the hip hop cultural movement came to life. While respecting and recognizing the American matrix to which this culture owes its birth, the Cuban movement represents a revolutionary counterpart for what is the conception and representation of the aesthetics of this movement. Cuban hip hop remains anchored to the ethno-musical expressions that represent the folkloristic and anthropological heritage of the country, as well as, from a linguistic point of view, the Lucumí returns to light - under new blood: pidgin among Castilian (imported by the Spanish colonizers) and Yoruba, a language spoken by African slaves who were deported to the Caribbean. Lucumí as a language is a clear expression of a language that is the basis of a historical-identity claim of the exponents of the Cuban hip hop movement, who, taking advantage of the symbolic and phonetic aspect of the words in the Lucumí language, create literary paths and sounds that arouse through Lacanian processes a sort of sense of belonging and social claim within the population which, now, finds the phonemes of a liturgical-linguistic heritage of a popular nature within an artistic panorama that reaches levels of fame international. In addition to the use of an archaic and identity language such as Lucumí, Cuban hip hop presents itself as a revolutionary movement compared to what has happened since the 90s in those countries where hip hop has become a mere commercial product, for what is the drafting of the texts and languages adopted: there is an absence of misogynistic messages, indeed, we find the exaltation of women and the representation of the daily problems that the contemporary female world is facing; unlike what happens in US and Italian rap lyrics, there is an absence of an ego-related language, and attention is focused on the community and the collectivity; finally, the words returns to its most visceral essence: the sound, or as Carmelo Bene would say, the phoné. This is why the language, Spanish or Lucumí, adapts to the rhythmic and onomatopoeic flow so that there is an almost total absence of idiosyncrasy between the written word and the spoken word. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital world is where 3.4 billion people communicate via digital images through social media. On average, each one of us spends 6 hours each day in front of a screen. The digital images rapidly appearing and disappearing under our scrolling fingers shape our perception, time and body movements, brain structure, and responses in a complex neurological way. The camera enables the formation of our identity, social development, aesthetic value, and cultural participation. Without this camera image, one is isolated, unable to speak. Moreover, without storage where we save images, we are exempt from personal history, narratives, and memory. Once we integrated a camera into the smartphone, we produced an extra organ. With the Orion visual cortical prosthesis medical study that implants a camera into the eyes to restore vision, face emotional surveillance project VibeCheck, and BeAnotherLab software, swooping through virtual reality the bodies, this article follows the socio-philosophical and technological shifts through the history of the camera and photography in object production, body perception, their definition, interaction, and final merge between body and camera object. Through the reference of the theoretical works of Roland Barthes, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Karen Barad and Tim Ingold, the article follows how we have produced camera images through time and how camera images have been producing us. The camera transforms from a separate room or device to a prosthetic/inherent part of the body, without which the body is not fully functional. Today, a person without a phone camera is marginalized and handicapped. The deficit of not having an image-generating tool turns out to be a sensual deprivation, social limitation and discrepancy in identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct contact with investigated populations (in vivo in situ) is the most approved way in social and human sciences for decades. For disciplines such as ethnology, this is a prerequisite, even if some authors have been able to propose heuristic leads despite a scientific practice carried out in an office—"outside the field". Based on professional experiences over several decades, this article specifies some added values and disadvantages of investigating at a distance, be it by telephone and, more recently, via the Internet. With distance, the concrete non-interference in the material life of the respondents does not eliminate the possibilities of collecting in-depth experiences, or even intimate confidences. Building on this can be important for a better understanding of situations researchers may experience in the context of a specific professional activity, a sporting hobby, a life with illness, etc.

Il contributo analizza la Lectura Dantis di Carmelo Bene dalla Torre degli Asinelli di Bologna la sera del 31 luglio 1981, orazione civile in occasione del primo anniversario della strage alla stazione della città emiliana. Ricorda come questo evento, accompagnato da discussioni e polemiche, fu il primo esempio di traduzione spettacolare di pagine del Poeta e rappresentò la svolta di Bene verso la “phoné” e la “macchina attoriale”, in una negazione sempre più radicale dello spettacolo come flusso di immagini e come rappresentazione, verso la parola “in-canto”, phantasma capace di parlare da un “dentro” a un altro “dentro”, col supporto di raffinati e imponenti apparati elettronici.

While telemedicine is seen as an emerging practice that will outlast the COVID-19 pandemic, it can reduce health services for those with limited internet and technological devices access or sufficient literacy. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of using telehealth with people who inject drugs (PWID). A survey on availability and accessibility of different methods of communication was administered to a sample of PWID from an ongoing longitudinal cohort in Montréal, Canada. Among the 96 respondents, phone calls were generally considered acceptable (89.6%) although availability was low (50%). Acceptability and availability of social media were 26% and 41.7%, respectively. Internet-based communication applications were considered acceptable to use for telehealth in 28.1% of participants, even if not frequently available (8.3%). Telehealth is an acceptable form of treatment for PWID, but may be challenging due to low availability of phone or internet access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine internet gaming disorder (IGD) prevalence in primary grade students and the associated factors and parents' opinions about their children's gaming habits. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 1, 2019, and June 1, 2019. In this study, 805 children's and parents' forms were analyzed. Participation rate was 94.5%. Data were collected using “Digital Gaming-Children's Form,” “Digital Gaming- Parents' Form,” and the “Internet Gaming Disorder Scale- Short Form (IGDS9-SF).” Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and significance tests. Results: The mean age of the students was 11.24 ± 1.243 years; 42.7% were male. The children's mean IGDS9-SF score was 16.83 ± 6.53. There were only 91 students with a score equal to or above the cutoff point of 36. The mean IGDS9- SF scores varied according to gender, grade level, family environment, and employment status of the father. Analysis of the students' gaming characteristics and mean IGDS9-SF scores showed that their mean IGDS9-SF scores varied depending on computer/phone/tablet gaming status, type of game played, type of connection, mode of connection, frequency of conflicts with parents, and whether families received help to regulate gaming behavior. Conclusion: It is essential for a family to have information about games and talk to their children about the games they play to provide appropriate supervision. Providing families and children with counseling about digital games, IGD symptoms, and considerations by nurses during home visits can play an important role in preventing IGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: The goal of this paper is to provide a comparative review of using phone (audio-only) or video for mental health treatments. Our review includes evidence of phone and video's effectiveness in terms of reduced symptomology, retention, satisfaction, therapeutic alliance, and other outcomes of interest. This review also discusses how patients and providers' experiences and attitudes differ between these two modalities. Finally, we present information on different usage rates of phone and video across patient populations and mental health provider types, and different implementation strategies. Recent Findings: Treatments through phone and video are both able to reduce symptoms related to mental health conditions and have both been found to be non-inferior to in-person care. Both phone and video are more convenient to patients. Video offers important visual information that can be important to diagnosing mental health conditions. Phone, however, is more broadly accessible and may come with fewer technological issues. Summary: In the context of mental health care, where non-verbal cues are tied to symptomology and diagnosing, and a strong relationship between patient and provider can enhance treatment, we encourage the use of video, especially for psychotherapeutic services. However, as phone is more accessible, we ultimately recommend an accommodating approach, one that flexibly makes use of both phone and video. Future studies on telehealth should focus on direct, head-to-head comparisons between phone and video and conduct more rigorous testing on whether clinical differences exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain accurate data about university students' awareness of retired mobile phones in China, a survey was conducted in both 2012 and 2020. There were 1011 respondents in 2012 and 1830 in 2020 that completed the questionnaire, respectively, aged 18–30 years old. This work proposes the following conclusions: lifetime is reduced from 1.95 years in 2012 to 1.92 years in 2020, with a standard deviation of 1.12 in 2012 and 0.99 in 2020; broken is the most common reason for replacements, but there are also many replacements caused by poor function, poor model, or stolen, while more than half of the retired mobile phones are stockpiled, instead of being donated or sold; voucher or cash incentives are the most efficient, while environmental and charitable incentives are also efficient; when participating in take-back services with mobile phones manufactured in the last five years, or even with broken ones, the expectant amount of cash refund is 20–300 CNY in 2012 and 20–500 CNY in 2020; most results are consistent with previous research, while the distinctions are important and helpful; policy implications are proposed to improve sustainable WEEE management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Audio-only (phone) telemental health care can increase access to care, but its lack of nonverbal information may negatively impact care quality as compared to video or in-person visits. The objective of this work was to understand patient and provider attitudes toward phone care via a review of qualitative research. Methods: A qualitative evidence synthesis was conducted of peer-reviewed qualitative research published between 2013 and 2023. Studies were required to include qualitative data regarding patient and/or provider attitudes toward audio-only telemental health care. Results pertinent to phone care were extracted and underwent coding followed by theme identification. Results: We identified 2,065 abstracts and 29 articles were ultimately included in the synthesis; 27 of these studies were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five themes described benefits of phone care, nine described drawbacks, and three themes were neutral. Phone care was seen as easy to use, particularly for briefer check-ins or as a back-up option if video calls failed, and some patients preferred the privacy of not being seen. However, the loss of visual information during phone visits was considered particularly challenging in the treatment of more complex or severe patients; providers questioned whether they were able to provide high quality care, and patients reported feeling less supported and understood by their providers. Conclusions: The relative benefits and drawbacks of audio-only telemental health care must be carefully weighed against the options of video or in-person treatment based on patient needs and severity. Future work should continue to examine patient and provider attitudes toward phone care as the mental health landscape evolves postpandemic.

Background: Older adults discharged from the emergency department (ED) face elevated risk of falls and functional decline. Smartphones might enable remote monitoring of mobility after ED discharge, yet their application in this context remains underexplored., Objective: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of having older adults provide weekly accelerometer data from an instrumented Timed Up-and-Go (TUG) test over an 11-week period after ED discharge., Methods: This single-center, prospective, observational, cohort study recruited patients aged 60 years and older from an academic ED. Participants downloaded the GaitMate app to their iPhones that recorded accelerometer data during 11 weekly at-home TUG tests. We measured adherence to TUG test completion, quality of transmitted accelerometer data, and participants' perceptions of the app's usability and safety., Results: Of the 617 approached patients, 149 (24.1%) consented to participate, and of these 149 participants, 9 (6%) dropped out. Overall, participants completed 55.6% (912/1639) of TUG tests. Data quality was optimal in 31.1% (508/1639) of TUG tests. At 3-month follow-up, 83.2% (99/119) of respondents found the app easy to use, and 95% (114/120) felt safe performing the tasks at home. Barriers to adherence included the need for assistance, technical issues with the app, and forgetfulness., Conclusions: The study demonstrates moderate adherence yet high usability and safety for the use of smartphone TUG tests to monitor mobility among older adults after ED discharge. Incomplete TUG test data were common, reflecting challenges in the collection of high-quality longitudinal mobility data in older adults. Identified barriers highlight the need for improvements in user engagement and technology design., (© Brian Suffoletto, David Kim, Caitlin Toth, Waverly Mayer, Sean Glaister, Chris Cinkowski, Nick Ashenburg, Michelle Lin, Michael Losak. Originally published in JMIR Aging (https://aging.jmir.org).)

Virtual care in cancer care existed in a limited fashion globally before the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly driven by geographic constraints. The pandemic has required dramatic shifts in health care delivery, including cancer care. We conducted a systematic review of comparative studies evaluating virtual versus in-person care in patients with cancer. Embase, APA PsycInfo, Ovid MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for literature from January 2015 to 6 August 2020. We adhered to PRISMA guidelines and used the modified GRADE approach to evaluate the data. We included 34 full-text publications of 10 randomized controlled trials, 13 non-randomized comparative studies, and 5 ongoing randomized controlled trials. Evidence was divided into studies that provide psychosocial or genetic counselling and those that provide or assess medical and supportive care. The limited data in this review support that in the general field of psychological counselling, virtual or remote counselling can be equivalent to in-person counselling. In the area of genetic counselling, telephone counselling was more convenient and noninferior to usual care for all outcomes (knowledge, decision conflict, cancer distress, perceived stress, genetic counseling satisfaction). There are few data for clinical outcomes and supportive care. Future research should assess the role of virtual care in these areas. Protocol registration: PROSPERO CRD42020202871.

Background: The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of weekly phone calls on treatment outcomes and quality of life among a group of Iranian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial study, 60 patients aged 15-85 with RA were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group, in addition to a monthly assessment on a weekly basis, received a full 3-month follow-up telephone conversation in order to follow the correct and regular use of the drug and respond to the patients’ questions. The control group was only evaluated routinely. Finally, the severity of the disease activity (based on DAS-28) and the quality of life (based on the SF-12 questionnaire) were evaluated after three months. Results: After three months from the onset of intervention, a significant reduction was observed in the number of tender joints, mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and total score of DAS-28 in the intervention group compared to the control group. In addition, after three months of treatment, the quality of life for the intervention group improved significantly more than that of the control group. Conclusion: A weekly phone call with the patients suffering from RA with the purpose to guide the therapeutic process and respond to the patients’ questions could positively improve the severity of the disease along with the quality of life among the patients.

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Abstract Background The Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT) is widely adopted to evaluate manual dexterity, it presents normative data but the test is influenced by different factors. The influence of time spent on smartphones has not been considered before, for this reason, the objective of this study was to evaluate if smartphone use influences the time to complete the GPT. A total of 38 (21 women; 17 men) young adults 20.7 (1.5) years participated in the study. The time spent on the smartphones during the last seven days was recorded through the device itself and the GPT performance was measured. A correlation analysis between the time spent on the smartphone and GPT was performed while the t-test was adopted to evaluate gender differences. Results No statistically significant differences were detected between men and women in the time to complete the GPT (p = 0.20) and in the time spent on the smartphone (p = 0.87). The GPT and the time spent using the smartphone were not correlated (r = 0.044, p = 0.78). Conclusion The time spent on the smartphone by young adults does not influence the time to complete the GPT, indicating that smartphone use does not influence measures of manual dexterity.

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic older adults are asked to maintain physical distancing, which can be linked to loneliness. While older people are encouraged to use electronic communication to stay socially connected, it remains an open question whether electronic contacts are related to lower loneliness during the pandemic. This study examined the associations of physical distancing during the pandemic with loneliness and the role of in-person and electronic contacts with children and non-kin as explaining these associations across European regions. Methods: The study used data from Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), collected during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Mediation and moderation analyses tested the direct and indirect associations between physical distancing, contact frequency and loneliness, as well as the differences across European regions. Results: The results indicate that adults who reported higher frequency of physical distancing also felt lonelier during the pandemic. This association was partly explained by social contacts—those who practiced physical distancing maintained less in-person contact with children and non-kin and less electronic contact with non-kin, which were related to feeling lonelier. Adults in Southern European countries felt lonelier and reported more frequent contacts. The moderation analyses showed that the link between physical distancing and loneliness was found in the northern region, but not in the southern and eastern regions of Europe. Conclusion: This study can indicate that attention should be paid to adults who may struggle to maintain social contacts in light of physical distancing guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]