Smoking prevalence, knowledge and attitudes among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan

A survey of smoking prevalence and attitudes was made among medical students randomly selected from classes at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Of 271 respondents, 14.4% were current smokers (22.0% male and 3.8% females) and 3.3% ex-smokers. A majority of students recognized the dangers associated with active as well as passive smoking although only 55% of current smokers planned to quit in the near future. Most smokers (96%) believed that they as well as other health professionals needed training on smoking cessation and 95% of all students believed that doctors should play a role model in smoking cessation by not smoking themselves. Specific training and counselling should be a part of the required curriculum at medical schools

Incidence of Development of Hydrocephalus after Excision and Repair of Spina Bifida Aperta in Infants

Objective:  To find out the incidence of hydrocephalus after excision and repair in infants presenting with Spina Bifida Aperta. Materials & Methods:  This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Pediatric Neurosurgery Department, Children Hospital & The Institute of Child Health, Lahore, Pakistan, from January 2021 to October 2021. A total of 62 infants of both genders presenting with spina bifida Aperta undergoing repair were included. Data of the patients, i.e., name, age, gender, head circumference, location, and width of the defect, accompanying bladder, limb anomalies, radiological, laboratory findings, and diagnosis (meningocele or meningomyelocele) were noted. Patients were followed postoperatively for 1-month, and the incidence of post-surgery hydrocephalus was noted. Results:  Out of 62 children, 36 (58.1%) were male and 24 (41.9%) female. The mean age was noted to be 138.82 days. Most children, 36 (58.1%), were found to have meningocele. The most frequent local meningocele/meningomyelocele was noted to be lumbosacral, 22 (35.5%). Post-surgery hydrocephalus was noted among 11 (17.1%) cases. No significant association of gender, age, head circumference, defect size, the maximum dimension, diagnosis (meningocele or meningomyelocele), or location was noted with post-surgery hydrocephalus among study cases (p > 0.05). No mortality was reported. Conclusion:  Meningomyelocele and lumbosacral location of the defect were among the prominent factors affecting the incidence of post-surgery hydrocephalus. Keywords:  Spina Bifida Aperta, Meningiocele, Myelomeningocele, hydrocephalus, lumbosacra

A New Paradigm for Improved Image Steganography by using Adaptive Number of Dominant Discrete Cosine Transform Coefficients

Image steganography camouflages secret messages in images by tampering image contents. There is a natural desire for hiding maximum secret information with the least possible distortions in the host image. This requires an algorithm that intelligently optimizes the capacity keeping the required imperceptibility of the image. This paper presents an image steganography scheme that preserves an adaptively chosen block of dominant coefficients from each Discrete Cosine Transform coefficients, whereas the rest of the coefficients are replaced with normalized secret image pixel values. Secret image pixel value are normalized in an adaptively chosen range. Embedding such kind of normalized data in adaptively chosen non-square L- shaped blocks utilize maximum embedding space available in each block that consequently results in maximizing payload capacity, while maintaining the image quality. This scheme achieved payload capacity up to 21.5 bit per pixel (bpp), while maintaining image quality of 38.24 dB peak signal to noise ratio.Comment: 9 page

Graphene oxide incorporated polyether sulfone nanocomposite antifouling ultrafiltration membranes with enhanced hydrophilicity

In this study, the polyether sulfone (PES) based membranes containing various concentrations of graphene oxide (GO), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized via the phase immersion method. This study aims to evaluate the effect of GO addition on the structural properties and performance of the membranes. The membranes were analyzed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR-ATR spectra indicated the presence of hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups on the surface of GO-incorporated membranes, which improved their dispersion in the polymeric matrix and hydrophilicity. The SEM analysis of the GO-containing PES membranes confirmed the formation of a well-defined finger-like porous structure presenting adequate water flux (95 l.m(-2).h(-1)) and salt rejection (72%) compared to the pristine PES membranes (46 l.m(-2).h(-1) and similar to 35%, respectively). In addition, the significantly large wettability and considerably improved antibacterial characteristic (against S. aureus and E. coli strains) of the GO-PES membranes are considered impressive features.National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Research Directorate; HEC; NRPU [6020]6020; Higher Education Commission, Pakistan, HEC; National University of Sciences and Technology, NUS

Exploring audience engagement with ChatGPT-related content on YouTube: Implications for content creators and AI tool developers

The emergence of ChatGPT in the broader field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked scholarly discourse on its utilization in various disciplines. Yet, a significant void exists in our understanding of the dynamics of consumer engagement with content creators producing ChatGPT-related content. Therefore, the present study aims to delineate how ChatGPT-related content garners consumer engagement on YouTube. Data from 100 YouTube videos amassing an aggregate of 65 million views on ChatGPT were extracted using three application programming interfaces (APIs), namely, VidIQ, Tubebuddy, and SocialBlade. We subsequently contrasted this dataset with data from 200 other videos produced by the same creators. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, multigroup SEM, and comparative line graphs. Employing the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theoretical framework, our results indicate that innovative content such as ChatGPT-related videos garners more engagement than other content types from the same YouTube channels. Intriguingly, this study finds that ChatGPT-focused content exhibited diminished sensitivity to channel subscriber counts, with channels having fewer subscribers achieving higher viewership numbers. Furthermore, ChatGPT-related content induced a surge in new subscribers to the channel compared to the other content types. The present study pioneers the investigation of audience engagement with ChatGPT-related content by juxtaposing it with other content from the same YouTube channels. We also explicate the relationship between content sensitivity and extant subscriber counts. The present study provides vital insights and implications for a diverse audience, including content creators, developers of AI tools, advertisers, and content publishers

Public health agencies outreach through Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)Background: Governmental and non-governmental institutions increasingly use social media as a strategic tool for public outreach. Global spread, promptness, and dialogic potentials make these platforms ideal for public health monitoring and emergency communication in crises such as COVID-19. Objective: Drawing on the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication framework, we sought to examine how leading health organizations use Instagram for communicating and engaging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We manually retrieved Instagram posts together with relevant metadata of four health organizations (WHO, CDC, IFRC, and NHS) shared between January 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020. Two coders manually coded the analytical sample of 269 posts related to COVID-19 on dimensions including content theme, gender depiction, person portrayal, and image type. We further analyzed engagement indices associated with the coded dimensions. Results: The CDC and WHO were the most active of all the assessed organizations with respect to the number of posts, reach, and engagement indices. Most of the posts were about personal preventive measures and mitigation, general advisory and vigilance, and showing gratitude and resilience. An overwhelming level of engagement was observed for posts representing celebrity, clarification, and infographics. Conclusions: Instagram can be an effective tool for health organizations to convey their messages during crisis communication, notably through celebrity involvement, clarification posts, and the use of infographics. There is much opportunity to strengthen the role of health organizations in countering misinformation on social media by providing accurate information, directing users to credible sources, and serving as a fact-check for false information.Peer reviewe

Public health agencies outreach through Instagram during the COVID-19 pandemic

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)Background: Governmental and non-governmental institutions increasingly use social media as a strategic tool for public outreach. Global spread, promptness, and dialogic potentials make these platforms ideal for public health monitoring and emergency communication in crises such as COVID-19. Objective: Drawing on the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication framework, we sought to examine how leading health organizations use Instagram for communicating and engaging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We manually retrieved Instagram posts together with relevant metadata of four health organizations (WHO, CDC, IFRC, and NHS) shared between January 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020. Two coders manually coded the analytical sample of 269 posts related to COVID-19 on dimensions including content theme, gender depiction, person portrayal, and image type. We further analyzed engagement indices associated with the coded dimensions. Results: The CDC and WHO were the most active of all the assessed organizations with respect to the number of posts, reach, and engagement indices. Most of the posts were about personal preventive measures and mitigation, general advisory and vigilance, and showing gratitude and resilience. An overwhelming level of engagement was observed for posts representing celebrity, clarification, and infographics. Conclusions: Instagram can be an effective tool for health organizations to convey their messages during crisis communication, notably through celebrity involvement, clarification posts, and the use of infographics. There is much opportunity to strengthen the role of health organizations in countering misinformation on social media by providing accurate information, directing users to credible sources, and serving as a fact-check for false information.Peer reviewe

Virality is not enough when the audience misses the point: A content analysis of youtube comments on environmental documentary “Sexy Killers”

During the Indonesian presidential election campaign, a documentary on coal mining problems in Indonesia titled “ Sexy Killers” became viral and was highly engaged on YouTube in early 2019, attracting 36 million views and above 100,000 comments. The documentary also received mainstream media coverage and had such a far-reaching appeal that it swayed many voters into not voting in the election. Showing the impact of coal mining on Indonesia’s environment and its people, the documentary exposed networks of business owners and politicians who had stakes in the coal mining company. This research thus delves into understanding the public discourse, especially the high number of YouTube comments on the documentary. The analysis revealed that despite the documentary’s widespread popularity, the discussion within the comments did not focus on the environmental problems (72.9%). Most of the comments discussed the political campaign and presidential candidates (41.3%), instead of discussing the environmental impact of coal mining in Indonesia (13.9%). The research is valuable in highlighting the centrality of political debates dwarfing real environmental issues in Indonesia. Environment activists use documentary movies as one of their advocacy strategies, but it must be followed by audience engagement strategy to assure the discussions are still relevant to increase audience awareness on the issue

Characterizing HIV discussions and engagement on Twitter

Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).The novel settings provided by social media facilitate users to seek and share information on a wide array of subjects, including healthcare and wellness. Analyzing health-related opinions and discussions on these platforms complement traditional public health surveillance systems to support timely and effective interventions. This study aims to characterize the HIV-related conversations on Twitter by identifying the prevalent topics and the key events and actors involved in these discussions. Through Twitter API, we collected tweets containing the hashtag #HIV for a one-year period. After pre-processing the collected data, we conducted engagement analysis, temporal analysis, and topic modeling algorithm on the analytical sample (n = 122,807). Tweets by HIV/AIDS/LGBTQ activists and physicians received the highest level of engagement. An upsurge in tweet volume and engagement was observed during global and local events such as World Aids Day and HIV/AIDS awareness and testing days for trans-genders, blacks, women, and the aged population. Eight topics were identified that include “stigma”, “prevention”, “epidemic in the developing countries”, “World Aids Day”, “treatment”, “events”, “PrEP”, and “testing”. Social media discussions offer a nuanced understanding of public opinions, beliefs, and sentiments about numerous health-related issues. The current study reports various dimensions of HIV-related posts on Twitter. Based on the findings, public health agencies and pertinent entities need to proactively use Twitter and other social media by engaging the public through involving influencers. The undertaken methodological choices may be applied to further assess HIV discourse on other popular social media platforms.Peer reviewe