Capabilities of PR professionals for key activities lag: Asia-Pacific study shows theory and practice gaps

© 2018 Elsevier Inc. A number of studies of the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs), competencies and capabilities of public relations and communication professionals have been carried out in the USA, UK and other countries. However, most have not engaged to any significant extent with literature in the human resource development field which specializes in defining and developing these characteristics. Also, few studies to date have related the KSAs, competencies and capabilities of practitioners to the key activities of public relations and communication management required for the future. This article presents findings and analysis from a regional survey conducted in 22 Asia-Pacific countries in 2017/18 that compared, for the first time, the capabilities of practitioners in relation to activities identified as the most important over the next three years. This data, and comparison with equivalent regional surveys in Europe and Latin America, confirm a gap in capabilities in relation to key communication activities and suggest a gap in theory as well as practice. The findings and conclusions present a challenge for higher education and professional development for public relations and communication management and point to potential future directions in theory building

Utility of Parental Mediation Model on Youth’s Problematic Online Gaming

The Parental Mediation Model PMM) was initially designed to regulate children’s attitudes towards the traditional media. In the present era, because of prevalent online media there is a need for similar regulative measures. Spending long hours on social media and playing online games increase the risks of exposure to the negative outcomes of online gaming. This paper initially applied the PMM developed by European Kids Online to (i) test the reliability and validity of this model and (ii) identify the effectiveness of this model in controlling problematic online gaming (POG). The data were collected from 592 participants comprising 296 parents and 296 students of four foreign universities, aged 16 to 22 years in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). The study found that the modified model of the five-factor PMM (Technical mediation, Monitoring mediation, Restrictive mediation, Active Mediation of Internet Safety, and Active mediation of Internet Use) functions as a predictor for mitigating POG. The findings suggest the existence of a positive relation between ‘monitoring’ and ‘restrictive’ mediation strategies and exposure to POG while Active Mediation of Internet Safety and Active mediation of Internet use were insignificant predictors. Results showed a higher utility of ‘technical’ strategies by the parents led to less POG. The findings of this study do not support the literature suggesting active mediation is more effective for reducing youth’s risky behaviour. Instead, parents need to apply more technical mediations with their children and adolescents’ Internet use to minimize the negative effects of online gaming

A systematic review on integration mechanisms in human and animal health surveillance systems with a view to addressing global health security threats

Lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis are neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) targeted for elimination by mass (antifilarial) drug administration. These drugs are predominantly active against the microfilarial progeny of adult worms. New drugs or combinations are needed to improve patient therapy and to enhance the effectiveness of interventions in persistent hotspots of transmission. Several therapies and regimens are currently in (pre-)clinical testing. Clinical trial simulators (CTSs) project patient outcomes to inform the design of clinical trials but have not been widely applied to NTDs, where their resource-saving payoffs could be highly beneficial. We demonstrate the utility of CTSs using our individual-based onchocerciasis transmission model (EPIONCHO-IBM) that projects trial outcomes of a hypothetical macrofilaricidal drug. We identify key design decisions that influence the power of clinical trials, including participant eligibility criteria and post-treatment follow-up times for measuring infection indicators. We discuss how CTSs help to inform target product profiles

Four Junction Traffic Light Controller using PLC (S7-200)

Advance of a road traffic light control system using Programmable Logic Controller is the principal of the system. This system can be divided into two parts which are hardware and software. The hardware part for this system is a model of four -way junction of a traffic light. The Red, Yellow and Green are installed at each lane to represent as a traffic light signal indicator. This switches and lamps are linked to PLC. The PLC receives signal which is coming from the inputs (sensor and switch) and drives the units (lamps or relays). In the system, Siemens s7-200 PLC is used as the main controller of the traffic light system. The Step7 Micro Win software can be developed the ladder logic diagram which can control the traffic light for proposed system. So, the traffic light system can be successfully controlled by PLC

Social Networking Site Use and Materialistic Values Among Youth: The Safeguarding Role of the Parent-Child Relationship and Self-Regulation

© The Author(s) 2017. Social networking sites (SNSs) have become common avenues for young people to share their life experience with peers, including their consumption experience. Although prior research on the media effects of SNSs has shown how online communication on SNSs promotes various volitional behaviors, current understanding is limited with respect to how young people’s use of SNSs is associated with their consumption experience and materialistic values. This study examines how SNS use related to consumption experience is associated with materialistic values among young adults and how their social perceptions mediate such association. This investigation also proposes that young adults’ self-regulation and close relationships with parents would buffer the impact of SNS use. Survey data gathered from 903 youths in Singapore lend strong empirical support to the hypotheses proposed. Implications are discussed

How does "talking about the Internet with others" affect teenagers experience of online risks? The role of active mediation by parents, peers, and school teachers

This study investigated how active mediation employed by three key socialization agents—parents, peers, and school teachers—is associated with teenagers’ engagement in online risks. A survey with 746 students aged 12–18 years found that different socialization agents focus on different aspects of the Internet when they engage in active mediation. Parents and teachers focus more on making instructive remarks whereas peers are more likely to engage in neutral facets of active mediation (e.g. helping or recommending). However, parental mediation tends to diminish whereas peer mediation tends to escalate with age among teens. The findings also suggest that school teachers’ Internet-related discussions can reduce teens’ potential exposure to online risks while peer interactions may increase teens’ vulnerability to online risks

Global Sentiments Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic on Twitter: Analysis of Twitter Trends.

BACKGROUND: With the World Health Organization's pandemic declaration and government-initiated actions against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), sentiments surrounding COVID-19 have evolved rapidly. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine worldwide trends of four emotions-fear, anger, sadness, and joy-and the narratives underlying those emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Over 20 million social media twitter posts made during the early phases of the COVID-19 outbreak from January 28 to April 9, 2020, were collected using "wuhan," "corona," "nCov," and "covid" as search keywords. RESULTS: Public emotions shifted strongly from fear to anger over the course of the pandemic, while sadness and joy also surfaced. Findings from word clouds suggest that fears around shortages of COVID-19 tests and medical supplies became increasingly widespread discussion points. Anger shifted from xenophobia at the beginning of the pandemic to discourse around the stay-at-home notices. Sadness was highlighted by the topics of losing friends and family members, while topics related to joy included words of gratitude and good health. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, global COVID-19 sentiments have shown rapid evolutions within just the span of a few weeks. Findings suggest that emotion-driven collective issues around shared public distress experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic are developing and include large-scale social isolation and the loss of human lives. The steady rise of societal concerns indicated by negative emotions needs to be monitored and controlled by complementing regular crisis communication with strategic public health communication that aims to balance public psychological wellbeing

Awareness and Acceptance of Health Insurance, and Willingness to Pay: a Community based Study in Myanmar

Most health care spending in Myanmar is borne by means of out-of-pocket payment (OOP). A national health insurance scheme has not yet been established. This crosssectional study explored the awareness and acceptance of community related to health insurance, and their willingness to pay during February and March, 2014. Multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to recruit 1,346 household heads from 27 townships. As might be expected, the awareness of health insurance was low (8.4%; 95% CI = 7.0%, 10.0%). But following thorough explanation, the acceptance towards health insurance scheme was high (78.5%; 95% CI = 76.2%, 80.7%)