Understanding the Design of Mobile Social Networking

The million dollar question

One of the major concerns throughout the world today is to make high quality health care available to all. Traditionally, part of the difficulty in achieving equitable access to health care has been that the provider and the recipient must be physically present in the same place. Recent advances in Information and Communication Technologies have increased the number of ways health care can be delivered to reduce these difficulties. Mobile phones are the most commonly used devices in today’s scenario. The expanding use of mobile phone, telecommunication companies added feature such as MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) in order to attract more customers. The Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) has became very popular for sending messages containing multimedia objects such as images, audio, or video clips among mobile users. Alongside, the need for the secure communication became more imperative. Steganography is the most reliable technique for hidden communication. Hiding information, especially in images has been an alternative solution for secret communication [2].

With the dramatic increase in mobile phone usage in recent years, reports of mobile phone addiction have come in public use. While researches on other media addictions have been published, mobile phone addiction is rarely understood. Although scholars have examined in detail how heavy uses of certain media adversely affect students' academic performances, little is known about how mobile phones usage relates to academic performance. For most young people in Taiwan, a country with a high density of mobile phone users, using a mobile phone to network with family and friends has become a daily routine. This exploratory study examines the relationship between mobile phones use, mobile phone addiction, social capital, and academic performance in Taiwanese college students. This study seeks to determine the relationship between mobile phone addiction and depression among college students in Taiwan, the relationships among mobile phones usage, mobile phone addiction, and social capital, and finally, the relationships among mobile phone addiction, mobile phone usage, and students' academic performance. An online survey was designed and administered to 166 Taiwanese college students. The results showed there were no significant relationships between mobile phone addiction and depression in the sample. Heavy mobile phone users reported better relationships with their friends and family. Heavy mobile phone users also reported that frequent use of their mobile phones adversely affected their academic performance and learning, whereas light mobile phone users reported that their academic performance and learning were less negatively impacted by their mobile phones usage. However, respondents who were extremely heavy mobile phone users reported that their mobile phones positively affected their academic performance.

Interactive, mobile online games have recently become popular thus receiving the attention of researchers. Mobile games represent a particularly interesting case because of the proliferation of smart personal devices and the increasing availability of high speed wireless access points. With this vision, we propose a holistic solution that enables a top quality online gaming experience regardless whether the player is wired, wireless, or even mobile. Main components of this solution are: (i) a synchronization mechanism based on an Internet server overlay that enables interactivity, fairness, and scalability, and (ii) a smart access point able to support efficient coexistence between elastic (download) and real-time (game) traffic.

In spite of rapid worldwide increase in mobile phone use and public concerns about associated potential health effects, little is known about patterns of mobile phone ownership and use in the general population and among children. In April 2005, we conducted a survey of mobile phone ownership and use among fourth grade school children in three Hungarian cities. From 24 schools, 1301 student filled out a short, self-administered questionnaire on basic demographics, mobile phone ownership, pattern of mobile phone use, and after-school activities. Overall, 989 students (76%) owned a mobile phone. Three hundred thirteen students (24%) used a mobile phone daily to make phone calls, and an additional 427 students (33%) used mobile phones for phone calls at least several times per week. Sixty-six students (5%) sent text messages daily and an additional 308 students (24%) sent text messages at least several times per week. Girls, children with no siblings, children who were members of a sport club, and children who played computer games daily were more likely to own and use mobile phones regularly. A higher number of socially disadvantaged children in a class predicted lower likelihood of regular mobile phone use among children. Our results suggest that mobile phone ownership and regular use is highly prevalent among school children in Hungary. Due to rapid changes in ownership patterns follow up surveys will be required to obtain information on temporal trends and changes in mobile phone ownership and pattern of use among school children.

The use of mobile phones and the risk of brain tumors among children and adolescents

BackgroundThere is a 60% survival gap between children diagnosed with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and those in high-income countries. Low caregiver knowledge about childhood cancer and its treatment results in presentation delays and subsequent treatment abandonment in LMICs. However, in-person education to improve caregiver knowledge can be challenging due to health worker shortages and inadequate training. Due to the rapid expansion of mobile phone use worldwide, mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer an alternative to delivering in-person education.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to assess patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among Tanzanian caregivers of children diagnosed with cancer as well as their acceptability of an mHealth intervention for cancer education, patient communication, and care coordination.MethodsIn July 2017, caregivers of children <18 years diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) were surveyed to determine mobile phone ownership, use patterns, technology literacy, and acceptability of mobile phone use for cancer education, patient communication, and care coordination. Descriptive statistics were generated from the survey data by using mean and SD values for continuous variables and percentages for binary or categorical variables.ResultsAll eligible caregivers consented to participate and completed the survey. Of the 40 caregivers who enrolled in the study, most used a mobile phone (n=34, 85%) and expressed high acceptability in using these devices to communicate with a health care provider regarding treatment support (n=39, 98%), receiving laboratory results (n=37, 93%), receiving reminders for upcoming appointments (n=38, 95%), and receiving educational information on cancer (n=35, 88%). Although only 9% (3/34) of mobile phone owners owned phones with smartphone capabilities, about 74% (25/34) self-reported they could view and read SMS text messages.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study to assess patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among caregivers of children with cancer in Tanzania. The high rate of mobile phone ownership and caregiver acceptability for a mobile phone–based education and communication strategy suggests that a mobile phone–based intervention, particularly one that utilizes SMS technology, could be feasible in this setting.

The coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak has become a global crisis, where most nations are suffering from severe health and economic consequences. As known, the probability of infection is high, so it is important to understand the public perception of trust in sources of information, especially mobile social networks (MSNs). As a result, this information will assist in better informing public health messaging. In this study, we surveyed the users of MSNs to understand their perceptions regarding the utilization of MSNs as communication platforms during the COVID-19 outbreak. An online survey was utilized to collect the responses of 854 MSN users in mid-November 2024 using a questionnaire that we developed. The sample of participants was fairly similar to the general MSNs population in terms of gender, age, usage time, and education level. We found that 60% of the respondents mentioned that there is a lot of misleading, inaccurate, and anonymous information. The majority of the respondents stated that utilizing MSNs can be a helpful tool to promote and explain strict infection prevention policies proposed by the government to control the outbreak. Based on our findings, health professionals should lead the COVID-19 response to enhance trust in information sources. Consequently, it is crucial to emphasize and enhance the understanding and views of the use of MSNs during and following the crisis period.

Mobile phones offer powerful communication and entertainment; however, extended use can cause neck and shoulder pain. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the existing literature on the association between mobile phone use and the development of cervical pain and to assess the prevalence, severity, duration, and potential risk factors. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase was conducted from inception to February 2024. Observational studies reporting the prevalence, severity, or duration of cervical pain in mobile phone users compared to non-users were included. Risk of bias was assessed, and a random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to find pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Ten observational studies with over 15,452 participants were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of cervical pain was significantly higher in mobile phone users compared to non-users (OR = 6.30, 95% CI 5.11-7.76, I² = 15%). Mobile phone use for&amp;gt;4 hours/day (OR = 3.50, 95% CI 2.67-4.58) and text neck posture (OR = 12.30, 95% CI 7.99-18.97) were identified as significant risk factors. More severe cervical pain was observed in users with duration &amp;gt;4 hours/day (standardized mean difference = 1.10, 95% CI 0.82-1.38, I² = 35%). Notably, cervical pain persisted for &amp;gt;6 months in 43% of mobile phone users. In conclusion, mobile phone use was linked to a greater risk of cervical pain, with increased prevalence, severity, and chronicity. The amount of daily phone use and the posture used while using the phone are key factors in the development of cervical pain.

Personalized mobile network service is a hotpot issue now. In order to provide the real-time and accurate personalized mobile network service, researchers introduce the trust into the mobile user need model. However the existing research rarely considers the context information and the structure of mobile social network when calculating the trust. Hence, in this paper, we propose a trust calculating algorithm which can improve the accuracy of the trust in mobile social network. Firstly, we analyze mobile users' behaviors and incorporate the context into the trust calculating model. Secondly, the trust is introduced into the division of mobile community, and an improved method of mobile community division is proposed. Thirdly, according to the obtained mobile community structure, we propose a power calculating method and merge the trust and the obtained power. Finally, the similarity of contextual mobile user preferences is introduced into the trust. The experimental results show that our method can get more accurate community division and trust.

Although a review of the recent literature found that the evidence for a causal association between mobile phone use while driving and crash related injuries was not clear cut, with...

PurposeA great number of people use mobile social networks (MSNs) to communicate, entertain, learn, search and get advice. Growth and survival of any community depends on the activities of its members in sharing information and knowledge. The purpose of this study is to assess the influential factors on knowledge sharing behavior in MSNs in different perspectives in a comprehensive manner.Design/methodology/approachA model of factors affecting knowledge sharing behavior in MSNs is proposed by applying the structural equation modeling and path analysis to data collected from a sample of users of a well-known MSN through a questionnaire.FindingsThis study supports the contributive aspects of trust and enjoying participation in sharing knowledge, while there is no significant correlation between perceived ease of use and knowledge sharing behavior in MSNs. Furthermore, intention to share knowledge can lead to actual behavior in MSNs environments.Practical implicationsThe results obtained here provide a grasp of factors that influence knowledge sharing in mobile communities which would promote enhanced contribution towards their online communities by MSNs administrators.Originality/valueA four-dimensional comprehensive model consisting of social, psychological, cultural and technological perspectives in one package is proposed here for knowledge sharing behavior in MSNs. Such a comprehensive perspective is overlooked in the existing literature.

We previously conducted a case-control study of acoustic neuroma. Subjects of both genders aged 20–80 years, diagnosed during 1997–2003 in parts of Sweden, were included, and the results were published. We have since made a further study for the time period 2007–2009 including both men and women aged 18–75 years selected from throughout the country. These new results for acoustic neuroma have not been published to date. Similar methods were used for both study periods. In each, one population-based control, matched on gender and age (within five years), was identified from the Swedish Population Registry. Exposures were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire supplemented by a phone interview. Since the number of acoustic neuroma cases in the new study was low we now present pooled results from both study periods based on 316 participating cases and 3,530 controls. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for age, gender, year of diagnosis and socio-economic index (SEI). Use of mobile phones of the analogue type gave odds ratio (OR) = 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.0–4.3, increasing with >20 years latency (time since first exposure) to OR = 7.7, 95% CI = 2.8–21. Digital 2G mobile phone use gave OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–2.1, increasing with latency >15 years to an OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 0.8–4.2. The results for cordless phone use were OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–2.1, and, for latency of >20 years, OR = 6.5, 95% CI = 1.7–26. Digital type wireless phones (2G and 3G mobile phones and cordless phones) gave OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–2.0 increasing to OR = 8.1, 95% CI = 2.0–32 with latency >20 years. For total wireless phone use, the highest risk was calculated for the longest latency time >20 years: OR = 4.4, 95% CI = 2.2–9.0. Several of the calculations in the long latency category were based on low numbers of exposed cases. Ipsilateral use resulted in a higher risk than contralateral for both mobile and cordless phones. OR increased per 100 h cumulative use and per year of latency for mobile phones and cordless phones, though the increase was not statistically significant for cordless phones. The percentage tumour volume increased per year of latency and per 100 h of cumulative use, statistically significant for analogue phones. This study confirmed previous results demonstrating an association between mobile and cordless phone use and acoustic neuroma.

The current number of mobile Internet users has far exceeded the number of PC Internet users.The construction of college mobile website is behind the PC website.An innovative idea which integrates mobile website and computer website into one system was proposed.Content management technology is used in the system.The system which mobile website and computer website integrates into college online content management system is developed.It allows colleges and universities to build the mobile and computer website at the same time.The construction and management of integration meets the needs of smartphone and computer access.The system would enhance the level of college information. Concept of College Content Management SystemContent Management System has back-office systems or processes between software systems.Content Management System focused on solving a variety of unstructured or semi-structured collection of digital resources.It can be integrated into structured data organic business intelligence environments, such as OA, CRM, etc. Content creators, editors, publishers use content management system to submit, and publish content.The "content" may include all information files, tables, pictures, and data in the database or video.Content Management System is used in college website building software industry establishment.College website content management system can simplify the construction, management and maintenance.The basic idea is to achieve the appearance and content of the separation and management.Content Management System is stored in a database or file system.The appearance of the page is to use a template to achieve.When a user requests a page, the page has a standard HTML page provided to the user.To browse through the use of templates, administrators only need to modify the template and feel of the site adjustment.Managers can focus on content design, and greatly simplify site management and maintenance.

Objective: To examine the associations of mobile phone use and its use characteristics with new-onset CKD.Methods: 408,743 participants without prior CKD in the UK Biobank were included. The primary outcome was new-onset CKD.Results: During a median follow-up of 12.1 years, 10,797 (2.6%) participants occurred CKD. Compared with mobile phone non-users, a significantly higher risk of new-onset CKD was found in mobile phone users (HR = 1.07; 95% CI: 1.02–1.13). Moreover, among mobile phone users, compared with participants with weekly usage time of mobile phone making or receiving calls <30 min, a significantly higher risk of new-onset CKD was observed in those with usage time ≥30 min (HR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.07–1.18). Moreover, participants with both high genetic risks of CKD and longer weekly usage time of mobile phones had the highest risk of CKD. Similar results were found using the propensity score matching methods. However, there were no significant associations of length of mobile phone use, and hands-free device/speakerphone use with new-onset CKD among mobile phone users.Conclusion: Mobile phone use was significantly associated with a higher risk of new-onset CKD, especially in those with longer weekly usage time of mobile phones making or receiving calls. Our findings and the underlying mechanisms should be further investigated.