Hormone alters electric fish’s signal-canceling trick

New research shows that the hormone testosterone — which naturally triggers male electric fish to elongate the electric pulses they send out during the breeding season — also alters a system in the fish’s brain that enables the fish to ignore its own electric signals.

Comm Arts Chula Offers 2 New Courses on Creating Fun Games to Dazzle Digital Natives

To keep abreast with the world of modern communication, the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University (Comm Arts Chula) is offering 2 brand new courses on creative media in the form of games through a cross-disciplinary approach alongside Chula Engineering and College of Public Health Sciences to create a media that’s accessible and appealing to the digital-age audience.

Leadership Online: Charisma Matters Most in Video Communication

Managers need to make a consistent impression in order to motivate and inspire people, and that applies even more to video communication than to other digital channels. That is the result of a study by researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). They investigated the influence that charismatic leadership tactics used in text, audio and video communication channels have on employee performance. They focused on mobile work and the gig economy, in which jobs are flexibly assigned to freelancers via online platforms. The results of the study have been published in The Leadership Quarterly. (DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2022.101631)

UCI study finds 53 percent jump in e-waste greenhouse gas emissions between 2014, 2020

Greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere from electronic devices and their associated electronic waste increased by 53 percent between 2014 and 2020, including 580 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020 alone, according to University of California, Irvine researchers.

Continual, clear, factual texting is key to first responder team success, UAH professor finds

First responder teams better grasp an emergency situation when they use continual, clear texting communication of factual information in a way that all members can understand, and that is key to a successful team response, according to new research at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

LifeBridge Health Launches Mobile App for Patients

LifeBridge Health has launched a new comprehensive mobile app for patients and consumers. Now available for download for iPhone and Android phone users, LifeBridge Health Mobile offers convenient and immediate access to the health system’s services such the physician directory, patient portal and online scheduling. LifeBridge Health Mobile is just one piece of the health system’s overall strategy to improve the digital patient experience.

Study Uncovers How Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals Navigate Social Challenges

A recent study highlights the range of uncomfortable situations people living with blindness or visual impairment encounter due to interpersonal communication challenges, and outlines strategies people with visual impairment use to navigate these situations.

JMIR Research Protocols | Google Apple Exposure Notification System for COVID-19

JMIR Publications recently published “Dissemination and Implementation of a Google Apple Exposure Notification System for COVID-19 Risk Mitigation at a National Public University: Protocol for a Pilot Evaluation Study in a Real-World Setting” in JMIR Research Protocols which reported that this paper describes the protocol for South Carolina Safer Together, developed by Clemson University to design, deploy, and evaluate multilevel communication and dissemination and implementation (D&I) strategies in line with recommendations from governmental and educational agencies to mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

JMIR Human Factors | Health Records for Communication in Colorectal Cancer Networks

JMIR Publications recently published “Uses of Personal Health Records for Communication Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Caregivers, and Providers: Interview and Observational Study in a Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory” in JMIR Human Factors which reported that personal health records (PHRs) may be useful for patient self-management and participation in communication with their caregivers and health care providers.

Call for Abstracts – The 17th APRU Multi-Hazards Symposium 2022

The Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, would like to cordially invite you to join the 17th APRU Multi-Hazards Symposium 2022, which will be held during November 29 – November 30, 2022 at the Mandarin Hotel Bangkok Samyan, Thailand.

Study: COVID Tech Took a Toll on Work-from-Home Moms

Research by UNLV communications expert Natalie Pennington finds that texts, video calls burdened the mental health of working moms during pandemic.

Engineering Researchers Receive $1 Million NSF Grant for First Networked-AI Testbed

Just like humans, autonomous robots need to communicate with one another to learn together and to accomplish a team mission such as search and rescue. Researchers are developing the nation’s first-of-its-kind testbed platform that connects robots using high-frequency radio waves (30 to 300 gigahertz). The robots will be able communicate at ultra-high speeds of gigabits per second by forming and directing ‘beams’ toward each other that also will enable them to see through objects as needed. They will see what the other robots are sensing in real-time, resulting in five times the eyes thanks to the nearly instantaneous exchange of high volumes of data.

Cat’s Meow: Robotic Pet Boosts Mood, Behavior and Cognition in Adults with Dementia

Researchers tested the effectiveness of affordable, interactive robotic pet cats to improve mood, behavior and cognition in older adults with mild to moderate dementia.

NIST Awards $2.99M to Commercialize DHS S&T-Developed Interoperable Public Safety Communications System

NIST awarded $2,988,950 in a new round of funding for new interoperable communication systems for public safety through its SBIR program, Catalyst Communications Technologies of Forest, Virginia, was provided this Phase III award for commercialization of its interoperable communications solution.

3D-Printed Smart Gel Changes Shape When Exposed to Light

Inspired by the color-changing skin of cuttlefish, octopuses and squids, Rutgers engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that changes shape when exposed to light, becomes “artificial muscle” and may lead to new military camouflage, soft robotics and flexible displays. The engineers also developed a 3D-printed stretchy material that can reveal colors when light changes, according to their study in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Face Masks Provide Additional Communication Barrier for Nonnative Speech

Though face masks are important and necessary for controlling the spread of the new coronavirus, they result in muffled speech and a loss of visual cues during communication. Sandie Keerstock, Rajka Smiljanic, and their colleagues examine how this loss of visual information impacts speech intelligibility and memory for native and nonnative speech. They will discuss these communication challenges and how to address them at the 179th ASA Meeting, Dec. 7-10

What Makes COVID Misinformation So Tough to Stop on Social Media

A recent study highlights two of the reasons that misinformation about COVID-19 is so difficult to tackle on social media: most people think they’re above average at spotting misinformation; and misinformation often triggers negative emotions that resonate with people.

‘Honey bee, it’s me’

For a honey bee, few things are more important than recognizing your nestmates. Being able to tell a nestmate from an invader could mean the difference between a honey-stocked hive and a long, lean winter. New research from Washington University in St. Louis shows that honey bees rely on chemical cues related to their shared gut microbial communities, instead of genetic relatedness, to identify members of their colony.