Abstract 13206: Blood Pressure Apps: Do They Educate the Lay Public About Risk Factors?

Introduction: Hypertension affects 108 million Americans. To help track and manage hypertension, there are many free and popular mobile health apps that track BP. Hypothesis: BP tracking mobile health apps have many downloads but do not fully educate the public about hypertension risk factors. Methods: “Blood Pressure” as a search term was used in the Google Play and Apple iOS stores to identify the most popular, free BP tracking apps aimed at the lay public. The top 10 most popular, free apps on each store were evaluated for educating the lay public on hypertension risk factors. Inclusion criteria: top 10 free blood pressure (BP) apps, by highest number of downloads on Google Play and highest rating (out of five stars) on Apple iOS Store (no available data on iOS downloads). Exclusion criteria: non-English, requiring a wearable device, primary purpose other BP tracking. Results: Of top 20 apps: BP log: 19/20, BP ranges: 13/20, height: 5/20, weight: 8/20, BMI: 3/20, race: 1/20, gender: 4/20, age: 6/20, diet: 1/20, exercise: 1/20, medication: 4/20, diabetes: 1/20, FBS: 1/20, goals: 3/20, mood/depression: 1/20. 2 apps mentioned the American Heart Association (AHA). None of the apps had information on cvriskcalculator.com, family history, cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, HbA1c, and alcohol use. Conclusion: Most free and popular BP apps monitor BP but largely ignore hypertension risk factors such as cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, alcohol intake, mood/depression, race, and gender. Furthermore, 7/20 apps do not uniformly educate patients that a normal BP is <120/<80, in accordance with the AHA and ACC guidelines. More collaboration may be needed between physicians and software developers to educate and meet the needs of our hypertensive patients in America.

Live Streaming and Digital Stages for the Hungry Ghosts and Deities

Many Chinese temples in Singapore provide live streaming of getai (English: a stage for songs) during the Hungry Ghost Month as well as deities’ birthday celebrations and spirit possessions—a recent phenomenon. For instance, Sheng Hong Temple launched its own app in 2018, as part of a digital turn that culminated in a series of live streaming events during the temple’s 100-year anniversary celebrations. Deities’ visits to the temple from mainland China and Taiwan were also live-streamed, a feature that was already a part of the Taichung Mazu Festival in Taiwan. Initially streamed on RINGS.TV, an app available on Android and Apple iOS, live videos of getai performances can now be found on the more sustainable platform of Facebook Live. These videos are hosted on Facebook Pages, such as “Singapore Getai Supporter” (which is listed as a “secret” group), “Singapore Getai Fans Page”, “Lixin Fan Page”, and “LEX-S Watch Live Channel”. These pages are mainly initiated and supported by LEX(S) Entertainment Productions, one of the largest entertainment companies running and organising getai performances in Singapore. This paper critically examines this digital turn and the use of digital technology, where both deities and spirits are made available to digital transmissions, performing to the digital camera in ways that alter the performative aspects of religious festivals and processions. In direct ways, the performance stage extends to the digital platform, where getai hosts, singers, and spirit mediums have become increasingly conscious that they now have a virtual presence that exceeds the live event.

Federal Agencies Can Get Your iPhone Data without Apple’s Help

Engineers at Belkasoft, leading digital forensic tools developer, recently implemented advanced and far-reaching data acquisition capabilities in the latest Belkasoft Evidence Center release. The new functions in this product allow for forensic extraction of data from the vast majority of iOS devices based on the new checkm8 exploit. Forensic investigators traditionally find it difficult to extract data from Apple iOS devices-consisting of iPhones, iPads, and iPods-because such devices do not provide access to their file systems. The new checkm8 exploit is set to be a game changer!

МОБІЛЬНІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ НАВЧАННЯ У ПРОФЕСІЙНІЙ ПІДГОТОВЦІ МАЙБУТНІХ ФАХІВЦІВ МОРСЬКОГО ТРАНСПОРТУ

Стаття окреслює сучасну проблему вдосконалення професійної підготовки майбутніх фахівців річкового та морського транспорту засобами сучасних мобільних технологій. Автор з метою з’ясування можливостей і перспектив мобільного навчання в процесі професійної підготовки майбутніх фахівців морського транспорту здійснив аналіз мобільних програм у магазинах додатків для платформ Google Android, Apple iOS та Windows Mobile. У процесі дослідження з’ясовано, що в магазинах мобільних додатків Google play, App Store та Microsoft Store наявні програми для моряків та ті, що можна використовувати в їх професійній підготовці в освітніх цілях. Відповідно до їх призначення ці програми розподілено на такі групи: додатки для вивчення іноземної мови, довідники та словники для моряків, тренажери для проходження професійних тестів, програми для пошуку вакансій та персоналу в морській галузі, навігаційні програми та карти, електронні вахтові журнали, записні книжки та планувальники для моряків, керівництва для моряків, програми для контролю за здоров’ям моряків, імітації вимірювальних морських приладів, додатки для прогнозу погоди, факсимільні карти для моряків про вітер, хвилі, погоду і припливи. Проаналізовано можливості використання датчиків смартфонів для фіксації часу руху та інтервалів часу для контролю послідовності подій чи процесів, для вимірювання різних параметрів навколишнього середовища, для дослідження параметрів світла, звуку, прискорення, атмосферного тиску тощо. На основі аналізу мобільних додатків та опитування студентів Херсонської державної морської академії щодо використання мобільних пристроїв у навчанні зроблено висновок про те, що програми магазину Google Play мають багато можливостей для їх використання в процесі професійної підготовки майбутніх фахівців морського транспорту через їх велику різноманітність, безкоштовність та зручність самого магазину додатків.

The Use of Health IT for Chronic Disease Management: A comprehensive review of diabetes applications used for self-management of the disease (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Mobile health (mHealth) smartphone applications (apps) have shown promise in the self-management of chronic disease. Management of key disease variances can be performed through these applications to increase patient engagement in disease self-management. In today’s oversaturated health app market, what selection criteria do consumers employ to choose mobile health apps for disease self-management? App quality is critical in monitoring disease controls but is often linked to consumer popularity rather clinical recommendations of effectiveness in disease management. This paper provides a comprehensive review of features found in mobile health apps frequently used in the self-management of diabetes. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to review features of frequently used and high consumer-rated mobile health apps used in the self-management of diabetes within the Apple iOS store. These applications were cross-referenced against high consumer-rated health apps found in other online diabetes sources. This study aimed to highlight key features of consumer-favored mobile health apps used in the self-management of diabetes. METHODS A primary Apple iOS store search was conducted using the term “diabetes apps” on an Apple iPad. The top five most frequently used mobile health apps were identified and rated by the number of consumer reviews, application ratings, and the presence of key diabetes management features: dietary blood glucose, A1C, insulin, physical activity and prescription medication. A subsequent Google search was conducted using the search term “best Apple diabetes apps”. The top three search results – Healthline, Everyday Health, and Diabetes Apps, American Diabetes Association – were explored. The top five frequently used apps among those sources were examined against the same Apple iOS criteria. RESULTS Twelve mobile health apps were reviewed in total due to repetition in popularity across the four evaluated sources. Only one health app – Glucose Buddy Diabetes Tracker – appeared most frequently used within the Apple iOS store and across the other three sources. The OneTouch Reveal app ranked first on the list in the iOS store with 39,000 consumer reviews and a rating of 4.7 out of 5.0 stars while only appearing once among the other sources. Blood glucose tracking was evident across all apps, but other disease management features varied in type with at least three of the five key features being present across the 12 reviewed apps. Subscription costs and integration needs were present which could play a major role in consumer app selection. While mobile app preference was assessed and defined by the number of consumer reviews and star ratings, there were no scientific standards used in the selection and ranking of the health apps within this study. CONCLUSIONS Mobile health applications (apps) have shown promise in chronic disease management, but a surge in development of these non-regulated health solutions points to a need for standards in quality. A governing body of health information technology, clinical, policymaking, and other industry stakeholders, including patients, could be beneficial in defining health application standards for effective chronic disease management. Variabilities in features, cost, and other management inconsistencies could be diminished by regulatory uniformity and increase both patient engagement activities and disease outcomes.

APPLICATION DEVELOPER ENGAGEMENT IN OPEN SOFTWARE PLATFORMS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF APPLE IOS AND GOOGLE ANDROID DEVELOPERS

Platform operators rely on external contributions that complement their own development activities. Although previous research has analysed which conditions are beneficial in attracting developers, only scant research is concerned with the motivation and work behaviour of application developers. The authors survey 395 Apple iOS and Android developers to test a model of perceived platform openness, developer work motivation, and resulting behaviour that builds upon self-determination theory. The findings suggest that future research would benefit from a more thorough consideration of platform openness, as not all paths of the model are equally strong for open vs closed platforms.

The Influence of Brand Image, Design, Feature, and Price on Purchasing Decision of Apple iOS Smartphone in Surakarta, Indonesia

This study examined the influence of four independent variables; brand image, design, feature, and price on consumer behavior in deciding to buy Apple iOS smartphone. It was conducted by taking sample on Apple iOS smartphone owners in Surakarta, Indonesia. It also found that the four independent variables ie brand image, design, features, and price indicate their ability to influence consumer purchasing decision in a positive direction. Surprisingly, the researcher found out that price variable has the strongest influence on the consumer buying decision on Apple iOS smartphone. Otherwise, the researcher specifically found that feature variables have the weakest ability to influence purchasing decisions. Therefore, this study suggests to the management of the company to evaluate the price offered to be affordable by consumers. The way is the company's management can conduct periodic price evaluation as well as evaluating the target market.