SBTMS: Scalable Blockchain Trust Management System for VANET

With many advances in sensor technology and the Internet of Things, Vehicle Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is becoming a new generation. VANET’s current technical challenges are deploying decentralized architecture and protecting privacy. Because Blockchain features are decentralized, distributed, mass storage, and non-manipulation features, this paper designs a new decentralized architecture using Blockchain technology called Blockchain-based VANET. Blockchain-based VANET can effectively resolve centralized problems and mutual distrust between VANET units. To achieve this, it is needed to provide scalability on the blockchain to run for VANET. In this system, our focus is on the reliability of incoming messages on the network. Vehicles check the validity of the received messages using the proposed Bayesian formula for trust management system and some information saved in the Blockchain. Then, based on the validation result, the vehicle computes a rate for each message type and message source vehicle. Vehicles upload the computed rates to Roadside Units (RSUs) in order to calculate the net reliability value. Finally, RSUs using a sharding consensus mechanism generate blocks, including the net reliability value as a transaction. In this system, all RSUs collaboratively maintain the latest updated Blockchain. Our experimental results show that the proposed system is effective, scalable and dependable in data gathering, computing, organization, and retrieval of trust values in VANET.

An Empirical Investigation of the Equity of Health Promotion: The Role of Message Source and Content

Good communication capability is crucial for the effectiveness of health promotion. This study aims to examine the relationship between message source (expertise and attractiveness) and content (informativeness and entertainment) on the equity of health promotion. The empirical data were collected through a survey in Tangerang, Indonesia. The number of samples were 178 respondents. Multiple regressions analysis was performed to test the conceptual model and the proposed hypotheses. The findings showed that the equity of health promotion was influenced by expertise, attractiveness, and entertainment, while informativeness did not affect the equity of health promotion significantly.

The Role of Social Media in Raising Public Health Awareness during the Pandemic COVID-19: An International Comparative Study

The main objective of this research is to investigate the role of social media campaigns (the type of social media platform, type of message, and message source sender) in raising public health awareness and behavioral change during (COVID-19) as a global pandemic across national selected countries (Poland and Jordan). The research utilizes a quantitative method with an exploratory and descriptive design to accumulate the initial data from a research survey given to the respondents from Jordan and Poland. A total of 1149 web questionnaires were collected from respondents in the two countries (Poland 531 and Jordan 618). In addition, multiple regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. The findings showed positive relationships between the components of a social media campaign, public health awareness, and behavioral change during (COVID-19) in the two countries at the same time. However, the preferred type of social media platforms, the message types and type of source sender significantly differ among the respondents due to their countries. This is the first study that examines the role of social media campaigns (the type of social media platform, type of message and message source sender) in public health awareness and behavioral change during (COVID-19) as a global pandemic in across national selected countries (Poland and Jordan).

Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination: The Interplay of Message Framing, Psychological Uncertainty, and Public Agency as a Message Source

The study examines how framing, psychological uncertainty, and agency type influence campaign effectiveness in promoting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. A 2 (gain vs. loss frame) × 2 (high vs. low uncertainty) × 2 (national vs. local agency) between-subjects experiment was conducted among Houston residents ( N = 382). Findings revealed that a loss frame was more effective among participants primed with high uncertainty through a thought-listing task; however, it was less persuasive under conditions of low uncertainty due to increased psychological reactance. Moreover, there was an interaction effect between uncertainty and agency type on vaccine beliefs. The study contributes to the framing literature by identifying psychological uncertainty as a moderator and provides useful suggestions for vaccine message design.

Fakes about Coronavirus: Communicational Technologies for Constructing False Messages

Introduction. Interest in the problem of false (fake) news has increased significantly in the situation of the coronavirus pandemic, when the flow of false information considered as an obstacle to the implementation of measures to combat the pandemic itself and its consequences. The authors aim to study the existing works devoted to the analysis of the construction and recognition of false news about COVID-19, paying special attention to the procedures of fact-checking-process of verifying the accuracy of the information contained in the message. The novelty of the author’s approach lies in the use of a content analysis of the fact-checking resource to identify communication technologies for constructing fake news about the coronavirus.Methodology and sources. As a theoretical framework, authors used the information model of communication by Claude Shannon, structuring communication as a process of information transmission and fixing the possibility of noise (distortion) in various parts of this process. The empirical basis of the study was a fact-checking resource that specializes in identifying fakes about the coronavirus (47 units of analysis were considered for the period from March to May 2020).Results and discussion. In the result of the research, specific communication technologies of purposeful construction of false news were identified – distortions in the communication channel, distortions in the message code (content), distortions in the message source. We also identified the types of distortions associated with the content of communication – based on the creation of false content, recoding information (giving it a new interpretation), editing the original. Different frequency of application of these technologies for a given volume of analysis units were been recorded, as well a s the predominance of the technology of distortion of the communication channel.Conclusion. The authors draw a conclusion about the importance and relevance of the topic of constructing fake news in the situation of the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic, demonstrate the productivity of using fact-checking resources to identify various communicative technologies for constructing false messages, which creates new prospects for recognizing and countering them.

The impact of CSR on nonprofit outcomes: how the choice of corporate partner influences reputation and supportive intentions

PurposeWhile research has shown that corporate social responsibility (CSR) can enhance a company's reputation, less is known about the effects of CSR communication on nonprofits. Hence, the current study seeks to understand how corporate reputation, message credibility and message source may impact consumers' attitudinal and behavioral intentions toward nonprofits.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (corporate reputation: low vs high) × 2 (CSR communication source: newspaper blog vs nonprofit blog) between-subjects online experiment was conducted. Real-world corporations (Toyota and Volkswagen) and a nonprofit (World Wildlife Fund) were chosen based on a pretest.FindingsNonprofit reputation increased after reading a CSR message, especially when it involved a partnership with a low-reputation corporation. Nevertheless, CSR partnerships with high-reputation corporations evoked higher volunteer intentions. Message credibility mediated the relationship between corporate reputation and nonprofit reputation. When the communication source was the nonprofit and the partnership involved a high-reputation corporation, positive evaluations of nonprofit likeability and competence resulted.Practical implicationsNonprofit communication managers should understand the merit of communicating CSR partnerships with their constituents, regardless of medium. Additionally, the choice of a corporate partner is important for certain nonprofit outcomes. Lastly, message credibility is another important factor that should be considered.Originality/valueThe study bridges literature in communications that typically examines CSR by focusing on its effects on corporate outcomes with literature in nonprofit management that looks at nonprofit outcome measures. This study demonstrated that nonprofit–corporate alliances can also influence nonprofit reputation and donation/volunteer intentions based on the reputation of the corporate partner.

ANALYSIS OF TELECOMMUNICATION CHANNEL SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS WITH BLOCK CODING AT A CONSTANT SPEED OF THE MESSAGE SOURCE

Background. The direction of development of modern electronic communication systems tends to increase the speed of information transmission. In turn, increasing the speed requires the use of additional resources of the communication channel and tools to maintain the specified reliability of the transmission under limited conditions. But resources are not free. That is why there is a need to establish a relationship between the conditions for reliable transmission in high-speed channels and the spectral and energy parameters of the information transmission system. Objective. The purpose of the paper is to analyse and describe the effect of block noise-tolerant coding on the rate of transmission of symbols in the communication channel while ensuring the required reliability of information transmission at a constant speed of the message source by increasing the frequency involved. Methods. The initial stage of the study is the presentation of system parameters in case of inaccurate transmission. Then a block redundant code is synthesized, which ensures the reliability of information transmission and the procedure of spreading the spectrum at a fixed speed of the message source is performed. Results. Recommendations on the method of selecting coding parameters in the procedure of spreading the spectrum and provided that the speed of the message source is constant are formed. Conclusions. Analysis of the possibilities of noise-tolerant coding at different energies of the communication channel under conditions of increasing the channel transmission rate at a fixed speed of the message source. Keywords: speed; message source; reliability; noise immunity.

Self-Healing Group Key Distribution Facilitating Source Authentication Using Block Codes

Secure group key distribution is essential for many group-oriented applications such as sensor networks, multimedia broadcast services, and Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios. There are several challenges and requirements in designing secure group key distribution. Among them, computational efficiency, communication efficiency, adaptability to dynamic group membership change, robustness to various security threats, self-healing capacities, and source authentication are desirable. It is very challenging to design an efficient group distribution that satisfies all the requirements and challenges. Based on block codes, we propose an efficient self-healing group key distribution that facilitates both message source authentication and secure group key distribution, where the source identification and authentication can facilitate intrusion detection and identification. Both the privacy of the group key and the authentication of message sources are computationally secure. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first codes-based scheme that satisfies all the above requirements and facilitates message source authentication. The merits of the proposed scheme include the following: (1) it is highly efficient in terms of computation and communication, (2) it provides self-healing capacities for unstable environments, (3) it is very robust to various security threats and attacks, (4) it facilitates both message source authentication and secure group key distribution, and (5) it greatly improves the communication performance, compared to the state-of-the-art schemes. The security properties are analyzed, and the performance evaluations confirm its efficiency and practicality.

Exposure to Campus Messages about Dating and Sexual Violence: A Latent Class Analysis

This study investigates college students’ exposure to messages about campus dating and sexual violence (DSV) to discover classes of students based on the message source. Latent class analysis was performed with data assessing 5,284 students’ exposure to 16 different sources of information regarding DSV, from having a professor discuss these topics to participating in related campus events. Several variables were included in the analysis to understand students’ class membership in relation to pertinent student demographic factors. The best model indicated that there are five classes of students based on their exposure to messages, with some subgroups of students having high exposure to various sources of messages about DSV while others have low exposure. Still other subgroups are primarily exposed to messages through nonactive or noninstitutional sources of information. Subgroups of students, based on their exposure to DSV messaging, also differ regarding demographic makeup. The implications from these results include the need to tailor DSV programming on campus to subgroups of students based on their varying baseline levels of message exposure. As students are exposed to messaging through differing sources, including passive and noninstitutional, institutions can use this information when designing outreach efforts to better fit with the needs of various subgroups of students.