July 2023

Source: freepik.com Copyright: Drazen Zigic Source image URL: https://tinyurl.com/4pwtcb7k License: Licensed by JMIR New research finds a novel parenting smartphone app, developed by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and South London, and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, reduced child emotional problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app, Parent Positive, was designed specifically to support parents during COVID-19 lockdowns. It provides evidence-based online resources, advice on common parenting challenges, and access to expert support. Published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the Supporting Parents And Kids Through Lockdown Experiences (SPARKLE) trial—a collaboration between King’s College and the University of Oxford—investigatedRead More →

Source: Unsplash Copyright: Annie Spratt URL: https://unsplash.com/photos/kZO9xqmO_TA License: Licensed by JMIR Program allows children’s voices to shine A pilot study shows how after-school care can play an important role in building children’s well-being and social connection. The program involves children in the design process and gives them a voice and role to shape their own experience. Children are learning to build their well-being and meaningful social connections through a unique study that fills a crucial gap in outside school hours care (OSHC) across Australia. OSHC is the fastest-growing childhood education and care sector in Australia. In 2020, the Productivity Commission reported that the OSHC systemRead More →

Newly published research in the journal JMIRx Bio challenges the popular theory linking the Loch Ness Monster to giant eels, revealing statistical evidence against their existence (Toronto, July 24, 2023) In a new study published in JMIRx Bio, one of JMIR Publications’ new overlay journals, scientist Floe Foxon explores whether the Loch Ness Monster, a creature in Scottish folklore, could be a giant eel. Using previous estimates of the monster’s size to predict the probability of encountering a large eel of a similar size, the study found that giant eels could not account for sightings of larger animals in Loch Ness, a freshwater lake inRead More →

Researchers demonstrate how AI can generate seemingly authentic scientific articles, prompting ethical concerns in the scientific community A new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research on May 31, 2023, by Dr Martin Májovský and colleagues has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) language models such as ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) can generate fraudulent scientific articles that appear remarkably authentic. This discovery raises critical concerns about the integrity of scientific research and the trustworthiness of published papers. Researchers from Charles University, Czech Republic, aimed to investigate the capabilities of current AI language models in creating high-quality fraudulent medical articles. The team used theRead More →