ABSTRACT
Background: Telemedicine has been used for cystic fibrosis (CF) in a wide range of signs and symptoms even before the COVID 19 pandemic, however, little is known about the health consequences and use of specific health care for cystic CF. This study aimed to evaluate the evolution of clinical trends and data related to mobile based monitoring activities in CF patients at home for 3 years. Methods: This is a semi experimental single group study. Forty five CF patients under 7 years' old who were referred to the Masih Daneshvari Hospital between 2018 and 2021 were selected. A mobile phone_based customized Short Message Service (SMS) application used to monitor patients. Remotely monitored variables included the amount and color of sputum, cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath at rest. SPSS using Chi square and Friedman tests. Results: The condition of patients based on the number and type of cough increased sputum, decreased appetite, fatty stool, fever and dyspnea, headache, noninvasive ventilation, and drug comfortably remained almost unchanged in the study of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years, and the studied parameters did not show a significant difference (P > 0.05). Of course, the number of outpatient visits decreased significantly (P value: 0.02). The respiratory rate and arterial oxygen saturation variables were almost the same in three consecutive annual measurements (P values: 0.544 and 0.639, respectively). Conclusion: Telemedicine is a method that is useful in the follow up of chronic diseases such as CF and improves the quality of life and reduces the deterioration of lung function;therefore, there is less need for invasive treatments in the long run, and a fundamental change in referral motivation brings to the hospital. © 2022 Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Mental health conditions pose a major challenge for individuals, healthcare systems and society-and the COVID-19 pandemic has likely worsened this issue. According to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, one in five people will develop a serious mood disorder, including depression, at some time in their life. Co-designed solutions to increase resilience and well-being in young people have specifically been recognised as part of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and the New Zealand Health Strategy. Virtual Reality (VR) in mental health is an innovative field. Recent studies support the use of VR technology in the treatment of anxiety, phobia, and pain management. However, there is little research on using VR for supporting, treating and preventing depression. There is also very little work done in offering an individualised VR experience to improve mental health. In our earlier work, we presented iVR, a novel individualised VR experience for enhancing peoples' self-compassion, and in the long run, their mental health, and described its design and architecture. In this paper, we outline the results of a feasibility study conducted recently. Most participants believed introducing elements of choice within iVR enhanced their user experience and that iVR had the potential to enhance people's self-compassion. We also approached seven mental health professionals for feedback, who felt that introducing elements of choice within iVR would increase their knowledge of clients. Our contribution can pave the way for large-scale efficacy testing, clinical use, and cost-effective delivery of intelligent individualised VR technology for mental health therapy in future. © 2021 ACM.
ABSTRACT
Augmented reality has seen massive success in recent years as it provides an opportunity for a seamless and rich user interaction with the real world. Recent studies have shown augmented and virtual reality can play a significant role in the future of retail. Innovations can help customers make good choices and can improve their confidence and satisfaction in their purchasing decisions. It also reduces the physical interaction between customers and store especially during lockdowns (i.e. during pandemics such as COVID-19). This paper presents ARiel, an augmented reality application for mobile commerce (m-commerce), enabling customers to turn catalogued items into 3D animated models. It was developed using Google's ARCore platform. Customers can try on products such as jewellery or watches using their mobile phones without being physically present in the retail shop. Data about their purchasing decisions are logged in a database. We describe the process of designing and implementing ARiel and the outcome of an evaluation using Nielsen's ten usability heuristics. We also outline our plan for future work. © ICCE 2020 - 28th International Conference on Computers in Education, Proceedings. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Well-planned online delivery of content can be a challenging experience and is of significant importance, especially these days due to COVID-19 pandemic. Online delivery of computer security subjects in a pure distance learning environment is no exception. The modules should have high quality and be designed in an engaging, interactive and fun way for students, who happen to have different motivation levels and educational backgrounds. The quality of education for distance learning degrees varies significantly, so does the experience of the teaching staff. There have been few studies focusing on the teaching practices of online degrees especially those with a computer security major. This work presents a comprehensive reflective paper that demonstrates the evolution of a world-class distance learning degree at the University of Liverpool (UoL) in the UK over the last ten years. We report on the teaching practices adopted in cybersecurity-related modules/courses as well as the experience of the first author (who is a subject matter expert for cybersecurity-related modules) in teaching those modules. The paper describes the structure of the modules and how online teaching/learning is taking place along with the assessment types. Besides, we discuss both positive and negative observations and the lessons learnt. We believe our work can pave the way for successful and well-planned online delivery of cybersecurity modules in future. © ICCE 2020 - 28th International Conference on Computers in Education, Proceedings. All rights reserved.