ABSTRACT
Digital contact tracing has been claimed as imperative to controlling the spread of COVID19. However, the state-by-state approach in the United States led to divergences in contact tracing. This study analyzed contact-tracing apps as "boundary objects" through which each state worked toward the governance of the pandemic without having a formal consensus. Through media coverage and walkthrough analyses of three digital contacttracing apps in Alabama, California, and New York, we closely investigated both convergences and divergences of the apps. In the process, we located the implications of Google/Apple's Bluetooth-based exposure notification system for digital contact tracing within and beyond state boundaries. Our findings suggest that the development of apps shared the notion of an ideal contact-tracing method-exposure notification-while each state was also situated in their local experiences of the pandemic as reflected in distinct app features. We further discuss the implications of techno-solutionist standardization of such digital contact-tracing apps.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the sound absorption performance depending on surface finishing of the hardwood cross-section. The sound absorption performance of wood cross-sections was evaluated after band saw cutting, sandpaper polishing, and staining. The sound absorption performance was best following the band saw cutting and no other treatment. On the other hand, stain blocked the pores and decreased the sound absorption performance. This study suggests that finishing methods that preserve the integrity of vessels need to be considered when using wood as a sound-absorbing material.
ABSTRACT
Background. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant strain B.1.1.529 (omicron) has been less virulent than SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 variant (delta), but there are limited data on the comparison of the cause of death between delta variant and omicron variant infections. We thus compared the causes of death in COVID-19 patients with the delta variant and omicron variant. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of adult patients with COVID-19 who were admitted at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea, between July 2021 and March 2022. We divided into delta-variant dominant period (from July 2021 to December 2021) and omicron-dominant period (from February 2022 to March 2022) with the exclusion of January 2022 because this period was overlapping of delta and omicron variant. The causes of death were classified into COVID-19-associated pneumonia, other causes, and indeterminate cause. Results. A total of 654 patients with COVID-19 were admitted and 42 (6.4%) died during the omicron dominant period (between February and March 2022), while a total of 366 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 42 (11.5%) died during the delta dominant period (between July and December 2021). The primary cause of death was COVID-19-associated pneumonia in 64% (27/42) during the omicron era whereas that was COVID-19-associated pneumonia in 88% (37/42) during the delta era (p value=0.01) (Table 1). Conclusion. We found that about two thirds of patients with omicron variant infection died due to COVID-19, while the majority of patients with delta variant infection died due to COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
In the untacted era of the recent COVID-19 virus outbreak, the pedagogic value of Capture the Flag (CTF) has grown even more as an effective means for students to learn knowledge about the overall computer system and information security through active participation without facing the teacher. However, in the process of successfully introducing CTF into the classroom, educators may suffer a high burden due to factors such as time and economy in the process of crafting problems and operating CTFs. Accordingly, various studies have been conducted to reduce this burden. On the other hand, in introducing CTF to the classroom, the burden of educators also exists in the aspect of an in-depth evaluation of students’ academic achievement. This means that educators need to evaluate students’ academic abilities in-depth so that educators can provide clear feedback on the factors that caused students to fail. Through this, educators can effectively increase student learning efficiency by helping students correct their own weaknesses. The need for such detailed evaluation can be said to be quite high in the pwnable field, one of the representative fields of CTF. This is because pwnable requires participants to have a comprehensive understanding of overall program analysis, vulnerability, mitigation bypassing techniques, systems, and so on. However, the evaluation manner of the existing CTF is not suitable for an in-depth evaluation of students’ academic ability because they simply measure whether or not they solve problems in a pass and/or non-pass manner. Therefore, we designed a fine-grained evaluation CTF platform that aims to help educators provide precise evaluation and feedback on learners’ failure factors in an attempt by educators to introduce CTF into the classroom to educate pwnable to reduce the burden on educators in properly evaluating student’s Academic achievement. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.