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This book chapter provides an overview of Temi, an autonomous, video-oriented personal assistant robot which was deployed within the Centre for Independent Language Learning (CILL) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The artificial intelligence robot was chosen principally because of its role as a Robot as a Service (RaaS). Such a service can deliver greater self-improvement and better learning strategies (e.g. Cohen, A. D. (2014). Strategies in learning and using a second language (2nd ed.). Routledge., Dörnyei et. al., 2015, Wenden, Learner strategies for learner autonomy, Prentice Hall, 1991, Yang, Frontiers in Psychology 12:600, 218–600, 218, 2021) as well as foster beneficial attitudes and skills towards the users' long-term language learning success. Through its cloud-based system, Temi offers users access to dynamic interactions and enhanced CILL services, during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a whole, it appears that the introduction of Temi has proven to be an effective strategy to augment learners' autonomy. It further allows administrators to rethink how CILL services are conducted during human resource shortages. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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Background & Aim: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we performed HPC-A cryopreservation process validation using the CryoStor CS10 freeze media to replace the current 10% DMSO cryoprotectant (Control), which encountered severe backorder. Methods, Results & Conclusion(s): This process validation included phase I, phase II, and follow-up studies. Ten HPC-A collection cell product samples were cryopreserved in the phase I study using CS10 and Control (1:1) post-plasma depletion. Post-thaw viability tests using the 7-AAD method were performed on the cryopreserved samples for parallel comparison. In phase II, each of three patient HPC-A cell products was split evenly into CS10 and Control cryopreservation. The CS10 cryopreserved HPC-A cell products only were used for infusion. The recipients' engraftment outcomes of white blood cells (WBC), granulocytes (ANC), and platelets (Plts) were monitored. Post-thaw viability test was performed on the quality control samples from both groups. In the follow-up study, engraftment outcomes of WBC, ANC, and Plts were evaluated from ten recipients who received the CS10 cryopreserved HPC-A. In the phase I study, the post-thaw viability of the CS10 group was significantly higher than the Control group (p=0.002). All post-thaw viability results were above 60%, the current lab release criteria. In the phase II study, all cryopreserved cell products met cell product release criteria (> 60%). All engraftment results were within our center-established ranges except for the Pt b's platelet engraftment. Three recipients had not had any cell product infusion-related adverse events post infusion. Both CD34 and CD45 post-thaw viability results in the CS10 group were remarkably higher than the Control group, except for the patient c's CD34 viability. In the follow-up study, the total infused cell product volume ranged from 60 ml to 118 ml, and the WBC concentration in the cryopreserved cell products ranged from 134 to 440 (x10
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Instructional methods have an impact on the learning process and the quality of educational services aimed at accomplishing learning objectives. The purpose of this paper is to examine the most preferred instructional methods during emergency online teaching used by instructors. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 36 full-time and part-time faculty members belonging to an accredited Hispanic business school. The results showed that faculty used many different instructional methods during synchronous and asynchronous sessions. Similarly, there is a relationship between the professors' academic areas and the instructional methods used. Based on these results, this study proposes a reference model of instructional methods for higher education based on professors' experiences during emergency online teaching that includes five categories: group methods, active methods to contribute to the development of competencies, methods to ascertain prior knowledge, methods that promote understanding through the organization of information and methods that use digital tools. The originality of the study lies in the fact that it analyzes the migration experience from in-person to online teaching at an accredited Hispanic business institution. © 2023 by the authors.
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BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are commonly prescribed for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) among older adults in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), and this contributes to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The objective of this study was to determine the antibiotic prescribing rate for RTIs among LTCF residents, and to analyse the antibiotic consumption patterns with the AwaRe monitoring tool, developed by the World Health Organization. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL were searched from inception to March 2022. Original articles reporting antibiotic use for RTIs in LTCFs were included in this review. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Data. A random-effects meta-analysis was employed to calculate the pooled estimates. Subgroup analysis was conducted by type of RTI, country, and study start year. RESULTS: In total, 47 articles consisting of 50 studies were included. The antibiotic prescribing rate ranged from 21.5% to 100% (pooled estimate 69.8%, 95% confidence interval 55.2-82.6%). The antibiotic prescribing rate for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) was higher than the rates for viral and general RTIs. Compared with Italy, France and the USA, the Netherlands had lower antibiotic use for LRTIs. A proportion of viral RTIs were treated with antibiotics, and all the antibiotics were from the Watch group. Use of antibiotics in the Access group was higher in the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Slovenia compared with the USA and Australia. CONCLUSION: The antibiotic prescribing rate for RTIs in LTCFs was high, and AWaRe antibiotic use patterns varied by type of RTI and country. Improving antibiotic use may require coordination efforts.
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Purpose: Because of the COVID-19, the digital transformation of global hospitality and tourism speeds up. This paper aims to provide comprehensive frame of the digital transformation for further hospitality and tourism research. Design/methodology/approach: Through conducting a critical review of the impact of COVID-19, the current situation about the application of digital technology and digital transformation in hospitality and travel, this study used a qualitative approach to present the viewpoints. Findings: This research presents a theoretical research framework for the hospitality and tourism about digital transformation, including possible directions, contexts and methods. It highlights the importance of digital transformation, and further proposing specific research topics. Research limitations/implications: This research brings valuable implications and guidance for future research from the aspects of key research streams, research context and methodological approaches in hospitality and tourism about digital transformation. Originality/value: This paper supplies existing critical reviewed research through paying attention to the digital transformation approach in hospitality and tourism, providing research guidance technically to the industry of hotels and travel. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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Purpose: Because of the COVID-19, the digital transformation of global hospitality and tourism speeds up. This paper aims to provide comprehensive frame of the digital transformation for further hospitality and tourism research. Design/methodology/approach: Through conducting a critical review of the impact of COVID-19, the current situation about the application of digital technology and digital transformation in hospitality and travel, this study used a qualitative approach to present the viewpoints. Findings: This research presents a theoretical research framework for the hospitality and tourism about digital transformation, including possible directions, contexts and methods. It highlights the importance of digital transformation, and further proposing specific research topics. Research limitations/implications: This research brings valuable implications and guidance for future research from the aspects of key research streams, research context and methodological approaches in hospitality and tourism about digital transformation. Originality/value: This paper supplies existing critical reviewed research through paying attention to the digital transformation approach in hospitality and tourism, providing research guidance technically to the industry of hotels and travel. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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The economic and environmental challenges associated with Last Mile Delivery (LMD) give rise to the self-collection concept, yet the practical adoption is often below expectations. In this consumer-centric segment, adequate understandings of consumers are vital but are often lacking. To address this gap, this study examines consumers' LMD preference with the Integrated Choice and Latent Variable framework. A stated choice experiment was commissioned in Singapore during the transition of COVID pandemic toward endemic. Our results showed that consumers accept unattended delivery methods and are no longer concerned with the delivery time window, a traditionally critical delivery attribute. Regarding latent perceptions, this study confirmed the significant effects of value perception on self-collection preferences. Nonetheless, individuals' environmental consciousness was found to be insignificant. The relative effects of specific value statements were quantified using the marginal rate of substitution and the mediation roles of value perception on the sociodemographic-preferences relationships were validated.
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Since the last century, animal viruses have posed great threats to the health of humans and the farming industry. Therefore, virus control is of great urgency, and regular, timely, and accurate detection is essential to it. Here, we designed a rapid on-site visual data-sharing detection method for the Newcastle disease virus with smartphone recognition-based immune microparticles. The detection method we developed includes three major modules: preparation of virus detection vectors, sample detection, and smartphone image analysis with data upload. First, the hydrogel microparticles containing active carboxyl were manufactured, which coated nucleocapsid protein of NDV. Then, HRP enzyme-labeled anti-NP nanobody was used to compete with the NDV antibody in the serum for color reaction. Then the rough detection results were visible to the human eyes according to the different shades of color of the hydrogel microparticles. Next, the smartphone application was used to analyze the image to determine the accurate detection results according to the gray value of the hydrogel microparticles. Meanwhile, the result was automatically uploaded to the homemade cloud system. The total detection time was less than 50 min, even without trained personnel, which is shorter than conventional detection methods. According to experimental results, this detection method has high sensitivity and accuracy. And especially, it uploads the detection information via a cloud platform to realize data sharing, which plays an early warning function. We anticipate that this rapid on-site visual data-sharing detection method can promote the development of virus selfchecking at home.
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Accurate identification of parameters is critical to the epidemiological utility of the results obtained from the COVID-19 transmission model. In order to optimize the model parameters, we propose an adaptive Cauchy quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm. We introduce a piecewise Cauchy mutation operator and the mutation probability is adjusted adaptively according to the fitness to enhance the global search ability of QPSO. The experimental results show that the improved QPSO algorithm has higher accuracy than original QPSO and PSO algorithms. © 2022 SPIE.
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The spread of drug-resistance bacteria is a serious issue of environment. Tools allowing to image single-cell genes can provide key information about the spatial pattern and heterogeneity of cell population. Herein, we explored the possibility of in situ activation of collateral trans-cleavage activity of CRISPR/Cas12a inside cells, to achieve a direct detection of single-cell non-repetitive genes. CRISPR/Cas12a allows to recognize target genes without the need for denaturation or digestion process. Particularly, the target gene-activated trans-cleavage by CRISPR/ Cas12a inside cells outputs an amplified signal for the gene recognition, allowing to visualize non-repetitive genes. The signal-to-background ratio for imaging drug-resistance gene, oqxB in the Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) was further improved by combining multiple binding of Cas12a, enabled imaging of drug-resistance S. Typhimurium isolated from poultry farm and in the intestinal tract sec-tions. Single-cell investigation of S. Typhimurium under salt stress indicated that drug-sensitive strain owned a survival advantage over drug-resistance strain at high-content salt environment. This gene imaging methods holds potential for detecting the spread of drug resistance in the environment and serves as a means to inves-tigate the relationship between genotype and phenotype at single-cell level.
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Purpose This study investigated whether there are differences in the effects of green traditional media communication (GTMC) and green social media communication on consumers' intention to cocreate green value (ICGV) in post-COVID-19 China. The authors further tested the chain mediating role of cocreation efficacy and cocreation outcome expectation and the moderating role of perceived CSR image. Design/methodology/approach Using a survey, we collected a dataset of 683 consumers through stratified random sampling in main shopping malls in four Chinese cities. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the conceptual framework and hypotheses, and bootstrapping was used to estimate the mediated standardized regression coefficients. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the moderating effect. Findings GTMC, firm-created content (FCC), and user-generated content (UGC) all had positive effects on ICGV. Cocreation efficacy and cocreation outcome expectation had a chain mediation effect in GTMC and ICGV, UGC, and ICGV. Perceived CSR image positively moderated the effects of both GTMC and FCC on ICGV. However, perceived CSR image did not significantly moderate the relationship between UGC and ICGV. Originality/value This study contributes to our understanding of the effect of green media communication on consumers' ICGV in post-COVID-19 China. It also develops the concepts of cocreation efficacy and cocreation outcome expectation. Moreover, analyzing the chain mediating role of cocreation efficacy and cocreation outcome expectation in green media communication and ICGV extends social cognitive theory to the context of green value cocreation. Finally, examining the moderating role of perceived CSR image provides a basis for understanding the boundary conditions of green media communication's effect on ICGV.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in school closures all across the world, and lots of students have shifted from conventional classrooms to online learning. With the help of ICT technologies nowadays, learning online can be more effective in a number of ways. However, most of the online learning environments without instructors' attention may result in different learning patterns compared to the traditional face-to-face classroom. In this paper, we aimed at detecting the slide reading behaviors of the students by analyzing operational event logs from a digital textbook reader for a lecture offered in our university. We compared reading patterns between traditional face-to-face lectures and hybrid online lectures, our results show that online lectures lead to more off-task behaviors. Our analysis provides a rich understanding of e-book reading and informs design implications for online learning during the pandemic. The findings can also be used to improve the instruction designs and learning strategies. © 2021 Virtual Simulation Innovation Workshop, SIW 2021. All rights reserved.
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Purpose The COVID-19 outbreak has been rapidly spreading around the world for more than a year. However, few studies have explored the connection between the perceived severity of COVID-19 and purchase intention of the health-related products, for example, organic food. Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, this study examines the influencing mechanism of perceived severity of COVID-19 on purchase intention of organic food. Design/methodology/approach To evaluate the proposed model, an online survey was utilized to collect 1,104 valid questionnaires from China. Findings The findings suggest that (1) the perceived severity of COVID-19 has a significant positive impact on purchasing intention;(2) health consciousness acts as a mediating role between perceived severity of COVID-19 and purchasing intention and (3) perceived inconvenience negatively moderates the connection between perceived severity and purchase intention. Originality/value The findings of this paper provide new insights into the positive effects of COVID-19 and pave the way for governments and enterprises to promote the purchase behaviour of organic food.
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It is foreseeable the popularity of the mobile edge computing enabled infrastructure for wireless networks in the incoming fifth generation (5G) and future sixth generation (6G) wireless networks. Especially after a 'hard' disaster such as earthquakes or a 'soft' disaster such as COVID-19 pandemic, the existing telecommunication infrastructure, including wired and wireless networks, is often seriously compromised or with infectious disease risks and should-not-close-contact, thus cannot guarantee regular coverage and reliable communications services. These temporarily-missing communications capabilities are crucial to rescuers, health-carers, or affected or infected citizens as the responders need to effectively coordinate and communicate to minimize the loss of lives and property, where the 5G/6G mobile edge network helps. On the other hand, the federated machine learning (FML) methods have been newly developed to address the privacy leakage problems of the traditional machine learning held normally by one centralized organization, associated with the high risks of a single point of hacking. After detailing current state-of-The-Art both in privacy-preserving, federated learning, and mobile edge communications networks for 'hard' and 'soft' disasters, we consider the main challenges that need to be faced. We envision a privacy-preserving federated learning enabled buses-And-drones based mobile edge infrastructure (ppFL-AidLife) for disaster or pandemic emergency communications. The ppFL-AidLife system aims at a rapidly deployable resilient network capable of supporting flexible, privacy-preserving and low-latency communications to serve large-scale disaster situations by utilizing the existing public transport networks, associated with drones to maximally extend their radio coverage to those hard-To-reach disasters or should-not-close-contact pandemic zones. © 2020 IEEE.
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Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia and a preliminary study to explore the relationship between different clinical classification and liver damage. Methods: Consecutively confirmed novel coronavirus infection cases admitted to seven designated hospitals during January 23, 2020 to February 8, 2020 were included. Clinical classification (mild, moderate, severe, and critical) was carried out according to the diagnosis and treatment program of novel coronavirus pneumonia (Trial Fifth Edition) issued by the National Health Commission. The research data were analyzed using SPSS19.0 statistical software. Quantitative data were expressed as median (interquartile range), and qualitative data were expressed as frequency and rate. Results: 32 confirmed cases that met the inclusion criteria were included. 28 cases were of mild or moderate type (87.50%), and four cases (12.50%) of severe or critical type. Four cases (12.5%) were combined with one underlying disease (bronchial asthma, coronary heart disease, malignant tumor, chronic kidney disease), and one case (3.13%) was simultaneously combined with high blood pressure and malignant tumor. The results of laboratory examination showed that the alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin (ALB), and total bilirubin (TBil) for entire cohort were 26.98 (16.88 ~ 46.09) U/L and 24.75 (18.71 ~ 31.79) U/L, 39.00 (36.20 ~ 44.20) g/L and 16.40 (11.34 ~ 21.15) µmol/L, respectively. ALT, AST, ALB and TBil of the mild or moderate subgroups were 22.75 (16.31 ~ 37.25) U/L, 23.63 (18.71 ~ 26.50) U/L, 39.70 (36.50 ~ 46.10) g/L, and 15.95 (11.34 ~ 20.83) µmol/L, respectively. ALT, AST, ALB and TBil of the severe or critical subgroups were 60.25 (40.88 ~ 68.90) U/L, 37.00 (20.88 ~ 64.45) U/L, 35.75 (28.68 ~ 42.00) g/L, and 20.50 (11.28 ~ 25.00) µmol/L, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this multicenter retrospective study suggests that novel coronavirus pneumonia combined with liver damage is more likely to be caused by adverse drug reactions and systemic inflammation in severe patients receiving medical treatment. Therefore, liver function monitoring and evaluation should be strengthened during the treatment of such patients.
Subject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral , Alanine Transaminase , Aspartate Aminotransferases , COVID-19 , Humans , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is an important risk of infection in health care workers, including oral health care workers (OHCWs), due to the characteristics of dental practice. In this retrospective study, data pertaining to the 31 OHCWs diagnosed with COVID-19 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, were retrieved and analyzed. Questionnaires were administered to the subjects over the Internet and telephone. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics and information on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) were collected. There were 22 females and 9 males, with a median age of 39 y. Although the severity of most cases of COVID-19 (93.5%) was mild or moderate, 1 case was severe, and another case was critical, resulting in death. Fever was the main first symptom of COVID-19, followed by fatigue and myalgia. Most of the OHCWs routinely used PPE such as medical masks, gloves, caps, and work clothes while performing clinical work. N95 or KN95 masks were rarely available because of the scarcity of PPE during the outbreak. Nineteen OHCWs reported a contact history, among whom 7 worked in a fever clinic, 5 reported contact with dental patients suspected of having COVID-19, and 7 reported contact with family members with COVID-19-related symptoms at least 1 d earlier. Our findings indicated that there were few clusters of COVID-19 in dental settings. Since the outbreak, the Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, has provided emergency dental treatment, and none of their staff were infected while providing dental service, which indicates that comprehensive measures such as the use of advanced PPE and environmental disinfection can prevent cross-infection in dental practice. The analysis of the procedures followed during the emergency treatments indicated that OHCWs preferred to recommend conservative treatment to patients, suggesting that attention should be paid to the psychological impact of COVID-19 on dental practitioners.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Dental Staff , Dentists , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Adult , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , Young AdultABSTRACT
Background: The potential human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus pneumonia (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) has caused an outbreak of acute respiratory illness. Xuebijing injection is recommended as first-line treatment for the severe and critical patients with COVID-19. The aim of present study is to interpret the pharmacological mechanisms and molecular connections of Xuebijing injection against COVID-19 by utilizing the approaches of network pharmacology and molecular docking. Materials and Methods: Active ingredients of Xuebijing injection were collected by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database, and putative therapeutic targets were screened from TCMSP, SwissTargetPrediction, and STITCH databases. Moreover, the protein-protein interactions, topological analysis, and pathway enrichment were established to distinguish the hub targets and pathways by employing STRING database, Cytoscape software, DAVID database, respectively. In addition, the potential interaction and binding activity of candidate ingredients in Xuebijing injection with core targets were revealed by molecular docking simulation (AutoDock software). Results: A total of 115 bioactive components in Xuebijing injection were collected, and416 targets including AKT1, TP53, VEGFA, ALB, TNF and so on were responsible for treating COVID-19. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that matching core targets were closely associated with the inhibition of cytokine storm for its clinical beneficial effects in severe cases. The results of enrichment analysis indicated that PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 infection, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, tuberculosis, focal adhesion, TNF signaling pathway, and small-cell lung cancer were represented pathways of Xuebijing injection against COVID-19 in terms of lung inflammation, virus infection, and lung injury. Meanwhile, the active ingredients of Xuebijing injection exerted superior binding activities with 3CLpro and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 as observed via molecular docking simulation. Conclusions: Through the comprehensive analysis of network pharmacology, the current research preliminarily elaborated the molecular regulation of therapeutic mechanisms for Xuebijing injection against COVID-19 and binding activity between active components and core targets, which provided scientific evidence to facilitate the development of Xuebijing injection and clinical treatment for COVID-19.