"Hide Your Video, Show Your Action!" Investigating a New Video Conferencing Interface for Virtual Studying

With the advent of COVID-19, new virtual social activities arose. These activities include virtual studying, which is studying while joining a video conference. Virtual studying is different from most virtual activities in that users try to minimize unnecessary interactions while sharing their presence through video streaming. Here, video streaming that runs in the background can cause problems such as invasion of privacy and excessive self-awareness. In this paper, we aim to investigate whether a new video conferencing interface that reduces video explicitness but detects important actions can mitigate the problems of video streaming and still deliver users' presence in virtual studying. To this end, we designed a research prototype in three versions: blurred video version, small video version, and no video version. All versions were provided with an activity recognizer that detects absence, leaning, and using a smartphone. To evaluate the feasibility of the design, we conducted a user study where four virtual studying teams used all three versions of the prototype and participated in an interview. Our study explored the effects of new design strategies for virtual studying, which is a new virtual activity that focuses on sharing presence. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Face skin changes caused by face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the prolonged COVID-19 situation, wearing a face mask has become daily routine and we studied facial skin changes caused by wearing a mask for preparing possibilities on changing skin. We analyzed the skin characteristics that changed for about three months from mid-June to mid-September, and compared to skin changes caused by wearing a mask during the day. Measured areas were divided into two groups. Cheeks, perioral area and chin were mask-wearing area and forehead was non-mask-wearing area. Skin temperature, redness, hydration, keratin, elasticity, pore, color and trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured. Skin changes caused by long-term wearing of mask were shown in TEWL, skin hydration and keratin. Compared to June, TEWL was increased significantly on the cheeks, perioral area and chin. There was significant difference in TEWL increase in the cheeks and perioral area compared to the forehead. Also, skin hydration was significantly decreased on the cheeks. Skin hydration of perioral area was also decrease. There was significant difference in skin hydration decrease in the cheeks compared to the forehead. Compared to June, skin keratin was significantly increased on the cheeks. Skin keratin of perioral area was also increase on the perioral area and chin. There was significant difference in skin keratin increase in the cheeks and chin compared to the forehead. In previous studies, skin characteristics that were quickly affected by wearing a mask were skin temperature and redness. On the other hand, TEWL, skin hydration and keratin were more affected by wearing a mask for a long time so there was difference short-term and long-term effect of mask in changed skin characteristics. In this study, we identified the effect of long-term wearing a mask on the face skin. This result is meaningful in that we studied the effect of wearing a mask in daily life for ordinary people, not those who wear mask in the occupational environment.

Effective contact tracing strategies for COVID-19: A municipal health department's model

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing program as part of a larger epidemiological case investigation was effectively implemented by the local department of health in Paterson, NJ. The Paterson Communicable Disease Strike Team (PCDST) was established by leveraging skills and using existing public health staff of the health department team which led to a timely and robust public health intervention. Methods: PCDST comprised of 25 communicable disease investigators/contact tracers established in preparation for public health response in the event of large-scale communicable disease outbreaks pre-COVID. In March 2020 with initial COVID-19 cases in Paterson, PCDST was activated utilizing NJ DOH's Communicable Disease Reporting and Surveillance System (CDRSS). Additional staff members were cross-trained to augment team as new cases surged. A triage coordinator would identify and assign new cases to disease investigators at a 24/7 schedule. Disease Investigators would provide test results, perform epidemiological case interviews, elicit close contacts, and provide isolation/quarantine recommendations. Case-contact monitors followed up daily basis until completion of isolation/quarantine period. Results: As of June 15, 2020, 6537 cases tested COVID-19 (+) in Paterson, NJ. 91% of cases and their contacts were interviewed. Peak occurred in mid-April with 263 cases on a single day. By mid-June, daily number of cases declined to 7/day. Reported COVID-19 mortality rate in Paterson (4.65%), compared to surrounding towns in the same county of Passaic (6%), other large cities in New Jersey (Newark 8%, Jersey City 7.4%) and New Jersey state (7.59%). Conclusion: Despite limited resources, we were able to cross train and engage our frontline public health team (PCDST) to investigate and effectively contact trace new COVID-19 cases to help contain spread of infection. Although its unclear if our intervention impacted mortality rates, it is certain that contact tracing using a trained public health workforce is a model that has proven successful in Paterson. A local public health workforce vested in their communities can develop rapport needed to build trust and confidence in an intervention that elicits confidential medical information to limit viral transmission.

Not too much, nor too less: Investigating which information should be shared for awareness between remote workers

Many companies are focusing on remote working since the Covid-19 pandemic. One difference between remote working environment and face-to-face setting is the absence of natural awareness, which promotes social interaction and helps coordination of work flow. To maintain the benefits of awareness in a remote working environment, it is important to first understand which information remote workers disclose and need for awareness. In this paper, we aim to investigate which information is disclosed and needed, and provide insights to mitigate the difference between the two. We conducted a case study with an actual workgroup of a university laboratory for a week. They disclosed and accessed each other's status information while working remotely. Then, a semi-structured interview asked why certain information was disclosed or accessed. Our results provide understanding over information sharing between remote workers for awareness in a post-pandemic world. © 2020 Owner/Author.