Mixup-Inf-Net: A data augmentation algorithm for segmentation of new coronary pneumonia infections

In 2020, the global spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 exposed entire world to a severe health crisis. This has limited fast and accurate screening of suspected cases due to equipment shortages and and harsh testing environments. The current diagnosis of suspected cases has benefited greatly from the use of radiographic brain imaging, also including X-ray and scintigraphy, as a crucial addition to screening tests for new coronary pneumonia disease. However, it is impractical to gather enormous volumes of data quickly, which makes it difficult for depth models to be trained. To solve these problems, we obtained a new dataset by data augmentation Mixup method for the used chest CT slices. It uses lung infection segmentation (Inf-Net [1]) in a deep network and adds a learning framework with semi-supervised to form a Mixup-Inf-Net semi-supervised learning framework model to identify COVID-19 infection area from chest CT slices. The system depends primarily on unlabeled data and merely a minimal amount of annotated data is required;therefore, the unlabeled data generated by Mixup provides good assistance. Our framework can be used to improve improve learning and performance. The SemiSeg dataset and the actual 3D CT images that we produced are used in a variety of tests, and the analysis shows that Mixup-Inf-Net semi-supervised outperforms most SOTA segmentation models learning framework model in this study, which also enhances segmentation performance. © 2023 SPIE.

Design and Coverage Path Planning of a Disinfection Robot

Eliminating pathogen exposure is an important approach to control outbreaks of epidemics such as COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). To deal with pathogenic environments, using disinfection robots is a practicable choice. This research formulates a 3D (three-dimensional) spatial disinfection strategy for a disinfection robot. First, a disinfection robot is designed with an extensible control framework for the integration of additional functions. The robot has eight degrees of freedom that can handle disinfection tasks in complex 3D environments where normal disinfection robots lack the capability to ensure complete disinfection. An ingenious clamping mechanism is designed to increase flexibility and adaptability. Secondly, a new coverage path planning algorithm targeted at the spraying area is used. This algorithm aims to achieve an optimal path via the rotating calipers algorithm after transformation between a 2D (two-dimensional) array and 3D space. Finally, the performance of the designed robot is tested through a series of simulations and experiments in various spaces that humans usually live in. The results demonstrate that the robot can effectively perform disinfection tasks both in computer simulation and in reality.

A Hybrid Brain Storm Optimization Algorithm to Solve the Emergency Relief Routing Model

Due to the inappropriate or untimely distribution of post-disaster goods, many regions did not receive timely and efficient relief for infected people in the coronavirus disease outbreak that began in 2019. This study develops a model for the emergency relief routing problem (ERRP) to distribute post-disaster relief more reasonably. Unlike general route optimizations, patients' suffering is taken into account in the model, allowing patients in more urgent situations to receive relief operations first. A new metaheuristic algorithm, the hybrid brain storm optimization (HBSO) algorithm, is proposed to deal with the model. The hybrid algorithm adds the ideas of the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm and large neighborhood search (LNS) algorithm into the BSO algorithm, improving its ability to escape from the local optimum trap and speeding up the convergence. In simulation experiments, the BSO algorithm, BSO+LNS algorithm (combining the BSO with the LNS), and HBSO algorithm (combining the BSO with the LNS and SA) are compared. The results of simulation experiments show the following: (1) The HBSO algorithm outperforms its rivals, obtaining a smaller total cost and providing a more stable ability to discover the best solution for the ERRP;(2) the ERRP model can greatly reduce the level of patient suffering and can prioritize patients in more urgent situations.

Platform Behavior under Market Shocks: A Simulation Framework and Reinforcement-Learning Based Study

We study the behavior of an economic platform (e.g., Amazon, Uber Eats, Instacart) under shocks, such as COVID-19 lockdowns, and the effect of different regulation considerations. To this end, we develop a multi-agent simulation environment of a platform economy in a multi-period setting where shocks may occur and disrupt the economy. Buyers and sellers are heterogeneous and modeled as economically-motivated agents, choosing whether or not to pay fees to access the platform. We use deep reinforcement learning to model the fee-setting and matching behavior of the platform, and consider two major types of regulation frameworks: (1) taxation policies and (2) platform fee restrictions. We offer a number of simulated experiments that cover different market settings and shed light on regulatory tradeoffs. Our results show that while many interventions are ineffective with a sophisticated platform actor, we identify a particular kind of regulation - fixing fees to the optimal, no-shock fees while still allowing a platform to choose how to match buyers and sellers - as holding promise for promoting the efficiency and resilience of the economic system. © 2023 ACM.

Conclusion

This concluding chapter highlights the efforts put into reducing tax crimes. It starts with the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on budget deficits and optimisation of tax collection and reducing the tax gap. The Anti-Money Laundering (AML) framework and anti-tax fraud framework in the EU laid the foundation for future legislation and policy to counter tax crimes across Europe. Case studies, focus groups, and workshops found that interagency and international cooperation in fighting tax crimes fronted significant constraints, such as data exchange, joint investigations, collaborative asset confiscations, and sanctions. The chapter then discusses the findings from the PROTAX project to expound its point on legal regimes being made across Europe. It suggests that developing a holistic tax enforcement eco-system is needed instead of just tinkering with legal provisions. © U Turksen, D Vozza, R Kreissl, and F Rasmouki 2023.

A Case Study on the Development of Digital Competences of Teachers at the University of Ljubljana

The renewed 2017 EU Higher Education Agenda expresses the intention to "develop and implement a digital readiness model" to assist higher education institutions, their staff, and students in implementing digital learning strategies and maximising the potential of cutting‐edge technologies such as learning analytics. The anticipated digital transformation will only be successful if higher education institutions and teachers strengthen their digital competences and skills and "become" digitally competent. Many of the incentives for these processes were prompted by the unexpected Covid‐19 crisis, which highlighted the importance of higher education teachers' digital skills in the need to digitise the higher education environment. The Covid‐19 crisis experience and the accelerating development of digitalisation are changing both the conditions for education and education itself, which is why higher education teachers face the challenging task of lifelong development of digital competences. To complete this task, they must learn about information and communication technology (ICT)/digital technologies and how they can be integrated into the pedagogical process. The challenge for higher education teachers is to develop ICT‐based teaching. This is not about how higher education teachers (and students) master ICT, but about how to make ICT one of the tools for carrying out pedagogical activities in general. The article addresses the development of digital competences among higher education teachers as a critical issue in the renovation of higher education didactics. To that end, various digital competence models and concepts are presented. Among other things, the European Digital Competence Framework for Teachers is highlighted. The case study of activities aimed at developing digital competences of higher education teachers at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and thus higher education teachers working in the field of education for public administration. Based on the analysis of activities, we discover an increased interest in the development of digital competences, which is reflected in various forms of institutional (university) support for educators (e.g. training), as well as an increased interest in the development of digital competences among higher education teachers. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of NISPAcee Journal of Public Administration & Policy is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The Relationship between Marine Sports Tourist Destinations, Social Responsibility, and Environmentally Responsible Behavior

This study investigated the structural relationship between tourist destination identification and environmental responsibility practices based on the social responsibility activities for visitors of marine sports tourist destinations where domestic travel has been active since COVID-19. Furthermore, we aimed to provide academic and practical implications by investigating the relationship between DSR, a major variable in sustainable marine sports tourism, and ERB. Data from a survey of tourists who participated in marine sports (n = 392) were analyzed using structural equation modeling and Hayes PROCESS macro with bootstrapping procedures. According to the analysis results, it was found that marine sports tourist DSR positively affected destination identification and ERB, and that tourist destination identification positively influenced ERB. Second, it was shown that the effect of the social responsibility of a marine sports tourist destination on ERB is mediated via the influence of tourist destination identification.

Stacking Classifier-based Automated Insurance Fraud Detection System

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the insurance industry's digital shift quickened, resulting in a surge in insurance fraud. To combat insurance fraud, a system that securely manages and monitors insurance processes must be built by combining a machine learning classification framework with a web application. Examining and identifying fraudulent features is a frequent method of detecting fraud, but it takes a long time and can result in false results. One of these issues is addressed by the proposed solution. By digitalizing the paper-based workflow in insurance firms, this paper intends to improve the efficiency of the existing approach. This method also aimed to improve the present approach's data management by integrating a web application with a machine learning stacking classifier framework experimented on a linear regression-based iterative imputed data for detecting fraud claims and making the entire claim processing and documentation process more robust and agile. © 2022 IEEE.

Epidemics, pandemics and dentistry: a commentary

There is no doubt that epidemics and pandemics have transformed dentistry beyond recognition. In this commentary we recapitulate the possible reasons for the emergence of major global epidemics and pandemics, how and why they emerge, and the successful attempts of the dental profession to mitigate infectious transmission in the clinic, which in turn has metamorphosed our profession today. We also peer into the future of dentistry through the prism of the new conceptual approach of 'one world, one health' recently declared by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Finally, we discuss five realms of dentistry that have been irretrievably impacted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, viz vaccines, point of care diagnostics, teledentistry, reinforced infection control, and dental pedagogy. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Vaccines and vaccinations have become integral to societal wellbeing and the prevention of global pandemics.

Smart-thing design by children at a distance: How to engage them and make them learn

In recent years, research in Child-Computer Interaction has shifted the focus from design with children, giving them a voice in the design process, to design by children to bring child participants different benefits, such as engagement and learning. However, design workshops, encompassing different stages, are challenging in terms of engagement and learning, e.g., they require prolonged commitment and concentration. They are potentially more challenging when held at a distance, as in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper explores at-a-distance smart-thing design by children, how it can engage different children and support their learning in programming. The paper reports a series of design workshops with 20 children, aged from 8 to 16 years old, all held at a distance. They were all organised with the DigiSNaP design framework and toolkit. The first workshop enabled children to explore what smart things are, to start ideating their own smart things and to scaffold their programming. The other workshops enabled children to evolve their own smart-thing ideas and programs. Data were gathered in relation to children's engagement and learning from different sources. Results are promising for future editions of smart-thing design at a distance or in a hybrid modality. They are discussed along with guidelines for smart-thing design by children at a distance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Teaching without PANTS! (Pandemic Accelerated, Novel Technology Symptoms): How affordable learning solutions enabled rapid response instruction

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting closures of in-person interactions required colleges and universities on a worldwide scale to rapidly establish alternative modalities of instructional delivery. Educators quickly converted courses to a digital format, and their efforts were often met with PANTS (i.e., Pandemic Accelerated, Novel Technology Symptoms). As faculty and students are burdened with PANTS, students' learning experiences may be compromised with the addition of home, health, financial, and technological stressors. Data assessing concerns pertaining to the "virtual university" transition were collected from 1,038 students at one public university in southern California. Findings indicate that students are predominantly concerned with experiencing a disconnection with their instructors, disengagement with the course material, and an increase in workload due to the online transition. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model (Bronfenbrenner U, Morris PA, The bioecological model of human development. In Damon W, Lerner RM (eds) Handbook of child psychology, 6th edn. Volume one: theoretical models of human development. Wiley, pp 793-823, 2006) and Koehler and Mishra's (2009) TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) Framework, this chapter proposes strategies instructors can utilize, such as the implementation of open educational resources (OER) to reduce the strains associated with PANTS. Faculty are encouraged to "teach without PANTS," which requires recognizing the unique learning needs of a diverse body of students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Verification and validation of a framework for collaborative BIM implementation, measurement and management (CIMM)

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to develop through a two-stage verification and validation process a novel implementation framework for collaborative BIM, utilising experts from academia and industry as well as a real-world case study project.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this research was to build upon previous research findings by the authors in order to develop an implementation framework that stems from ousting the inefficiencies of current collaborative BIM practices. This is achieved by a more objectified and quantified approach towards seeking heightened transparency and objectivism of what is required through the implementation of BIM. The mixed research methods technique of both qualitative and quantitative data collection was utilised, with the structure consisting of a two-stage approach utilising the Delphi model for verification and validation. This was developed to test the novelty and beneficial structure hypothesis involving 15 core BIM experts from academia, construction and design with c. 22 years average experience. Validation was undertaken on a complex, high value real world building structures project in central London, inclusive of 8 core project BIM experts. The research utilised a developed solution that mirrored and provided a more holistic representation guiding the practitioners as a project team step by step through the determination of underpinning elements, which support the goal of enhanced information requirements as well as executing the prioritisation measurement tools as part of the framework. Data ascertained at the workshop case study prioritised areas of importance that are core in supporting the delivering of these enhanced information requirements at a project delivery level, which were in order of prioritisation determined by the project team (1) constraints (39.17%), (2) stakeholder requirements (35.78%), (3) coordination (existing asset) (15.86%), (4) exchange requirements (5.38%) and (5) level of information need (3.81%). Furthermore, risk mitigations for the top three priorities were focussed on early stakeholder engagement, appropriation of survey data collection, focus on quality of outputs and applying toolsets and processes with meaning and emphasis on the defined high-level requirements.FindingsFindings show that the framework and the developed solution translate the process methodology of the framework schema into a useable and beneficial tool that provides both qualitative and quantitative inputs and outputs. Furthermore, a collective agreement on the objectives, risk mitigations and assignment of tasks in order to achieve outcomes is presented, with evidence on numerical weightings and goal achievement.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the impacts of COVID-19 on physical engagements both the verification (electronic survey questionnaire) and validation (case study project) were undertaken remotely, using available technologies and web interfaces.Practical implicationsThe case study workshop was limited to one building structures project in central London of a value of c. £70 m design and build cost that the project team (participants) were actively engaged with.Social implicationsThe social impacts of this research has resulted in the review of existing systems, methods and approaches from a wider perspective of theoretical and applied environments, which led to the development of a novel approach and framework guided by an interactive and useable solution.Originality/valueAs shown within the core findings, experts across academia and industry (design and construction) confirmed that the framework methodology and application were 100% novel, and added a benefit to the existing collaborative BIM approach. Value added is that through objectifying, weighting/prioritizing and creating a discussion supported by qualitative and quantitative reasoning the focus on what collaborative BIM is to achieve is increased, and thus the likelihood of successful implementation.

BEYOND RESPONSE: REIMAGINING THE LEGAL ACADEMY'S ROLE IN DISASTER RECOVERY AND PREPAREDNESS

This Article proposes expanding the legal academy's role in responding to disasters and emergencies, specifically through creating disaster clinics that take a communitybased lawyering approach. The Article is one of the first to identify the need for community-based disaster legal clinical education that goes beyond the immediate response phase. It also proposes creating a disaster legal pipeline from the clinic through post-graduation employment. The Article furthers the literature's discussion of the need for sustained disaster legal education. As the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 coronavirus continues to impact vulnerable populations and the frequency of natural disasters continues to increase, this Article provides a blueprint to law school faculty and administrators on the process of starting a new clinic or redesigning an existing clinic into a long-term disaster-related clinic. Additionally, the Article provides a timeline of disaster legislation that has evolved to provide a robust background for seminar courses. The Article draws from the author's expertise in creating two disaster clinics and multiple disaster and environmental justice courses. © 2023,Cleveland State Law Review. All Rights Reserved.

Challenging the dominant path of forest policy? Bottom-up, citizen forest management initiatives in a top-down governance context in Poland

Forest governance in Poland is characterised by the dominance of public forest ownership and hierarchical, top-down policy-making. These governance arrangements, characteristic of post-socialist countries, have traditionally been challenged by environmental NGOs, advocating stronger protection of old-growths. Recently, institutional stability of the forest policy field has been increasingly influenced by numerous citizen initiatives responding to technocratic local forest management decisions. These initiatives, so far not analysed scientifically, vary in terms of the issues addressed, actions employed, and the local actors involved. In the paper we use a data base of 274 such initiatives to explore their manifestation, actors involved, main postulates, and the responses of forest managers. Based on this, we explored whether these initiatives pose challenges to the traditional forest management and, if so, what kind. We imply that the growth of bottom-up initiatives indicates a growing diversity of beliefs and values regarding forests and the increasing determination of local people to impact local environmental decisions. Furthermore, informed by the institutional theory, we argue that the growth of local initiatives, particularly during and after Covid-19 pandemics, suggests the eroding legitimacy of dominant rules and discourses. This process is particularly visible in sub-urban forests, which are increasingly seen through a ‘well-being discourse' that highlights cultural, regulative and supportive functions of forests, while putting less emphasis on provisioning functions. We also identify a networking trend among the initiatives that unifies their discursive background and enhances their influence at the national level. Therefore, local activists can be seen as a new advocacy group in the Polish forest policy subsystem. In response to local demands public forest administration has introduced institutional changes enhancing participation but their impact is still to be assessed. We recommend establishing a monitoring programme to track new participatory practices and to identify and promote best practices.

Drivers of digital supply chain transformation in SMEs and large enterprises – a case of COVID-19 disruption risk

PurposeDigital transformation in supply chains (SCs) has emerged as one of the most effective ways to minimize SC disruption risks. Given the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global SCs, this study aims to identify and provide empirical evidence about the drivers of digital SC transformation, considering the interactivity between environmental dynamism, technology, and organizational capabilities during the pandemic era.Design/methodology/approachUsing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), this study examines 923 firms in Vietnam to ascertain the drivers of digital SC transformation between small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises, based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) as an overarching framework.FindingsThis study finds that greater digital SC transformation adoption could be achieved under the interactivity between the TOE components of firms' technological competencies, learning capabilities, and disruptions in socioeconomic environments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, a multigroup analysis shows that the drivers of digital SC transformation differ between SMEs and large enterprises. SMEs were found to be more motivated by the COVID-19 disruption risk when adopting digital SC models.Originality/valueThis study represents an original and novel contribution from Vietnam as an emerging market to the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the global value chain. Apart from the unique dataset at the firm level, the analysis of interactions between external and internal drivers of digital SC transformation could provide crucial managerial implications for SMEs to survive major disruptions, such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Argumentation and Causal Models in Human-Machine Interaction: A Round Trip

In the field of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), causal models and argumentation frameworks constitute two formal approaches that provide definitions of the notion of explanation. These symbolic approaches rely on logical formalisms to reason by abduction or to search for causalities, from the formal modeling of a problem or a situation. They are designed to satisfy properties that have been established as necessary based on the study of human-human explanations. As a consequence they appear to be particularly interesting for human-machine interactions as well. In this paper, we show the equivalence between a particular type of causal models, that we call argumentative causal graphs (ACG), and argumentation frameworks. We also propose a transformation between these two systems and look at how one definition of an explanation in the argumentation theory is transposed when moving to ACG. To illustrate our proposition, we use a very simplified version of a screening agent for COVID-19. © 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Digital interventions for substance use disorders in young people: Rapid review

This rapid review provides an overview of recent literature on the nature of digital interventions for young people in terms of technologies used, substances and populations targeted, and theoretical or therapeutic models employed. A keyword search was conducted using MEDLINE and other databases for 2015-2021. Following a title/ and full-text screening of articles and consensus decision on study inclusion, data extraction proceeded using an extraction grid. Data synthesis relied on an adapted conceptual framework (Stockings et al., 2016) that involved a three-level treatment spectrum for youth substance use (prevention, early intervention, and treatment). The review identified 43 articles describing 39 digital interventions. Most were early interventions (n = 28), followed by prevention (n = 6) and treatment (n = 5). Of the five technologies identified, web-based interventions (n = 14) were most common. Digital interventions have mainly focused on alcohol use (n = 20), reflecting limited concern for other substance use and co-occurring use. Yet the rise in substance use and related harms during the Covid-19 pandemic highlights a critical need for more innovative substance use interventions. Technologies with more immersive and interactive features, such as VR and game-based interventions, call for further exploration. Only one intervention was culturally tailored and purposefully designed for gender minority youth, and another was geared to young men. As well, most interventions used a personalized or normative feedback approach, while a harm reduction approach guided only one intervention. The incorporation of culturally tailored interventions and harm reduction approaches may promote uptake and stronger engagement with digital interventions amongst youth.

Relational coupling of multiple streams: The case of COVID‐19 infections in German abattoirs

After a series of COVID‐19 outbreaks among employees in the German meat‐processing industry, the Work Safety Control Act protecting these workers made it on the government's agenda in July 2020. From a Multiple Streams perspective, local corona hotspots may be understood as policy windows for introducing respective measures. However, this alone is not sufficient to explain agenda setting. This study investigates the coupling of streams within policy windows. Introducing the notion of relational coupling to the MSF research agenda, discourse network analysis provides a new methodology to reveal entrepreneurial activities. Studying the German mass media discourse on the issue identifies two stages: (1) An initial problem brokerage without coupling of core policies, followed by (2) a coupling across all streams based on a focusing event. We argue that relational coupling allows for an enhanced understanding of agenda setting. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Resumen Después de una serie de brotes de COVID‐19 entre los empleados de la industria alemana de procesamiento de carne, la Ley de control de seguridad laboral que protege a estos trabajadores se incluyó en la agenda del gobierno en julio de 2020. Desde una perspectiva de múltiples corrientes, los puntos críticos locales de corona pueden entenderse como una política Ventanas para introducir las respectivas medidas. Sin embargo, esto por sí solo no es suficiente para explicar el establecimiento de la agenda. Este estudio investiga el acoplamiento de corrientes dentro de las ventanas de políticas. Al introducir la noción de acoplamiento relacional en la agenda de investigación de MSF, el análisis de redes de discurso proporciona una nueva metodología para revelar las actividades empresariales. El estudio del discurso de los medios de comunicación alemanes sobre el tema identifica dos etapas: (1) Una solución inicial del problema sin el acoplamiento de políticas centrales, seguida de (2) un acoplamiento en todas las corrientes basado en un evento focalizado. Sostenemos que el acoplamiento relacional permite una mejor comprensión del establecimiento de la agenda. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] 摘要: 德国肉制品加工业出现一系列2019冠状病毒病(COVID‐19)员工感染事件后,用于保护这类员工的《工作安全防控法》(Work Safety Control Act)于2020年7月被纳入政府议程。从多源流视角来看,地方COVID‐19事件可被理解为用于引入相应措施的政策之窗。不过,仅这一方面并不足以解释议程设置。本研究分析了政策之窗中各源流的耦合。通过将关系耦合(relational coupling)的概念引入多源流框架(MSF)的研究议程,话语网络分析为揭示企业活动一事提供新方法。通过研究有关该议题的德国大众媒体话语,识别了两个阶段:(1)核心政策未发生耦合的情况下出现的最初问题；(2)基于焦点事件出现的各源流耦合。我们论证认为,关系耦合促进了对议程设置的理解。 (Chinese) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Policy Studies Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Digital Contact Tracing for COVID-19: Overview of Existing Systems and Framework for Future Innovation

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed innovation in infection control measures, including widespread deployment of digital contact tracing systems. However, these technologies were not well understood by the general public and were complex for the public health community to implement, hampering adoption. Objective(s): To provide an overview of existing digital contact tracing systems, creating a framework for understanding design elements that impact their effectiveness as public health tools and offering a rubric for decision-makers to evaluate different systems for selection and implementation. Method(s): Scientific literature and publicly available information from relevant health authorities and other stakeholders was reviewed. Information was synthesized to develop a conceptual framework explaining how key design elements impact effectiveness of digital contact tracing systems and highlighting opportunities for future improvement. Result(s): A range of digital contact tracing interventions were deployed by governments worldwide and several professional sports leagues. Key design elements of the systems include: (1) data architecture (i.e., centralized versus decentralized systems, impacting privacy guarantees and data availability);(2) proximity detection technology (e.g., type of device signaling);(3) alert logic and timing (e.g., time- and distance-based criteria affecting sensitivity and specificity of alerts;real-time proximity alerts and/or bidirectional contact tracing, determining scope of infection prevention);(4) population (eligibility and availability);and (5) the structural and public health context of intervention (e.g., availability and timeliness of testing). Several systems demonstrated effectiveness in preventing transmission during COVID-19, though numerous limitations have also been documented in the literature. Conclusion(s): Digital contact tracing systems have the potential to mitigate the economic and public health impact of future infectious disease outbreaks, reducing community transmission and detecting potential cases earlier in the disease course. Lessons learned from solutions deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic provide an opportunity to improve multiple aspects of these systems, enhancing preparedness for future outbreaks.Copyright © 2023

Evaluation of the Cross-Platform Framework Flutter Using the Example of a Cancer Counselling App

The advance of digitalization is constantly bringing new solutions to various areas of life in our society. The COVID-19 pandemic, among other things, brought increased attention to the application and support of treatments through digital solutions in the healthcare sector due to contact restrictions. However, the development of digital solutions comes at a high cost in terms of time and expenses. Mobile app development requires the development of two separate apps for the two respective market-leading mobile operating systems iOS and Android. Cross-platform frameworks make it possible to develop apps for both operating systems on a single code base, thus saving the development and maintenance of two separate codes. Flutter is currently the most popular cross-platform framework for the development of mobile apps. This paper has evaluated Flutter based on an existing criteria catalogue. As a usage context for the evaluation, a prototype for Cancer Counselling App of the University Medical Center Freiburg was implemented. According to the gained own prototyping experience with Flutter and a thorough literature analysis in this area, the criteria catalogue was filled out and the result was compared with other mobile App development paradigms. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)