A survey of automatic contact tracing approaches using bluetooth low energy

To combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many new ways have been proposed on how to automate the process of finding infected people, also called contact tracing. A special focus was put on preserving the privacy of users. Bluetooth Low Energy as base technology has the most promising properties, so this survey focuses on automated contact tracing techniques using Bluetooth Low Energy. We define multiple classes of methods and identify two major groups: systems that rely on a server for finding new infections and systems that distribute this process. Existing approaches are systematically classified regarding security and privacy criteria.Copyright © 2021 ACM.

Incidence of COVID-19 in Para?ba and sociodemographic factors: an ecological and spatial study

Introduction: COVID-19 notification has been growing continuously in Brazil and the study of all related aspects is necessary. Objective: To determine the incidence rate of coronavirus, analyze the spatial autocorrelation of reported cases and determine the correlation between the incidence of the disease and sociodemographic variables in the state of Paraiba, in 2020. Method: An observational, ecological research was carried out and data were obtained from notifications from cities in Paraiba to the Coronavirus Panel. The outcome variable was the disease incidence rate, and the explanatory variables referred to sociodemographic data, testing the hypotheses using Spearman's correlation. Spatial autocorrelation was verified using Moran's I and Geary's C statistic, using choropleth maps, by means of the R software, at a significance level of 5%. Results: Increasing values of incidence rates were observed as the months progressed. There was a statistical correlation for population density, income, and Municipal Human Development Index in most months. In addition, the Alto-Alto pattern was observed in the state capital at the beginning of the pandemic and, soon after, a migration of this spatial pattern to the interior cities. Conclusions: It was observed, therefore, that the high incidence rates and its spatial behavior negatively impact people's lives and signal the need for a more intense intervention of governmental policies.

Dynamics of Teleworking and Impact on Stakeholders in the Current Pandemic Context

The exponential development of information and communication technology (ICT) through computer networks, Wi-Fi systems, wireless signals, and information storage systems has contributed to the transition to the so-called new economy, which is becoming increasingly digital and global. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking has begun to dramatically change the work dynamics for all stakeholders. The aim of this research was to identify the main impacting factors and their level of influence in relation to the macroeconomic context of teleworking, public policies, and the legal framework regarding quality of life, as well as the effects of teleworking on employees and employers. Through empirical research, we explored the perspectives of employees and employers as main stakeholders who had operated in the teleworking field within Suceava County in Romania during 2020. In this regard, we undertook exploratory research, the results of which were processed using SPSS v.20. The insightful results have practical implications for the labor market, where an obvious increase in the share of teleworking in the total forms of work has already occurred, and the relations between employer and employee are expected to become based more and more on cooperation and less on subordination. The results also revealed an important tendency of employees to appreciate the positive effects of teleworking on other aspects of life.

An Exploration on Visualization of Data Utilizing Tableau

The most common technique of analyzing data assembled to draw conclusions concerning the knowledge they contain, a lot of} with the utilization of specialized frameworks and programmes, is data examination. Researchers and professionals often use data analysis techniques and innovations to validate or, on the opposite hand, refute logical models, enabling organizations to form higher business decisions. Information analysis is turning into more and more popular in several fields, together with healthcare. Not solely will illustration play an enormous role in naturally displaying the results of knowledge analysis, however additionally throughout the whole method of collecting, cleaning, Associate in Nursing analyzing, and sharing information. this text outlines an approach for victimization Tableau as a business insight tool to represent and analyses aid data intelligently. Strategies: beginning with making the Tableau Work Space Individual ability 10.3, this analysis illustrates the foremost prevailing model-based technique of comprehending and visualizing Coronavirus data. © 2022 IEEE.

Application of Machine Learning in the Fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review

Introduction: Machine learning (ML) plays a significant role in the fight against the COVID-19 (officially known as SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. ML techniques enable the rapid detection of patterns and trends in large datasets. Therefore, ML provides efficient methods to generate knowledge from structured and unstructured data. This potential is particularly significant when the pandemic affects all aspects of human life. It is necessary to collect a large amount of data to identify methods to prevent the spread of infection, early detection, reduction of consequences, and finding appropriate medicine. Modern information and communication technologies (ICT) such as the Internet of Things (IoT) allow the collection of large amounts of data from various sources. Thus, we can create predictive ML-based models for assessments, predictions, and decisions. Method(s): This is a review article based on previous studies and scientifically proven knowledge. In this paper, bibliometric data from authoritative databases of research publications (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed) are combined for bibliometric analyses in the context of ML applications for COVID-19. Aim(s): This paper reviews some ML-based applications used for mitigating COVID-19. We aimed to identify and review ML potentials and solutions for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to present some of the most commonly used ML techniques, algorithms, and datasets applied in the context of COVID-19. Also, we provided some insights into specific emerging ideas and open issues to facilitate future research. Conclusion(s): ML is an effective tool for diagnosing and early detection of symptoms, predicting the spread of a pandemic, developing medicines and vaccines, etc.Copyright © 2022 Sciendo. All rights reserved.

A journey through languages: A systematic literature review on the multilingual experience in counselling and psychotherapy with children and adolescents

The purpose of this research was to address the gap in the existing literature on the multilingual aspect of language in psychotherapy with children and adolescents. This research aimed at interpreting possible meanings for clients of being multilingual in the therapeutic process as well as reflect on the influence of clients' multilingualism in the therapeutic relationship. The researcher used a systematic literature review (PRISMA guidelines, 2009) to select articles based on empirical qualitative/mixed studies with participants up to 25 years old or adults referring to childhood/adolescence. The researcher used thematic synthesis (Thomas & Harden, 2008) to extract, analyse and interpret data. The rigour of this study was enhanced by the use of auto‐ethnography as a source of evidence (McLeod, 2015). The auto‐etnography documents self‐reflections on personal experience of being multilingual contributing to deeper contextualised knowledge. The findings confirm previous research on the existence of a link between multilingualism and "identity" (Costa, 2020, p. 5). This research suggests that the meaning a client gives to bilingualism can be co‐constructed within an attuned therapeutic relationship. In this co‐construction journey, there is a significant opportunity for children and young people in finding their way through languages, hence reaching emancipation and affirmation in the world. The main limitation of this research relates to the fact that there are not many studies with children/young people. This led the researcher to also include studies based on a mixed sample and with adults referring to childhood/adolescence, which might have influenced the interpretation of findings. [ FROM AUTHOR]

A Framework to Implement Academic Digital Badges When Reskilling the IT Workforce

Information technology (IT) plays an increasingly significant role in today's world. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased that reliance. Employers in all industries are struggling with considerable shortages of skilled IT workers and are seeking innovative alternatives to meet these needs. Digital badging and micro-credentials have emerged as an alternative system to validate skills. The issuing of digital badges has spanned across a wide spectrum of settings and purposes. However, there is currently less application of digital badges in graduate-level programs to link to important academic or subject-matter related achievements and higher-level competencies. Reskilling and upskilling existing employees need a more practical and sustainable approach and often do not require completion of an entire IT master's degree. To align with such demand, this study aims to demonstrate how a digital badging system can be used to validate stackable certificates for micro-credentials in a graduate-level program. The paper starts with a background introduction of the current IT employment landscape. The next two sections provide an overview of micro-credentials in workforce development and higher education today. This is followed by a section on our conceptual framework used to determine the potential value of digital badging to our graduate programs. The next section focuses on the case study. The last sections conclude with the lessons learned and the future research directions.

Works done in the field of application of information technologies to libraries. (based on the creation of the technological model of the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction Library)

One of the achievements in the field of education development in recent years is the emergence and development of digital libraries. This term began to be used in the late 80s in foreign publications in connection with the development of Project Gutenberg in 1971. This process is intensively developed and improved to this day. Depending on the level of development of the state (availability of high-speed Internet, financing of institutions, etc.), this process develops at different rates around the world and involves various public and private institutions. Digital libraries have become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic as researchers and readers have been able to access vast amounts of resources at any time of the day during this challenging period when people have been confined to their homes. To date, the presence of an electronic library in the university has become an indicator of its respectability. There are certain criteria for university libraries, so they must cover scientific, educational and methodological literature in all taught disciplines. The main advantage of digital libraries is the confidence that they will deliver information better than it was in the past. At the same time, the creation and development of electronic libraries encounters a number of problems and difficulties. First of all, at present there is no clear understanding of what an electronic library is, what information systems should be attributed to this class, what are the requirements and evaluation criteria for them. In this article, we will analyze the emergence and development of the digital library, reveal the main obstacles to its development based on the creation of a technological model for the library of the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction and the electronic library of the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Turkey [ FROM AUTHOR]

IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS BARRIERS TO USE OF DIGITAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic magnified the digital health divide among marginalized populations when health systems scaled back inperson visits as a public health precaution. We conducted this qualitative study during the pandemic to solicit patient and provider perceptions of use of digital health programs (patient portals, telemedicine, remote hypertension/diabetes monitoring) and to inform strategies to surmount barriers to accessing remote care. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 patients and 29 primary care providers (PCPs) from northern and southeastern Louisiana who were recruited within an integrated delivery health system and an FQHC between May and July 2021. We used constant comparative method of grounded theory to identify themes. Commonalities/differences in perspectives between patients and PCPs were analyzed. RESULTS:Most patients recruited to the study self-identified as Black (68%), female (73%), mean age 51, lived in an urban area (77%), and had Medicaid (58%). Most PCPs were White (79%), male (52%), mean age 39, and reported Medicaid as the predominant insurer (59%). Most patients reported using smartphones for accessing the internet for health and non-health activities. Some participants used apps to track their health but noted internet/data/storage limits. PCPs noted increased uptake of misinformation on the internet prompting them to proactively recommend websites and apps. Most patients had used a patient portal and reported convenience of messaging their PCP, getting refills, scheduling appointments, and reviewing test results. PCPs noted a concurrent increase in their in-basket workload with a particular concern for frequent messaging like cellphone texting. Most patients had telemedicine video visits using their smartphones - some of which converted to audio when technology problems arose. Patients and PCPs noted telemedicine is appropriate for routine follow-up but preferred in-person visits. PCPs noted additional workflow disruption when moving from in-person to video visits in the same clinic session. Few patients were enrolled in a digital health program for remote monitoring;however, patients and PCPs agreed these programs provide valuable adjuncts to chronic care. PCPs reported patient limitations in accessing such programs due to the need for smartphones/internet/WiFi and select insurance coverage which can lead to further disparities in access to care. CONCLUSIONS: Health policies that support broadband/internet/ smartphone service as a standard utility and insurance coverage for digital health programming are paramount for surmounting major patient barriers. Clinical practice procedures which optimize technical support for patients and providers are also needed. RESULTS: Of the 236 women in the study, there was a mean age of 66.5 years ± 7.1;67 self-identified as Black, 93 as White, 49 as Hispanic and 16 as Other. Median CA anxiety score was 3 while DM anxiety score was 2.5 (p<0.001). For the anxiety groups, 67 (28%) were in the high CA/high DM group, 52 (22%) in the high CA/low DM group, 15 (6%) in the low CA/high DM group, and 94 (39%) in the low CA/low DM group. Participants in the high CA/low DMand low CA/low DMgroups were more likely to adhere to a healthy diet (73% and 71% compared with 51% for high CA/high DM and 53% for low CA/high DM, p= 0.02). They also had an increased likelihood of consuming at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily (69% and 57% vs. 45% for high CA/high DM and 40% for low CA/high DM, p= 0.03) and adhering to oral DM medications (62% and 75% vs. 52% for high CA/high DM and 20% for low CA/high DM, p= 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Older breast cancer survivors with DM have different levels of anxiety about CA versus DM and those with high DM anxiety are less likely to adhere to DMSMBs. Our findings suggest that increased anxiety might hinder one's ability to achieve disease control, making anxiety management vital to supporting patient adherence and health.

Information Sources and their Role in E-learning from Iraqi College Students' Viewpoint

The study aims at identifying the sources of information and explaining their role in e-learning from the viewpoint of the Iraqi college students. The researchers relied on the descriptive method of the survey method to collect data and know the point of view of undergraduate students from the Department of Information in the College of Arts / Tikrit University and the Department of Quranic Studies at the College of Arts / University of Baghdad. The questionnaire was used as an instrument of the study, the research sample is (120) students;each section has (60) male and female students. The study concluded that there are many types and forms of information sources that students receive through electronic educational platforms from text conversations through the electronic classroom and through social networking programs, as well as lectures in various forms, books, research and various studies and methodological studies and links to sites of scientific and electronic libraries. Colleges have to work to hold training courses and educational workshops for students and professors on electronic learning platforms, programs and how to send and receive information and its sources, especially training on the platform approved by the university or college.

Using SPI-Hub™ to Promote the Key Role of Prepublishing in Healthcare.

With the need to quickly advance knowledge dissemination in rapid-paced fields, and more recently in response to the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic, prepublishing has been brought to the forefront. SPI-Hub™, a publicly available journal selection decision support tool, is being strategically enhanced to address prospective authors' critical needs in navigating and selecting the most appropriate preprint or traditional publication venue.

A User-Centered Evaluation of a COVID-19 Intelligent Query System (COVID-IQS).

As the fight against COVID-19 continues, it is critical to discover and accumulate knowledge in scientific literature to combat the pandemic. In this work, we shared the experience in developing an intelligent query system on COVID-19 literature. We conducted a user-centered evaluation with 12 researchers in our institution and identified usability issues in four categories: distinct user needs, functionality errors, suboptimal information display, and implementation errors. Furthermore, we shared two lessons for building such a COVID-19 literature search engine. We will deploy the system and continue refining it through multiple phases of evaluation to aid in redesigning the system to accommodate different user roles as well as enhancing repository features to support collaborative information seeking. The successful implementation of the COVID-IQS can support knowledge discovery and hypothesis generation in our institution and can be shared with other institutions to make a broader impact.

Development of a Comprehensive, Integrated Patient Data Repository of US Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Patients to Assess the Impact of Clinical Care on Patient Outcomes

RATIONALE: Advances in PAH management and well-established treatment guidelines have improved the prognosis for patients. However, the extent to which guidelines are implemented in real-world practice and the relationship between guidelines and real-world patient outcomes remain in question. To assess real-world treatment and outcomes, a new type of comprehensive, integrated patient data repository (CIPDR) was created. Here, we describe the process to create this repository to enable interpretation of the collected data. METHODS: The TRIO CIPDR was created with guidance from six pulmonologists who have experience in design of and/or participation in PH registries (e.g. REVEAL). The CIPDR includes data elements of demographics, disease, comorbidities, laboratory data, pulmonary function testing, functional status, PAH treatment, reasons for treatment discontinuation/switch, hospitalizations, and death, which are collected through HIPAA-secure online forms. To minimize entry errors, participating sites received form training and ongoing support, and each form contained logic to identify improbable entries. All data were deidentified prior to storage in secure, redundant servers. The site engagement, data collection forms, data storage, and data output processes were all designed to allow both retrospective and prospective data collection and for near-immediate repository expansion through addition of other PAH-treating centers. Eleven Pulmonary Hypertension Association-certified care centers initially contributed to the CIPDR though two centers were unable to continue participation due to COVID19 impact. Central IRB approval was obtained though many sites independently received approval for the repository protocol by their IRBs. To facilitate enrollment, specialty pharmacy data corresponding to each site were used to identify potential patients and pre-populate qualification forms. Each site reviewed and qualified patients who met repository criteria: age >18 years, prescribed PAH-specific medications, and confirmation of PAH diagnosis by right heart catheterization (mean Pulmonary Arterial Pressure ≥25mmHg, Pulmonary Capillary Wedge Pressure ≤15 mmHg, and Pulmonary Vascular Resistance ≥3.0 Wood Units at rest). The initial data collection included care encounters between Jan 2019 and Dec 2020 and data concerning diagnosis, onset of symptoms, procedures, and laboratory values closest to enrollment. After completion of data collection, all data were reviewed by Trio Health and adjudicated with each site. RESULTS: Of 3200 patients identified as potentially qualified, 1009 were initially enrolled and their retrospective data encompassing 4489 visits collected. Descriptive measures of the repository are presented in the TABLE. CONCLUSION: The Trio CIPDR is an important step forward to uniquely characterize the patient journey ,treatment patterns, and outcomes for patients with PAH.

Psychological Mechanism and Exercise Intervention of College Students’ Problematic Internet Use Based on IoT Technology

Dangerous Internet use alludes to unreasonable utilization of the Internet that unfavorably influences individual emotional well-being, relational correspondence, social transformation, social turn of events, learning, and work. This paper aims to study how to analyze and study the psychological mechanism and exercise intervention of problematic Internet use based on the Internet of Things technology, and describe it. It addresses the question of problematic web usage, and this question is based on IoT technology. This paper then elaborates on the concept of data mining and related algorithms. It designs and analyzes the psychological mechanism and exercise intervention of college students’ problematic Internet use. The experimental results showed that in the incidence of Internet addiction, gender, grade, family economic environment, and single-parent family will be affected. Moderate-intensity (50%–80% VO2 max) aerobic and anaerobic exercise for more than 30 minutes per year has a positive effect on college students’ Internet addiction.

Krishikosh: a new dimension of digital repository in agriculture

Krishikosh, a digital repository, is a collection of online resources. It is a large collection of Indian resources in agriculture and allied sectors which is both institutional and discipline wise of Indian National Agricultural Research and Education System (NARES). A large collection of thesis, old and valuable books, institutional publications, technical bulletins, project reports, lectures, preprints, reprints, records, etc. is available in Krishikosh (https://krishikosh.egranth. ac.in/). The repository has been designed using open source software with efficient Integrated Content Management System (ICMS), configured to meet the user requirements of a reliable digital repository. It is a customized digital repository platform where users can upload and manage their content in compliance with the open access policy of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. This is a unique platform for sharing the intellectual outputs of the agricultural fraternity hosted by the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, (IARI), New Delhi. At present over 2,01,000 items are available on the krishikosh platform which includes students research work (>150,000 theses), old and valuable documents since 1948 in all major subjects of Agricultural and allied disciplines. The Krishikosh analytics shows over 1,87,23,710 hits on the website from 175 countries since 2017. The top ten countries visiting this digital platform were India, United States of America, Sudan, China, Russia, Ethiopia, Iran, Philippines, Nigeria and Indonesia. Google analytics, during the COVID 19 lockdown period (April-May 2020) indicates a monthly average hit of 6,93,295 indicating higher users on the Krishikosh repository during this time.

Student Experience and Satisfaction in Academic Libraries: A Comparative Study among Three Universities in Wuhan

In recent years, the spatial renovation of university libraries in various countries has focused on readers’ needs and followed the trend to develop learning spaces as a primary spatial form. In this study, we reviewed six spatial dimensions affecting student users’ learning experience. Specifically, we built a theory- and practice-based conceptual analysis framework to measure users’ satisfaction with recent spatial renovations at three university libraries in Wuhan, China. We used SPSS statistical software to conduct multiple linear regression analyses of spatial satisfaction. The findings show that five spatial dimensions significantly affect students’ satisfaction with library space, namely, service facility availability, quality of interior design, physical environment elements, spatial diversity, and learning space controllability. Service facility availability is the most critical factor affecting spatial satisfaction. In this study, we present empirical, evidence-based space elements that enhance user satisfaction with library spaces, and provide targeted design suggestions for future library space renovation and the optimization of space allocation and expansion of space services at university libraries in China.

ROS-Ethereum: A Convenient Tool to Bridge ROS and Blockchain (Ethereum)

Robot Operating System (ROS) has received widespread utilization with the development of robotics, self-driving, etc., recently. Meanwhile, the other technology blockchain is frequently applied to various fields with its trustworthy characteristics and immutability in data storage. However, ROS has no ability to interact with the blockchain, which hinders research in related fields. Therefore, we wonder if we can develop a convenient tool to bridge ROS and blockchain. Inspired by this, we propose ROS-Ethereum. It bridges ROS and Ethereum, a widely used blockchain platform. ROS-Ethereum is based on the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) communication mechanism and the SM algorithm family along with Ethereum technology. Simply put, ROS-Ethereum allows users to invoke the contract when interacting with the blockchain, which makes this process easier and safer. We conduct experiments in real robots to verify the effectiveness of ROS-Ethereum and evaluate it from the following metrics: (1) the encryption efficiency and stability of the algorithm and (2) ROS-Ethereum transaction response time and packet loss rate.

Internet of Things- (IoT-) Based Real-Time Vital Physiological Parameter Monitoring System for Remote Asthma Patients

In this paper, the design and implementation of an asthma patient monitoring system are presented. It can be categorized as an IoT-based device which can monitor heart rate, room temperature, humidity, air quality, nostril temperature, and oxygen saturation (SpO2) using an ESP8266 microcontroller and different sensors. All data will be sent to Firebase via Wi-Fi and then to patients and doctors via mobile applications and websites, respectively. Doctors can access this data via a website and instruct patients based on their specific needs. An ESP8266 microcontroller, a DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor, a MAX30100 pulse and SpO2 sensor, a MQ-135 air quality sensor, and an LM-35 temperature sensor have been used for the proposed system in this research. This system uses an efficient way to store all the data and information about the patient. It also carries their various test reports. The data is preserved in a proper way, which will help the patient or doctor retrieve any information in a smooth and swift manner. The software part of the system is divided into two parts. One of them is a mobile application that was designed by the Android Studio. The second one is the website, and it is also divided into two parts. HTML (hypertext markup language), CSS (cascading style sheets), and JavaScripts are designed for the front end of the website, and PHP (hypertext preprocessor) is used for the backend of the website. The device is tested on seven different real human test subjects, and the accuracy of that device is state of the art. It can measure the heart rate of a person along with their oxygen saturation with accuracy. Also, this device calculates the humidity properly as it changes the moment wet towels are put near the sensors and far from the sensors. It also shows the proper air quality as it has been tested with smoke to measure the extreme difference in the air quality. This system also has video calling and prescription features. Using this system, patients can consult with the doctor and get a prescription. Using this system, the vital physiological parameters of the remote patients can be measured and monitored. Any hospital or diagnostic center can be more efficient and organized by using a system. And patients are also freed from the hustle as they do not need to go and visit the doctor over and over again. The system is designed in such a way that it can look after the particular needs of a typical hospital or a diagnostic center and is able to provide easy and efficient storage of information related to patients.