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Hayes, Matthew T., Khena M. Swallow, and Yuhong V. Jiang. "The unilateral field advantage in repetition detection: Effects of perceptual grouping and task demands." Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 72, no. 3 (April 2010): 583–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/app.72.3.583.
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Francis, Alexander L. "Improved segregation of simultaneous talkers differentially affects perceptual and cognitive capacity demands for recognizing speech in competing speech." Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 72, no. 2 (February 2010): 501–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/app.72.2.501.
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Bapat, Bela, Yolaine Smith, Andrew Klink, Chadi Nabhan, and Bruce A. Feinberg. "Role of advanced practice providers (APP) in meeting rising demands on oncology practices." Journal of Clinical Oncology 37, no. 15_suppl (May 20, 2019): e18372-e18372. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jco.2019.37.15_suppl.e18372.
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e18372 Background: The role of advanced practice providers (APPs), nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), is expanding in oncology for myriad reasons including improving access to care by closing the gap between demand for services and physician availability. This is especially true in oncology, where the shortage of oncologists and increasingly cited physician burnout is creating challenges for many practices and communities. Methods: We surveyed US physicians to understand their practices’ use of APPs, their role in patient treatment and support as well as their impact on practice workflow. Data were collected using web-based instrument between Sep 2018 and Nov 2018. Responses have been summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: Among 163 oncologists and hematologists surveyed, 74.2% (n = 121) employed NPs, 39.9% (n = 65) employed PAs, and 19.0% (n = 31) did not employ any APPs in their practice. Amongst practices that employed ≥1 APP (n = 132; 81.0%), over 40% of physicians reported a 1:3 APP: physician ratio. Most (62.1%) physicians stated that APPs only evaluated and saw returning patients, whereas 35.6% physicians used APPs to evaluate and see both new and return patients. More than 60% of physicians stated that APPs enhanced their practice efficiency, enabled physicians to focus more on complex patient cases, and made their workload manageable. By employing APPs, 52.3% of physicians were able to increase their patient caseload. The majority (57.6%) of physicians reported that they would employ more APPs in the next 3 years if resources were available, and 41.7% of physicians reported that APPs would likely take on additional responsibility in the next 3 years. Conclusions: Most community oncology practices in the US are employing APPs and are finding significant value in the APP roles by delegating various aspects of patient care to them. Most community practices are considering increasing the number of employed APPs and to expand the breadth of their responsibility. Integrating APPs into oncology practices is likely to have a larger impact on quality of patient care and potential mitigation of physician burnout.
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Veverka, Jakub, Jiri Matejicek, Frantisek Lukac, David Pospisil, Ladislav Cvrcek, and Vincenc Nemanic. "THIN NITRIDE LAYERS AS PERMEATION BARRIERS." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 17 (June 26, 2018): 24. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2018.17.0024.
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Permeation barriers represent one of the crucial fields in materials development for thermonuclear fusion. Primary objective of the barriers is to suppress the permeation of hydrogen isotopes (mainly tritium) from future thermonuclear fusion facilities. Secondary objective is to reduce hydrogen retention in structural materials, potentially also improving their corrosion resistance. Expected reactor conditions put high demands on the material, as well as on the final barrier quality. Key properties are tritium permeation reduction, absence of defects (especially cracks), high-temperature stability and corrosion resistance, and compatibility with structural materials (mostly ferritic-martensitic steels). Regarding industrial scale production, ability of the deposition method to coat large complex surfaces is desirable. Thin nitride layers, identified as promising permeation barriers, were prepared by diffusion-based nitridation and physical vapour deposition (PVD) and characterized.
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Tyburec, Marek, Jan Zeman, Martin Kružík, and Didier Henrion. "ON OPTIMUM DESIGN OF FRAME STRUCTURES." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 26 (March 17, 2020): 117–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2020.26.0117.
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Optimization of frame structures is formulated as a non-convex optimization problem, which is currently solved to local optimality. In this contribution, we investigate four optimization approaches: (i) general non-linear optimization, (ii) optimality criteria method, (iii) non-linear semidefinite programming, and (iv) polynomial optimization. We show that polynomial optimization solves the frame structure optimization to global optimality by building the (moment-sums-of-squares) hierarchy of convex linear semidefinite programming problems, and it also provides guaranteed lower and upper bounds on optimal design. Finally, we solve three sample optimization problems and conclude that the local optimization approaches may indeed converge to local optima, without any solution quality measure, or even to infeasible points. These issues are readily overcome by using polynomial optimization, which exhibits a finite convergence, at the prize of higher computational demands.
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Plasek, Otto. "CURRENT CHALLENGES FOR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 5 (September 15, 2016): 47. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2016.5.0047.
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The increasing importance of railway systems, arising from both national and European strategic documents, leads to increasing demands on its infrastructure. Transport development in the European territory is defined in the strategy summarized in the White Paper, which understands the rail sector as a key sector in terms of sustainability of the transport development due to the suppression of congestions, carbon oxide emissions, reliability and safety of transport. The paper is aimed in the specific technical aspects of rail infrasructure, which emphasize their ability to contribute to an efficient and sustainable transport in Europe and justify motivations for increasing the attractiveness of rail transport. Current challenges for research activities in the field of railway infrastructure that will led to achievement of the objectives which were defined in the White Paper and further specified in the particular requirements of rstakeholders in the railway industry are discussed.
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Šedlbauer, David. "WANG TILE SIZE IN TERMS OF CIRCULAR PARTICLE DYNAMICS." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 13 (November 13, 2017): 102. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2017.13.0102.
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The main advantage of the Wang tiling concept for material engineering is ability to create large material domains with a relatively small set of tiles. Such idea allows both a reduction of computational demands and preserving heterogeneity of a reconstructed media in comparison with traditional cell concepts. This work is dealing with a random heterogeneous material composed of monodisperse circular hard particles within a matrix. The Wang tile sets are generated via algorithm with molecular dynamics and adaptive boundaries approach. Even though previous works proved usefulness of the Wang tiling for material reconstruction, still plenty of questions remain unanswered. In here we would like to provide simulations with emphasis on the overall particle distribution and the ratio of hard disc number to tile size. The results and discussion should followers help with settings of both tile generations and the tiling algorithms when creating samples of various degree of heterogeneity.
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Vaníček, Ivan, and Jiří Vaníček. "THE INTERACTION OF FLOODS WITH TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 16 (June 19, 2018): 32. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2018.16.0032.
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Current demands on transport infrastructure are very often associated with the terms of “sustainability, availability and affordability”. The first term directly refers to the basic principles of sustainable construction in transport infrastructure, primarily motorway and railways, and how they are related to a very significant consumption of land, energy and natural aggregates. This paper is focused on the other two terms, availability and affordability. These principles are intended to guarantee proper functioning of communication even in nonstandard situations such as natural hazards, most typically floods. To avoid a total collapse of transport infrastructure, the term robustness is often applied, recognizing that this term is not a substitute for another outcome – namely a more expensive structure. The paper shows the possibilities for elimination of the negative impact of floods on transport infrastructure as they relate to different types of interaction and different types of floods.
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Nesládek, Martin, Josef Jurenka, Michal Bartošák, Milan Růžička, Maxim Lutovinov, Jan Papuga, Radek Procházka, Jan Džugan, and Petr Měšťánek. "THERMO-MECHANICAL FATIGUE ANALYSIS OF A STEAM TURBINE SHAFT." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 20 (December 31, 2018): 56–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2018.20.0056.
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Increasing demands on the flexibility of steam turbines due to the use of renewable energy sources substantially alters the fatigue strength requirements of components of these devices. Rapid start-ups as well as the increased number of the load cycles applied to the turbines must be handled by design methodologies. The goal of the work presented in this paper was to provide a computational framework applicable to the thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) prediction of steam turbine shafts. The so-called Damage Operator Approach by Nagode et al. has been implemented to the software codes and applied to fatigue analysis of the thermo-mechanical material response computed numerically by the finite element analysis. Experimental program conducted in order to identify the material thermo-mechanical behavior and to verify numerical simulations is introduced in the paper. Some results of TMF prediction of a sample steam turbine shaft are shown.
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Šísl, Václav, and Martin Ševeček. "IMITATING NEUTRON IRRADIATION DAMAGE USING A COMBINATION OF ION BEAMS." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 14 (May 17, 2018): 42. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2018.14.0042.
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There is a strong motivation for using ion beams to imitate neutron irradiation damage, mainly in order to reduce costs and time demands linked to neutron irradiation experiments. The long-term goal of the authors is to create an ion irradiation methodology, which could be employed in the development process of innovative nuclear fuel materials. This methodology will be based on combining of a set of ion beams in such a way that the final distribution of irradiation-induced defects in the material structure is similar to the one which would have been introduced by neutrons in a nuclear reactor. The first part of the methodology is represented by an optimization tool described here. The tool uses a third party Monte Carlo code SRIM to simulate ion transport in a target and to determine the distribution of radiation damage. Subsequently, a custom genetic optimization algorithm is applied to a set of damage distribution profiles to find their optimal combination.
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Teichgräber, Max, and Daniel Straub. "A study on the effects of hidden safety when assessing existing structures." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 36 (August 18, 2022): 216–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2022.36.0216.
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In many instances, the safety of existing structures can no longer be demonstrated by standard code-based assessments. Reasons for this include changes in the code, changes in the demands on the structures and deterioration. To address this problem, it is common practice to perform a more detailed assessment utilizing advanced models. In this way, many structures can be shown to comply with safety requirements, even if they cannot be verified by standard assessments. The standard code models are often conservatively biased. This leads to designs which include hidden safety. If the reassessment is performed with more advanced models in lieu of standard models, the hidden safety can vanish. Concurrently, the reduced uncertainty of advanced models may compensate this safety reduction. In this paper we investigate this issue on a hypothetical population of existing bridge structures under traffic. We consider that the standard code model is exchanged by an advanced traffic load simulation.
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Wang, Lei, Yong Jin, Ling Wang, Wanjing Ma, and Ting Li. "Incentive-Based Approach to Control Demands for Operation of One-Way Carsharing System." Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 2673, no. 4 (March 22, 2019): 427–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0361198119837497.
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One-way carsharing has been regarded as one of the innovative urban transportation modes since the last decade. A fleet imbalance problem frequently occurs in the system, which requires efficient vehicle relocation to cope with. An incentive-based approach could influence the users’ demands and could relieve the pressure on operator-based relocation. This paper presents an incentive-based approach involving a vehicle rewarding policy and a station rewarding policy to attract pick-up demands and drop-off demands respectively. A ranking method is proposed to determine the list of candidate rewarding vehicles and stations. The method acquires the user-app log data and the transaction data in a real operating environment for pick-up and drop-off demand prediction. Five factors for vehicles and four factors for stations are computed from the real-time data. The ranking indices are aggregated from the weighted sum of the factors. The rewarding policy and the ranking method were tested in the real operating environment of an electric vehicle sharing system in two districts of Shanghai. The result suggests that the rewarding policy with ranking method could shorten the vehicle idle time and increase the number of transactions per vehicle and per station, and also resulted in increments on profits.
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Ning, Yufu, Na Pang, Shuai Wang, and Xiumei Chen. "An Uncertain APP Model with Allowed Stockout and Service Level Constraint for Vegetables." Symmetry 13, no. 12 (December 5, 2021): 2332. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/sym13122332.
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Volatile markets and uncertain deterioration rate make it extremely difficult for manufacturers to make the quantity of saleable vegetables just meet the fluctuating demands, which will lead to inevitable out of stock or over production. Aggregate production planning (APP) is to find the optimal yield of vegetables, shortage and overstock symmetry, are not conducive to the final benefit.The essence of aggregate production planning is to deal with the symmetrical relation between shortage and overproduction. In order to reduce the adverse effects caused by shortage, we regard the service level as an important constraint to meet the customer demand and ensure the market share. So an uncertain aggregate production planning model for vegetables under condition of allowed stockout and considering service level constraint is constructed, whose objective is to find the optimal output while minimizing the expected total cost. Moreover, two methods are proposed in different cases to solve the model. A crisp equivalent form can be transformed when uncertain variables obey linear uncertain distributions and for general case, a hybrid intelligent algorithm integrating the 99-method and genetic algorithm is employed. Finally, two numerical examples are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.
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Fichten, Catherine S., Alice Havel, Mary Jorgensen, Rosie Arcuri, and Christine Vo. "Is There an App for That? Apps for Post-Secondary Students With Attention Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)." Journal of Education and Training Studies 8, no. 10 (September 2, 2020): 22. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v8i10.4995.
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We compiled a comprehensive list of apps related to coping with academic work by post-secondary students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by examining 23 recent sources. Most of these were based on the opinion of single individuals, including persons with ADHD and experts. To discover relatively common apps, we summed the number of sources that mentioned each app and then checked with the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store to ensure availability in the summer of 2020. In the process it became apparent that while most apps directly supported schoolwork (e.g., calendars, timers, reminders) there were a variety of apps that, while not directly related to schoolwork, were apps that can support academic achievement by dealing with daily life demands (not ADHD therapy or assessment). We categorized apps related to both schoolwork as well as to aspects of daily life demands that can make academic work easier. Here we present the 20 most frequently mentioned schoolwork related apps and the eight most frequently mentioned daily life demands apps. Our findings suggest that if access coordinators, campus disability service providers, ADHD coaches and students with ADHD focus solely on schoolwork related apps, they will be missing an important part of the equation. They need to broaden their scope to ensure that students also have the help they need to structure and manage their daily life responsibilities, rather than simply focusing on doing schoolwork.
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Medini, Khaled, Stefan Wiesner, Milad Poursoltan, and David Romero. "Ramping Up Customer-Centric Modular Design Projects: Mobile App Development for Pandemic Relief." Systems 8, no. 4 (November 3, 2020): 40. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/systems8040040.
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Today’s fast-growing demands at the global level for mobile applications (apps) cause customers to call for the customization of their apps to fit their individualized needs and business realms. Customization is a challenge for apps-development companies when they want to satisfy their numerous users in a crowded competitive market. Moreover, pursuing customization involves additional challenges when ramping up app development projects in order to meet demands at a larger scale. To address this challenge, we proposed a framework to systematize and support mobile apps’ development consistently with a customer-driven approach and modular design philosophy. From a practical point of view, the proposed framework integrates quality function deployment (QFD), axiomatic design (AD) principles, and practices from the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework. The framework supports a systematic process for translating customer needs into design parameters as well as supporting prioritization of ITIL practices for further development. The effectiveness of the framework was explored in practice through a case study about an app supporting relief in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a survey among potential users. The assessment of the framework indicated an average score ranging between 3.58 and 3.92 in a five-point Likert scale for all of the items used in the survey.
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Seftiyana, Via Choirul. "MENTAL WORKLOAD OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) PERSONNEL AT ADISUTJIPTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT." Vortex 2, no. 2 (June 30, 2021): 57. http://dx.doi.org/10.28989/vortex.v2i2.1008.
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Air traffic controllers are under excessive stress because of their job. This has been linked to aspects of ATC work such as high job demands, time or responsibility pressure, or inadequate equipment. Types of work that require more vigilance, such as air traffic controllers at airports, are closely related to mental jobs that require high concentration. Because there is a negative impact on a company if it gives mental workload too high or too low for its employees, it is necessary to measure it to find out the right mental workload for its employees. This study aims to calculate the mental workload felt by ATC personnel in the APP unit. Measurement of mental workload in this study using the NASA-TLX (National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index). This method measures 6 (six) dimensions of workload size, namely Mental Demand, Physical Demand, Temporal Demand, Performance, Effort and Frustation Level
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Rozas, Alba, and Alvaro Araujo. "An Application-Aware Clustering Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks to Provide QoS Management." Journal of Sensors 2019 (September 2, 2019): 1–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/8569326.
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Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have long been established as a suitable technology for gathering and processing information from the environment. However, recent applications and new multimedia sensors have increased the demand for a more adequate management of their quality of service (QoS). The constraints and demands for this QoS management greatly depend on each individual network’s purpose or application. Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) is arguably the most well-known routing protocol for WSNs, but it is not QoS-aware. In this paper, we propose LEACH-APP, a new clustering protocol based on LEACH that takes the network’s application into account and is aimed at providing a better overall QoS management. We thoroughly describe our proposal and provide a case study to explain its operation. Then, we evaluate its performance in terms of two significant QoS metrics—throughput and latency—and compare it to that of the original protocol. Our experiments show that LEACH-APP increases the throughput by roughly 250% and reduces the latency by almost 80%, overall providing a more flexible and powerful QoS management.
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Hemphill, Christy, and Aaron Hemphill. "Maximizing Scalability in Literacy Game App Design for Minority Languages." International Journal of Technology in Education 4, no. 4 (October 1, 2021): 668–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.46328/ijte.138.
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Minority language communities lack access to educational technology that facilitates literacy skill building. The approach currently taken by most educational game app developers privileges widely spoken languages and often requires intensive resource investment. In response, a new game app was designed to provide easily localized, pedagogically appropriate games for literacy skill building. Scalability to multiple minority languages was possible through a programming design based on language packs that could be compiled by local implementation teams without specialized technical skills and without significant resource investment. We describe the scalability issues encountered when localizing the app for the initial ten minority language pilot groups and how a language-neutral app design that relies on language packs to specify language-specific content and parameters can adequately address these issues. When it comes to meeting the demands of growing education technology markets in underserved Indigenous and minority communities, localizing an app initially designed for maximum scalability is more feasible than investing significant resources converting apps custom designed for one language into new languages.
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Roik, Matthias, Matthias Tietze, and Alexander Kahnt. "A revival in façades: Textile reinforced concrete panels are light, safe and aesthetically pleasing." Acta Polytechnica CTU Proceedings 33 (March 3, 2022): 497–503. http://dx.doi.org/10.14311/app.2022.33.0497.
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Textile reinforced concrete was developed in recent years into a construction technique that has its benefits and advantages in applications where conventional types of reinforcement have their limits. The current, minimum slab thickness for steel-reinforced concrete façade slabs is 7.0 cm; this is due to the minimum, required concrete cover to ensure adequate corrosion protection. Façade slab anchors for these slab thicknesses are building authority approved. As corrosion protection is not an issue for textile reinforced concrete, the minimum thickness for the concrete cover can be significantly reduced. The requirement for component thickness is now determined by the load-bearing capacity and by production-related boundary conditions. For practical building reasons, panel thicknesses of 3.0 cm have proven to be the best choice. Compared to steel-reinforced façade panels, this is a weight and thickness reduction of almost 60%. Thin concrete elements are of great interest in cases when the thickness or the weight of the panels is largely limited e.g. because of adjoining concrete elements in renovation or upgrade projects, retrofitting or improvements. Compared to other building materials, concrete has characteristic advantages in building physics and fire protection properties, irrespective of the thickness. Obviously, minimal thicknesses place extra demands on planning and construction. Especially effects on concrete, punching, splitting and concrete breakout must be examined in experiments. This is an overview of calculation and test methods. Results are provided to show the bearing behaviour of fixings in thin, textile reinforced concrete slabs. The design rules are explained and the results are illustrated.
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CIORUȚA, Bogdan-Vasile, and Mirela COMAN. "Can the MIT App Inventor® application be integrated into soil protection strategies?" Technium Sustainability 2, no. 3 (July 2, 2022): 46–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.47577/sustainability.v2i3.6940.
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This paper starts from the definition, descriptive characterization, and analysis of the MIT App Inventor® platform, according to the users' perceptions, to emphasize the malleability of the platform to the digital consumer society demands. The analysis of how the App Inventor® can be implemented in soil protection strategies is done in conjunction with the configuration of a digital field agenda. The analysis was conducted in the Office of Informatics, from October 2020 to December 2021, and involved identifying and scoring the elements that can make App Inventor® used to create specific soil protection apps. The analysis methodology included the main components of mobile devices that may be related to the acquisition and processing of field data (camera, video, navigation, map, and other sensors). As a result of the configuration and pre-testing of the application, it was observed that the App Inventor® can be used successfully in soils monitoring and protection.
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Fink, Nadine, and Peter Gautschi. "Une application pour enseigner la Shoah avec des témoignages audiovisuels:«Fliehen vor dem Holocaust»." Didactica Historica 5, no. 1 (2019): 117–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.33055/didacticahistorica.2019.005.01.117.
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Great challenges currently lie ahead as to how to convey the topic «Holocaust» in schools. New structures of providing the topic have to be created because the learning environment has substantially changed in the last years. One possibility to react to these demands is to use videotaped eye-witness interviews for conveying the Holocaust and include them into teaching with a web-app. An international group of developers of teaching material have chosen the topic «Escape from the Holocaust» to develop a web-app with the core idea that students encounter the witnesses and give testimony about their understanding of the escape from the Holocaust.
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Fink, Nadine, and Peter Gautschi. "Une application pour enseigner la Shoah avec des témoignages audiovisuels:«Fliehen vor dem Holocaust»." Didactica Historica 5, no. 1 (2019): 117–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.33055/didacticahistorica.2019.005.01.117.
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Great challenges currently lie ahead as to how to convey the topic «Holocaust» in schools. New structures of providing the topic have to be created because the learning environment has substantially changed in the last years. One possibility to react to these demands is to use videotaped eye-witness interviews for conveying the Holocaust and include them into teaching with a web-app. An international group of developers of teaching material have chosen the topic «Escape from the Holocaust» to develop a web-app with the core idea that students encounter the witnesses and give testimony about their understanding of the escape from the Holocaust.
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Hearn, Lydia, Margaret Miller, and Leanne Lester. "Reaching Perinatal Women Online: TheHealthy You, Healthy BabyWebsite and App." Journal of Obesity 2014 (2014): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/573928.
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Overwhelming evidence reveals the close link between unwarranted weight gain among childbearing women and childhood adiposity. Yet current barriers limit the capacity of perinatal health care providers (PHCPs) to offer healthy lifestyle counselling. In response, today’s Internet savvy women are turning to online resources to access health information, with the potential of revolutionising health services by enabling PHCPs to guide women to appropriate online resources. This paper presents the findings of a project designed to develop an online resource to promote healthy lifestyles during the perinatal period. The methodology involved focus groups and interviews with perinatal women and PHCPs to determine what online information was needed, in what form, and how best it should be presented. The outcome was the development of the Healthy You, Healthy Baby website and smartphone app. This clinically-endorsed, interactive online resource provides perinatal women with a personalised tool to track their weight, diet, physical activity, emotional wellbeing, and sleep patterns based on the developmental stage of their child with links to quality-assured information. One year since the launch of the online resource, data indicates it provides a low-cost intervention delivered across most geographic and socioeconomic strata without additional demands on health service staff.
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Figeac, Julien, and Johann Chaulet. "Video-ethnography of social media apps’ connection cues in public settings." Mobile Media & Communication 6, no. 3 (February 2, 2018): 407–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2050157917747642.
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This paper aims to analyze the uses of mobile social network services (mSNS) during daily commutes on the basis of a video ethnography conducted with 35 users of the Facebook app. This method is based on the combination of context-oriented recordings made with user-worn camera glasses and mobile screen video capture. These data reveal the way smartphone usage patterns tend to be organized according to notification functions (mSNS, SMS), a specific set of technical cues that mediatize social demand and promote social connectedness. Users manage these cues through a recurrent trend composed of a three-step sequence: they often start by using applications displaying notifications; they favor those that display social demands; and, among them, they prioritize these relational solicitations in accordance with social status or types of relationships. By examining the distribution of users’ attention between urban environments and smartphone applications, this video-ethnography also highlights how these “checking habits” are organized according to a set of spatial cues and some daily commute characteristics, such as visual coordination with passengers in public transport. These technical cues mediatize a growing number of social demands that encourage users to keep their eyes focused on their smartphone’s screen in public spaces. We argue that these technical cues create a temporary bubble effect and social isolation at a proximal scale, which mostly operate at the beginning of smartphone usage patterns.
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Cohen, Rinat, Gal Maydan, Shai Brill, and Jiska Cohen-Mansfield. "Barriers to Development of an App for Improving Staff-Family Communication at Israeli Geriatric Facilities." Innovation in Aging 4, Supplement_1 (December 1, 2020): 192–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa057.623.
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Abstract Family caregivers (FCs) of institutionalized noncommunicative older persons reported multiple unmet communication needs focusing on the need to receive reliable and regular updates on the patient’s condition. We have developed a mobile app for improving communication between FCs and healthcare professionals (HPs), based on 152 interviews with FCs and 13 discussion groups with HPs from four Israeli geriatric facilities. Both parties participated in app planning, tailoring it to their needs and abilities. App use implementation encountered major obstacles including the bureaucratic process concerning signing contracts between the university and software development firms, which hindered the process for a full year; data security department required disproportionate security levels that interfered with user experience and delayed the development process; the study’s definition varied across different ethics/Helsinki committees (Institutional Review Boards; IRBs), which led to different demands, e.g., insurance for medical clinical trials although no drugs or medical device were involved; lack of cooperation by mid-level staff members despite the institutional adoption of the app project; low utilization by HPs resulted in FCs not receiving timely responses. Despite these and other obstacles, we tested app use for 15 months in one facility in a pre-post-design with intervention and control groups, and we have since begun testing it in another facility. FCs who had used the app had positive feedback and wished to continue using it. App use optimization requires implementation planning, assimilating changes in each facility’s work procedures and HP’s engagement and motivation and thus depends on institutional procedures and politics.
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Monteiro, B., A. Galhardo, M. Cunha, M. Couto, F. Fonseca, and L. Carvalho. "MindfulSpot: A mindfulness mobile app for people dealing with infertility." European Psychiatry 33, S1 (March 2016): S609—S610. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.2279.
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IntroductionInfertility is not only a medical condition and its impact in mental health is well established. Although most couples facing fertility problems and the demands of medical treatment are able to adjust, some of them may show psychological difficulties with clinical relevance, such as depression and anxiety. The Mindfulness Based Program for Infertility (MBPI) is a group intervention designed for infertile women and data from its efficacy study revealed impact in depressive symptoms reduction as well as in internal and external shame, entrapment and defeat. Based on the MBPI, a mindfulness app targeting infertile patients was developed – the MindfulSpot.AimsThis study addresses the MindfulSpot development.MethodsThe MindfulSpot is a prototype mobile app, which seeks to offer the chance of practicing mindfulness in a comfortable and accessible way. This app covers informative audio and written texts. The audio contents correspond to mindfulness formal practices and suggestions for informal practice, making possible its use throughout different moments of the day. Beyond the practices mentioned above, users are invited to explore the informative menu, including information on the impact that infertility may have in several aspects of the patients’ lives.ResultsThe efficacy of the MindfulSpot is still under analysis and results are expected to be available soon.ConclusionsThe MindfulSpot was designed as a medium for training mindfulness skills and it includes useful information regarding specific aspects of the emotional impact of infertility. Additionally to its independent use, it may also be used as a support tool of the MBPI.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
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Tao, Chuanqi, and Jerry Gao. "Building a Model-Based GUI Test Automation System for Mobile Applications." International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering 26, no. 09n10 (November 2016): 1605–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s0218194016710042.
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With the rapid advance of mobile computing technology and wireless networking, there is a significant increase of mobile applications (apps). This brings new business requirements and demands in mobile software testing, and causes new issues and challenges in mobile test automation. Existing mobile application testing approaches mostly concentrate on GUI-based testing, load and performance testing without considering large-scale concurrent mobile app test automation, and model-based test coverage analysis. In this paper, a mobile hierarchical GUI model is proposed to present mobile operation scenario flows and gesture features in a hierarchical manner, in order to facilitate test dependency analysis in test automation. Mobile app test coverage analysis is performed based on GUI ripping models. The paper also presents a developed system that provides a test automation solution using GUI models. Finally, the paper reports a case study to indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.
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Hecht, R., M. Artmann, P. Brzoska, D. Burghardt, S. Cakir, A. Dunkel, M. Gröbe, et al. "A WEB APP TO GENERATE AND DISSEMINATE NEW KNOWLEDGE ON URBAN GREEN SPACE QUALITIES AND THEIR ACCESSIBILITY." ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences VIII-4/W1-2021 (September 3, 2021): 65–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-viii-4-w1-2021-65-2021.
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Abstract. Urban green spaces (UGSs) can provide important ecosystem services for citizens and their well-being. To make use of these services according to UGS user demands, urban residents, tourists, and city administrations should know where UGSs are located, what qualities they have and how to reach them on convenient routes. This paper presents a novel digital infrastructure which combines and fuses different data to map UGSs and their qualities, and makes this information available in a web app. The interactive information service of the app aims to support citizens to explore and search for suitable UGSs and to provide routing options to reach them based on their preferences. Via implicit and explicit feedback functions included in the app, further information on UGS users' preferences can be collected to enhance the overall knowledge basis, while respecting data privacy issues. The underlying data base consists primarily of open and volunteered geographic data, which allows for transferability to other cities. This paper describes the system design, its back-end and front-end components, as well as the process of development and deployment of the system in two pilot cities. Preliminary results of the piloting in the two cities are presented, focusing on user preferences for UGSs searches. The added value of the web app for city residents and the role of the newly gained knowledge for urban planning is discussed and reflected upon.
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Gordon, Amie M., and Wendy Berry Mendes. "A large-scale study of stress, emotions, and blood pressure in daily life using a digital platform." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, no. 31 (July 29, 2021): e2105573118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2105573118.
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Stress is often associated with pathophysiologic responses, like blood pressure (BP) reactivity, which when experienced repeatedly may be one pathway through which stress leads to poor physical health. Previous laboratory and field studies linking stress to physiological measures are limited by small samples, narrow demographics, and artificial stress manipulations, whereas large-scale studies often do not capture measures like BP reactivity in daily life. We examined perceived stress, emotions, heart rate, and BP during daily life using a 3-wk app-based study. We confirmed the validity of a smartphone-based optic sensor to measure BP and then analyzed data from more than 330,000 daily responses from over 20,000 people. Stress was conceptualized as the ratio of situational demands relative to individual resources to cope. We found that greater demands were associated with higher BP reactivity, but critically, the ratio of demands relative to resources improved prediction of BP changes. When demands were higher and resources were lower, there was higher BP reactivity. Additionally, older adults showed greater concordance between self-reported stress and physiologic responses than younger adults. We also observed that physiologic reactivity was associated with current emotional state, and both valence and arousal mattered. For example, BP increased with high-arousal negative emotions (e.g., anger) and decreased with low-arousal positive emotions (e.g., contentment). Taken together, this work underscores the potential for expanding stress science and public health data using handheld phones to reliably and validly measure physiologic responses linked to stress, emotion, and physical health.
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Dunn, Ruth E., Craig R. White, and Jonathan A. Green. "A model to estimate seabird field metabolic rates." Biology Letters 14, no. 6 (June 2018): 20180190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0190.
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For free-ranging animals, field metabolic rate (FMR) is the sum of their energy expenditure over a specified period. This quantity is a key component of ecological processes at every biological level. We applied a phylogenetically informed meta-analytical approach to identify the large-scale determinants of FMR in seabirds during the breeding season. Using data from 64 studies of energetics in 47 species, we created a model to estimate FMR for any seabird population. We found that FMR was positively influenced by body mass and colony latitude and that it increased throughout the breeding season from incubation to brood to crèche. FMR was not impacted by colony-relative predation pressure or species average brood size. Based on this model, we present an app through which users can generate estimates of FMR for any population of breeding seabird. We encourage the use of this app to complement behavioural studies and increase understanding of how energetic demands influence the role of seabirds as driving components of marine systems.
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Doomen, Jasper. "Case Note: Belcacemi and Oussar v Belgium App no 37798/13 (ECtHR, 11 July 2017)." ICL Journal 12, no. 2 (June 26, 2018): 213–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/icl-2017-0094.
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Abstract The freedom of the individual can easily come into conflict with his or her obligation to integrate in society. The present case provides a good example. That some restrictions of citizens’ freedoms must be accepted for a state to function and, more basically, persist is evident and that, as a consequence, certain demands, incorporated in criminal law, are made from citizens is acceptable. The issue to what extent such restrictions are justified has increasingly become a topic of discussion. The present case raises a number of important questions with respect to the right to wear a full-face veil in public if the societal norm is that the face should be visible, the most salient of which are whether women should be ‘protected’ from unequal treatment against their will and to what extent society may impose values on the individual. I will argue that the Belgian law places unwarranted restrictions on citizens and that the values behind it testify to an outlook that is difficult to reconcile with the freedom of conscience and religion.
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Garrett, Jennifer Walz. "Technology To Support Data Collection and Management in the Public Schools." Perspectives on School-Based Issues 14, no. 1 (March 2013): 10–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1044/sbi14.1.10.
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Abstract With the demands of paperwork in the field of speech-language pathology, school professionals are looking to technology to become more efficient. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) requires that experts collect data for a variety of purposes, while the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) provide protection of privacy and confidentiality. Speech-language pathologists are considering mobile- and tablet-based applications (apps) for data collection and management because these devices are portable, affordable, and available. In this article, I will explore considerations and resources for app selection related to data collection and management.
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Cairo, Jamie, Mary Ann Muzi, Deanna Ficke, Shaunta Ford-Pierce, Katrina Goetzke, Diane Stumvoll, Laurie Williams, and Federico A. Sanchez. "Practice Model for Advanced Practice Providers in Oncology." American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book, no. 37 (May 2017): 40–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/edbk_175577.
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According to ASCO, the number of practicing oncologists has remained stable despite growth demands, leading to an overall shortage in many areas of the country. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are advanced practice providers (APPs) who can assist in the provision of support and care to patients with cancer, but the role of the APP in the oncology setting has not been well defined. There exists a variety of different practice patterns for APPs who work in oncology, and the lack of role definition and absence of an established practice model are considered leading causes of APP attrition. According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, it has been well demonstrated that, when nurse practitioners are allowed to work to the full scope of their education and preparation, there are notable cost reductions and quality improvements in patient care. The focus of APP education and training is on health promotion, disease prevention, and primary care medical management, but most APPs have limited exposure to management of cancer in patients. With this in mind, Aurora Cancer Care developed a practice model for APPs who work in oncology. The goal of the model is to enhance the quality of care delivered to patients and provide a stimulating work environment that fosters excellent collaborative relationships with oncologist colleagues, supports professional growth, and allows APPs to practice to the full extent of their licensure.
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Price, Matthew, Tyler Sawyer, Madison Harris, and Christian Skalka. "Usability Evaluation of a Mobile Monitoring System to Assess Symptoms After a Traumatic Injury: A Mixed-Methods Study." JMIR Mental Health 3, no. 1 (January 11, 2016): e3. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/mental.5023.
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Background Victims of trauma are at high risk for mental health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Regular assessment of mental health symptoms in the post-trauma period is necessary to identify those at greatest risk and provide treatment. The multiple demands of the acute post-trauma period present numerous barriers to such assessments. Mobile apps are a method by which to overcome these barriers in order to regularly assess symptoms, identify those at risk, and connect patients to needed services. Objective The current study conducted a usability evaluation of a system to monitor mental health symptoms after a trauma. The system was developed to promote ease of use and facilitate quick transmission of data. Methods A sample of 21 adults with a history of trauma completed a standardized usability test in a laboratory setting followed by a qualitative interview. Results Usability testing indicated that the app was easy to use and that patients were able to answer several questions in less than 1 minute (mean [SD] 29.37 [7.53]; range 15-57). Qualitative analyses suggested that feedback should be included in such an app and recommendations for the type of feedback were offered. Conclusions The results of the current study indicate that a mobile app to monitor post-trauma mental health symptoms would be well received by victims. Personalized feedback to the user was identified as critical to promote the usability of the software.
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Rudolf, Isa, Katharina Pieper, Helga Nolte, Sibylle Junge, Christian Dopfer, Annette Sauer-Heilborn, Felix C. Ringshausen, et al. "Assessment of a Mobile App by Adolescents and Young Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Pilot Evaluation." JMIR mHealth and uHealth 7, no. 11 (November 21, 2019): e12442. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/12442.
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Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) continues to be the most common life-limiting chronic pulmonary disease in adolescents and young adults. Treatment of CF demands a high treatment time investment to slow the progression of lung function decline, the most important contributor to morbidity and mortality. Adherence is challenging in CF due to the high treatment burden and the lack of immediate health consequences in case of nonadherence. Lung function decline is particularly pronounced in the transition phase between 12 and 24 years of age. The improvement of self-management and self-responsibility and independence from parents and desire for normalcy are conflicting aspects for many adolescents with CF, which influence adherence to the time-consuming pulmonary therapy. Mobile health (mHealth) care apps could help to support self-management and independence and thereby reconcile seemingly conflicting goals to improve adherence, quality of life, and ultimately CF life expectancy. Objective This study aimed to (1) assess user behavior and satisfaction among adolescents and young adults with CF over an observation period of three months using an mHealth app; (2) identify areas of improvement for this mHealth app; and (3) compare overall and disease-specific satisfaction, lung function, and anthropometry before and after using the mHealth app. Methods A total of 27 adolescents and young adults with CF (age range 12-24 years, mean age 16 years, SD 3 years; 14 females, 11 males) used a free mHealth app for three months of whom 25 provided questionnaire data for analysis at the end of the study. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires on usage characteristics and life satisfaction, and standardized assessment of lung function and anthropometry. Results The use of the reminder function for medication declined from 70% (15/21) of the participants at week 4 to 65% (13/20) at week 8 of the observation period. At the end of the study, only 17% (4/23) of the participants wanted to continue using the app. Nevertheless, 56% (14/25) of participants saw the mobile app as a support for everyday life. Potential improvements targeting hedonistic qualities were identified to improve mHealth app adherence. Comparisons of satisfaction with different life aspects hinted at improvements or stabilization for the subitem respiration and the subitem lack of handicap by CF, suggesting that app use might stabilize certain CF-specific aspects of the weighted satisfaction with life. Lung function and anthropometry were not affected consistently. Conclusions Most of the patients did not want to continue using the app after the study period. Only a few CF-specific aspects of weighted life satisfaction were possibly stabilized by the mHealth app; clinical parameters were not affected. Adaptation of the functions to adolescent-specific needs could improve the long-term use and thus positively affect the disease course.
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Timmers, Thomas, Loes Janssen, Joep Stohr, J. L. Murk, and M. A. H. Berrevoets. "Using eHealth to Support COVID-19 Education, Self-Assessment, and Symptom Monitoring in the Netherlands: Observational Study." JMIR mHealth and uHealth 8, no. 6 (June 23, 2020): e19822. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/19822.
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Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation demands a lot from citizens, health care providers, and governmental institutions. Citizens need to cope with guidelines on social interaction, work, home isolation, and symptom recognition. Additionally, health care providers and policy makers have to cope with unprecedented and unpredictable pressure on the health care system they need to manage. By providing citizens with an app, they always have access to the latest information and can assess their own health. This data could be used to support policy makers and health care providers to get valuable insights in the regional distribution of infection load and health care consumption. Objective The aim of this observational study is to assess people’s use of an app to support them with COVID-19 education, self-assessment, and monitoring of their own health for a 7-day period. In addition, we aim to assess the usability of this data for health care providers and policy makers by applying it to an interactive map and combining it with hospital data. The secondary outcomes of the study were user’s satisfaction with the information provided in the app, perceived usefulness of the app, health care providers they contacted, and the follow-up actions from this contact. Methods This observational cohort study was carried out at the nonacademic teaching hospital “Elisabeth Twee Steden” (ETZ) in Tilburg, Netherlands. From April 1, 2020, onwards ETZ offered the COVID-19 education, self-assessment, and symptom tracking diary to their already existing app for patient education and monitoring. Results Between April 1 and April 20, 2020, a total of 6194 people downloaded the app. The self-assessment functionality was used abundantly to check one’s health status. In total, 5104 people responded to the question about severe symptoms, from which 242 indicated to suffer from severe symptoms. A total of 4929 people responded to the question about mild symptoms, from which 3248 indicated to suffer from these. The data was successfully applied to an interactive map, displaying user demographics and health status. Furthermore, the data was linked to clinical data. App users were satisfied with the information in the app and appreciated the symptom diary functionality. In total, 102 users reached out to a health care provider, leading to 91 contacts. Conclusions Our study demonstrated the successful implementation and use of an app with COVID-19 education, self-assessment, and a 7-day symptom diary. Data collected with the app were successfully applied to an interactive map. In addition, we were able to link the data to COVID-19 screening results from the hospital’s microbiology laboratory. This data could be used to support policy makers and health care providers to get valuable insights in the regional distribution of infection load and health care consumption. Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Register NL8501; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8501
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Hans, Parminder K., Carolyn Steele Gray, Ashlinder Gill, and James Tiessen. "The provider perspective: investigating the effect of the Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome (ePRO) mobile application and portal on primary care provider workflow." Primary Health Care Research & Development 19, no. 02 (September 13, 2017): 151–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1463423617000573.
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AimThis qualitative study investigates how the Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome (ePRO) mobile application and portal system, designed to capture patient-reported measures to support self-management, affected primary care provider workflows.BackgroundThe Canadian health system is facing an ageing population that is living with chronic disease. Disruptive innovations like mobile health technologies can help to support health system transformation needed to better meet the multifaceted needs of the complex care patient. However, there are challenges with implementing these technologies in primary care settings, in particular the effect on primary care provider workflows.MethodsOver a six-week period interdisciplinary primary care providers (n=6) and their complex care patients (n=12), used the ePRO mobile application and portal to collaboratively goal-set, manage care plans, and support self-management using patient-reported measures. Secondary thematic analysis of focus groups, training sessions, and issue tracker reports captured user experiences at a Toronto area Family Health Team from October 2014 to January 2015.FindingsKey issues raised by providers included: liability concerns associated with remote monitoring, increased documentation activities due to a lack of interoperability between the app and the electronic patient record, increased provider anxiety with regard to the potential for the app to disrupt and infringe upon appointment time, and increased demands for patient engagement. Primary care providers reported the app helped to focus care plans and to begin a collaborative conversation on goal-setting. However, throughout our investigation we found a high level of provider resistance evidenced by consistent attempts to shift the app towards fitting with existing workflows rather than adapting much of their behaviour. As health systems seek innovative and disruptive models to better serve this complex patient population, provider change resistance will need to be addressed. New models and technologies cannot be disruptive in an environment that is resisting change.
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Buheji, Mohamed, Ana Vovk Korže, Sajeda Eidan, Talal Abdulkareem, Nikolay Perepelkin, Bartola Mavric, Jiri Preis, et al. "Global Self-Sufficiency Network-A Collaborative Approach for Addressing Post-COVID-19 Challenges." Business and Economic Research 10, no. 3 (June 9, 2020): 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ber.v10i3.17158.
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COVID-19 raised lots of issues relevant to the status, the readiness and the capacity of the self-sufficiency of the different communities and countries during conditions of lockdown and requirements for social distancing, during the first four months of the pandemic.An international multidiscipline scholars discussion on zoom, a multi-media conferencing app, is categorised according to the subjects of the self-sufficiency practices that are reflections of the specific attitudes and behaviours that shape the social demands during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scholars discuss the requirements of re-building the self-sufficiency social beliefs which the capital economy destroyed. Based on the methodology of discussion from the different background scholar, the challenges and then the outcome of self-sufficiency projects are defined.
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Saxon, Leslie, Brooks DiPaula, Glenn R. Fox, Rebecca Ebert, Josiah Duhaime, Luciano Nocera, Luan Tran, and Mona Sobhani. "Continuous Measurement of Reconnaissance Marines in Training With Custom Smartphone App and Watch: Observational Cohort Study." JMIR mHealth and uHealth 8, no. 6 (June 15, 2020): e14116. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/14116.
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Background Specialized training for elite US military units is associated with high attrition due to intense psychological and physical demands. The need to graduate more service members without degrading performance standards necessitates the identification of factors to predict success or failure in targeted training interventions. Objective The aim of this study was to continuously quantify the mental and physical status of trainees of an elite military unit to identify novel predictors of success in training. Methods A total of 3 consecutive classes of a specialized training course were provided with an Apple iPhone, Watch, and specially designed mobile app. Baseline personality assessments and continuous daily measures of mental status, physical pain, heart rate, activity, sleep, hydration, and nutrition were collected from the app and Watch data. Results A total of 115 trainees enrolled and completed the study (100% male; age: mean 22 years, SD 4 years) and 64 (55.7%) successfully graduated. Most training withdrawals (27/115, 23.5%) occurred by day 7 (mean 5.5 days, SD 3.4 days; range 1-22 days). Extraversion, positive affect personality traits, and daily psychological profiles were associated with course completion; key psychological factors could predict withdrawals 1-2 days in advance (P=.009). Conclusions Gathering accurate and continuous mental and physical status data during elite military training is possible with early predictors of withdrawal providing an opportunity for intervention.
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Militello, Lisa, Michael Sobolev, Fabian Okeke, Daniel A. Adler, and Inbal Nahum-Shani. "Digital Prompts to Increase Engagement With the Headspace App and for Stress Regulation Among Parents: Feasibility Study." JMIR Formative Research 6, no. 3 (March 21, 2022): e30606. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/30606.
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Background Given the interrelated health of children and parents, strategies to promote stress regulation are critically important in the family context. However, the uptake of preventive mental health is limited among parents owing to competing family demands. Objective In this study, we aim to determine whether it is feasible and acceptable to randomize digital prompts designed to engage parents in real-time brief mindfulness activities guided by a commercially available app. Methods We conducted a 30-day pilot microrandomized trial among a sample of parents who used Android smartphones. Each day during a parent-specified time frame, participants had a 50% probability of receiving a prompt with a message encouraging them to engage in a mindfulness activity using a commercial app, Headspace. In the 24 hours following randomization, ecological momentary assessments and passively collected smartphone data were used to assess proximal engagement (yes or no) with the app and any mindfulness activity (with or without the app). These data were combined with baseline and exit surveys to determine feasibility and acceptability. Results Over 4 months, 83 interested parents were screened, 48 were eligible, 16 were enrolled, and 10 were successfully onboarded. Reasons for nonparticipation included technology barriers, privacy concerns, time constraints, or change of mind. In total, 80% (8/10) of parents who onboarded successfully completed all aspects of the intervention. While it is feasible to randomize prompt delivery, only 60% (6/10) of parents reported that the timing of prompts was helpful despite having control over the delivery window. Across the study period, we observed higher self-reported engagement with Headspace on days with prompts (31/62, 50% of days), as opposed to days without prompts (33/103, 32% of days). This pattern was consistent for most participants in this study (7/8, 87%). The time spent using the app on days with prompts (mean 566, SD 378 seconds) was descriptively higher than on days without prompts (mean 225, SD 276 seconds). App usage was highest during the first week and declined over each of the remaining 3 weeks. However, self-reported engagement in mindfulness activities without the app increased over time. Self-reported engagement with any mindfulness activity was similar on days with (40/62, 65% of days) and without (65/103, 63% of days) prompts. Participants found the Headspace app helpful (10/10, 100%) and would recommend the program to others (9/10, 90%). Conclusions Preliminary findings suggest that parents are receptive to using mindfulness apps to support stress management, and prompts are likely to increase engagement with the app. However, we identified several implementation challenges in the current trial, specifically a need to optimize prompt timing and frequency as a strategy to engage users in preventive digital mental health.
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Simon, Judith, and Gernot Rieder. "Trusting the Corona-Warn-App? Contemplations on trust and trustworthiness at the intersection of technology, politics and public debate." European Journal of Communication 36, no. 4 (July 13, 2021): 334–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/02673231211028377.
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Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions of whom or what to trust have become paramount. This article examines the public debates surrounding the initial development of the German Corona-Warn-App in 2020 as a case study to analyse such questions at the intersection of trust and trustworthiness in technology development, design and oversight. Providing some insights into the nature and dynamics of trust and trustworthiness, we argue that (a) trust is only desirable and justified if placed well, that is, if directed at those being trustworthy; that (b) trust and trustworthiness come in degrees and have both epistemic and moral components; and that (c) such a normatively demanding understanding of trust excludes technologies as proper objects of trust and requires that trust is directed at socio-technical assemblages consisting of both humans and artefacts. We conclude with some lessons learned from our case study, highlighting the epistemic and moral demands for trustworthy technology development as well as for public debates about such technologies, which ultimately requires attributing epistemic and moral duties to all actors involved.
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Noack, Eva Maria, Jennifer Schulze, and Frank Müller. "Designing an App to Overcome Language Barriers in the Delivery of Emergency Medical Services: Participatory Development Process." JMIR mHealth and uHealth 9, no. 4 (April 14, 2021): e21586. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/21586.
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Background In emergencies, language barriers may have dangerous consequences for the patients. There have been some technical approaches to overcome language barriers in medical care but not yet in the prehospital emergency care setting. The use of digital technologies in health care is expanding rapidly. Involving end users at all stages of the development process may help to ensure such technologies are usable and can be implemented. Objective We aimed to develop a digital communication tool that addresses paramedic needs in the specific circumstances of prehospital emergency care and helps paramedics to overcome language barriers when providing care to foreign-language patients. Methods We actively engaged paramedics and software designers in an action-oriented, participatory, iterative development process, which included field observations, workshops, background conversations, questionnaires on rescue missions, studying the literature, and preliminary testing in the field. Results With input from paramedics, we created an app with 600 fixed phrases supporting 18 languages. The app includes medical history–taking questions, phrases asking for consent, and phrases providing specific additional information. Children as patients, as well as their carers and other third parties, can be addressed with appropriate wording. All phrases can be played back audibly or displayed as text. The comprehensive content is grouped into categories and adapted to diverse scenarios, which makes the tool rapidly usable. The app includes a function to document patient responses and the conversation history. For evaluation in a clinical study, the app is run on a smartphone with extra speakers to be of use in noisy environments. The use of prototypes proved valuable to verify that the content, structure, and functions discussed in theory were of value and genuinely needed in practice and that the various device control elements were intuitive. Conclusions The nature of the paramedic work environment places specific demands on the communication options used and need for such devices. The active involvement of paramedics in the development process allowed us to understand and subsequently consider their experience-based knowledge. Software designers could understand the paramedics’ work environment and consider respective needs in the menu navigation and design principles of the app. We argue that the development of any medical software product should actively involve both end users and developers in all phases of the development process. Providing the users with the opportunity to influence technology development ensures that the result is closer to their needs, which can be seen as crucial for successful implementation and sustainable use. Trial Registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00016719; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00016719 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1186/s12913-020-05098-5
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Chen, Ching-Hua, Jia-Jun Zhang, Chang-Han Wang, Yu-Chia Chang, and Pinghui S. Yeh. "Constant Optical Power Operation of an Ultraviolet LED Controlled by a Smartphone." Sensors 21, no. 14 (July 9, 2021): 4707. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21144707.
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Constant light power operation of an ultraviolet (UV) LED based on portable low-cost instrumentation and a monolithically integrated monitoring photodiode (MPD) has been reported for the first time. UV light irradiation has become one of the essential measures for disinfection and sterilization. Monitoring and maintaining a specified light power level is important to meet the criteria of sterilization. We built a module composed of a monolithically integrated UV LED and MPD, a transimpedance amplifier, an Arduino Uno card, a digital-to-analog converter and a Bluetooth transceiver. An Android App that we wrote remotely controlled the UV LED module via Bluetooth. The Arduino Uno card was programmed to receive demands from the smartphone, sent a driving voltage to the LED and returned the present MPD voltage to the smartphone. A feedback loop was used to adjust the LED voltage for maintaining a constant light output. We successfully demonstrated the functioning of remote control of the App, and the resultant UV LED measured power remained the same as the setting power. This setup can also be applied to visible or white LEDs for controlling/maintaining mixed light’s chromaticity coordinates or color temperature. With such controlling and internet capability, custom profiling and maintenance of precision lighting remotely would be possible.
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Burri, M., L. P. Werk, A. Berchtold, M. Pugliese, and B. Muschalla. "Mini-ICF-APP Inter-Rater Reliability and Development of Capacity Disorders Over the Course of a Vocational Training Program—A Longitudinal Study." Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health 8, no. 2 (April 22, 2021): 159–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40737-021-00216-w.
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AbstractThe Mini-ICF-APP is an established instrument in social medicine, especially in the context of work ability assessment. In this study, the 13 capacity dimensions of Mini-ICF-APP were tested for its inter-rater reliability in the context of a vocational training program for persons with chronic and mental health problems in Switzerland. Also, the development of capacity impairments was investigated over the course of the long-term vocational training programs.61 training reports on chronically ill persons with mental health impairments were collected within a vocational training program in 2018–2019. Capacity impairment of the trainees were assessed at the beginning of the intervention (t0), after three months (t1) and after 6 to 9 months (t2) by a job attendant and a consultant at each of the three time points. Inter-rater reliabilities for each time point have been calculated. Development of capacity impairment over the course of the vocational training were investigated by variance analysis with repeated measurements.The inter-rater reliability increased in all 13 Mini-ICF-APP capacity dimensions over the course from t0 to t2. Spearman correlation in each capacity dimension reached sufficient values (r = 0.55*–0.97**). There was no statistically significant change of capacity impairment over the course of the vocational training. Ten capacity dimensions showed a decreasing tendency, three showed a tendency to improve capacity levels.Through repeated application and training programs the capacity raters seem to be able to improve reliability of their assessments. The phenomenon of slight increase of capacity impairments over the time may be due to the fact that context and rater’s knowledge on participants and context demands changed over the time.
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Peters, Dorian, Mark Deady, Nick Glozier, Samuel Harvey, and Rafael A. Calvo. "Worker Preferences for a Mental Health App Within Male-Dominated Industries: Participatory Study." JMIR Mental Health 5, no. 2 (April 25, 2018): e30. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/mental.8999.
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Background Men are less likely to seek help for mental health problems, possibly because of stigma imposed by cultural masculine norms. These tendencies may be amplified within male-dominated workplaces such as the emergency services or transport industries. Mobile apps present a promising way to provide access to mental health support. However, little is known about the kinds of mental health technologies men would be willing to engage with, and no app can be effective if the intended users do not engage with it. Objective The goal of this participatory user research study was to explore the perceptions, preferences, and ideas of workers in male-dominated workplaces to define requirements for a mental health app that would be engaging and effective at improving psychological well-being. Methods Workers from male-dominated workplaces in rural, suburban, and urban locations took part in an exploratory qualitative study involving participatory workshops designed to elicit their perspectives and preferences for mental health support and the design of an app for mental health. Participants generated a number of artifacts (including draft screen designs and promotional material) designed to reify their perceptions, tacit knowledge, and ideas. Results A total of 60 workers aged between 26 and 65 years, 92% (55/60) male, from male-dominated workplaces in rural (16/60, 27%), suburban (14/60, 23%), and urban (30/60, 50%) locations participated in one of the 6 workshops, resulting in 49 unique feature ideas and 81 participant-generated artifacts. Thematic analysis resulted in a set of feature, language, and style preferences, as well as characteristics considered important by participants for a mental health app. The term “mental health” was highly stigmatized and disliked by participants. Tools including a mood tracker, self-assessment, and mood-fix tool were highly valued, and app characteristics such as brevity of interactions, minimal on-screen text, and a solutions-oriented approach were considered essential by participants. Some implementation strategies based on these findings are included in the discussion. Conclusions Future mental health mobile phone apps targeting workers in male-dominated workplaces need to consider language use and preferred features, as well as balance the preferences of users with the demands of evidence-based intervention. In addition to informing the development of mental health apps for workers in male-dominated industries, these findings may also provide insights for mental health technologies, for men in general, and for others in high-stigma environments.
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Shah, Nirav N., Colleen Kucharczuk, Nandita Mitra, Rebecca Hirsh, Jakub Svoboda, David Porter, Alison W. Loren, Noelle V. Frey, and Marilyn M. Schapira. "Provider Based Outcomes on an Allogeneic Transplant Service." Blood 124, no. 21 (December 6, 2014): 2643. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.v124.21.2643.2643.
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Abstract Introduction: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a potentially curative, although highly morbid procedure for some patients with hematologic malignancies. Care of patients undergoing ASCT is highly specialized, and often complicated. Traditionally, the majority of transplants occur at tertiary academic centers where housestaff (medical residents) provide daily care. However, with new limitations on resident work-hours, alternative models of team based care replacing residents with Advanced Practice Providers (nurse practitioners/physician assistants) have been utilized. In this study we compared outcomes on a housestaff (HS) based allogeneic transplant service to outcomes on an Advanced Practice Provider (APP) based service. Methods: A retrospective chart review of ASCT patients admitted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was performed. Prior to July 2012, all ASCT patients were admitted to a HS service (staffed by residents, a fellow, and an attending). Starting July 2012, all new ASCT patients were admitted to a newly developed APP service (staffed by 2 APPs, an attending, and overnight moonlighters). We evaluated 86 patients admitted to the HS service from May 2011 to May 2012 and 81 patients admitted to the APP service from Oct 2012 to Oct 2013. Patients from June 2012 to September 2012 were excluded due to transition and cross-over during the initial months of the new service. A subset of 27 overflow ASCT patients admitted to the housestaff service from Oct 2012 to Oct 2013 was studied as part of a secondary analysis. For our primary analysis, we compared patient, provider, and cost outcomes pre and post July 2012 on the HS and APP services. Patient outcomes included 100 day relapse free and overall survival rates, length of stay (LOS), 14 & 30 day re-admission rates, in-hospital death rate, ICU transfers, and infectious complications such as pneumonia (PNA), urinary tract infections, bacteremia, and C. Diff colitis. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed using a t-test for continuous variables, chi-squared and Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables, and a Wilcoxon rank-sum test for ordinal variables. Results: Baseline characteristics among patients on the APP and HS services revealed no statistically significant differences in mean age, gender, indication for transplant, donor type (allo-sib vs MUD vs cord graft), or conditioning regimen (myeloablative vs reduced intensity). More patients were transplanted with active disease on the APP service (41% vs 27%, p=0.06), but the difference was not statistically significant. ECOG performance status and a hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index score were also not significantly different between the groups. The rate of PNA was significantly less on the APP service (15% vs 28%, p=0.04) while other infectious complications were similar in both groups. There were several important findings that did not reach statistical significance, including less in-hospital death on the APP service (4% vs 10%, p=0.09), a decrease in ICU transfers on the APP service (8.6% vs 18.6%, p=0.06) and a three day absolute difference in the mean LOS favoring a shorter hospitalization on the APP service (p=0.12) with no difference in 14 or 30 day re-admission rates. 100 day survival rates and relapse free survival rates were similar in both groups with slightly less relapse in the APP group (p=0.08). Lastly, hospital charges and total costs of the hospitalization were not significantly different although there was an increase in testing on the HS service in terms of number of radiological films (5 vs 8, p=0.05) and number of blood cultures ordered (4 vs 7, p=0.03). Conclusions: With increasing demands on the physician work force, alternative models of care are increasingly employed. In our study, the development of a specialized inpatient APP allogeneic transplant service suggests that there may be a decreased length of stay, fewer ICU transfers, and fewer in-hospital deaths. There were potential cost-saving benefits due to decreased utilization of laboratory and radiological testing. In conclusion, APPs are a safe and feasible alternative care approach to the traditional HS model for patients undergoing ASCT. Additional studies need to be performed to ensure that both the quality and cost of patient care are maximized as new care models are developed. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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Mitropapas, A., I. Koumantakis, E. Vasileiou, M. Perdikaki, and A. Kallioras. "OVEREXPLOITATION OF GROUNDWATER RESOURCES IN THE COASTAL AQUIFER SYSTEM OF ARGOLIS." Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece 50, no. 2 (July 27, 2017): 865. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/bgsg.11792.
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Intense abstraction of groundwater resources in the coastal aquifer system of Argolis is investigated since the late 1950’s. The increasing water demands due to the agricultural development of the area (mainly citrus trees) during the last years, in combination with the touristic growth, has led to the overexploitation of groundwater resources of the coastal aquifer system of Argolis. This paper presents the piezometric conditions in the plain of Argos during the period between 1986 and 2014, analysing the fluctuations of groundwater levels and highlighting the problem of seawater intrusion in the study area. In October 2014, measurements were made in app. 160 wells and drills which are located within the boundaries of the granular aquifer of the study area. Selected piezometric maps are presented, which demonstrate the problem of overexploitation of groundwater in the plain of Argos.
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Chung, Arlene E., Ashley C. Griffin, Dasha Selezneva, and David Gotz. "Health and Fitness Apps for Hands-Free Voice-Activated Assistants: Content Analysis." JMIR mHealth and uHealth 6, no. 9 (September 24, 2018): e174. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.9705.
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Background Hands-free voice-activated assistants and their associated devices have recently gained popularity with the release of commercial products, including Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Voice-activated assistants have many potential use cases in healthcare including education, health tracking and monitoring, and assistance with locating health providers. However, little is known about the types of health and fitness apps available for voice-activated assistants as it is an emerging market. Objective This review aimed to examine the characteristics of health and fitness apps for commercially available, hands-free voice-activated assistants, including Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Methods Amazon Alexa Skills Store and Google Assistant app were searched to find voice-activated assistant apps designated by vendors as health and fitness apps. Information was extracted for each app including name, description, vendor, vendor rating, user reviews and ratings, cost, developer and security policies, and the ability to pair with a smartphone app and website and device. Using a codebook, two reviewers independently coded each app using the vendor’s descriptions and the app name into one or more health and fitness, intended age group, and target audience categories. A third reviewer adjudicated coding disagreements until consensus was reached. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize app characteristics. Results Overall, 309 apps were reviewed; health education apps (87) were the most commonly occurring, followed by fitness and training (72), nutrition (33), brain training and games (31), and health monitoring (25). Diet and calorie tracking apps were infrequent. Apps were mostly targeted towards adults and general audiences with few specifically geared towards patients, caregivers, or medical professionals. Most apps were free to enable or use and 18.1% (56/309) could be paired with a smartphone app and website and device; 30.7% (95/309) of vendors provided privacy policies; and 22.3% (69/309) provided terms of use. The majority (36/42, 85.7%) of Amazon Alexa apps were rated by the vendor as mature or guidance suggested, which were geared towards adults only. When there was a user rating available, apps had a wide range of ratings from 1 to 5 stars with a mean of 2.97. Google Assistant apps did not have user reviews available, whereas most of Amazon Alexa apps had at least 1-9 reviews available. Conclusions The emerging market of health and fitness apps for voice-activated assistants is still nascent and mainly focused on health education and fitness. Voice-activated assistant apps had a wide range of content areas but many published in the health and fitness categories did not actually have a clear health or fitness focus. This may, in part, be due to Amazon and Google policies, which place restrictions on the delivery of care or direct recording of health data. As in the mobile app market, the content and functionalities may evolve to meet growing demands for self-monitoring and disease management.
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Arora, Mehul, Sarthak Naithani, and Anu Shaju Areeckal. "A web-based application for face detection in real-time images and videos." Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2161, no. 1 (January 1, 2022): 012071. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2161/1/012071.
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Abstract Face detection is widely used in the consumer industry such as advertising, user interfaces, video streaming apps and in many security applications. Every application has its own demands and constraints, and hence cannot be fulfilled by a single face detection algorithm. In this work, we developed an interactive web-based application for face detection in real-time images and videos. Pretrained face detection algorithms, namely Haar cascade classifier, HOG-based frontal face detector, Multi-task Cascaded Convolutional Neural Network (MTCNN) and Deep Neural Network (DNN), were used in the web-based application. A performance analysis of these face detection algorithms is done for various parameters such as different lighting conditions, face occlusion and frame rate. The web app interface can be used for an easy comparison of different face detection algorithms. This will help the user to decide on the algorithm that suits their purpose and requirements for various applications.
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Brun, H., R. A. B. Bugge, L. K. R. Suther, S. Birkeland, R. Kumar, E. Pelanis, and O. J. Elle. "Mixed reality holograms for heart surgery planning: first user experience in congenital heart disease." European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging 20, no. 8 (December 6, 2018): 883–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ehjci/jey184.
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Abstract Aims Proof of concept and feasibility study for preoperative diagnostic use of mixed reality (MR) holograms of individual 3D heart models from standard cardiac computed tomography angiograms (CTA) images. Optimal repair for complex congenital heart disease poses high demands on 3D anatomical imagination. Three-dimensional printed heart models are increasingly used for improved morphological understanding during surgical and interventional planning. Holograms are a dynamic and interactive alternative, probably with wider applications. Methods and results A 3D heart model was segmented from CTA images in a patient with double outlet right ventricle and transposition of the great arteries (DORV-TGA). The hologram was visualized in the wearable MR platform HoloLens® for 36 paediatric heart team members who filled out a diagnostic and quality rating questionnaire. Morphological and diagnostic output from the hologram was assessed and the 3D experience was evaluated. Locally developed app tools such as hologram rotation, scaling, and cutting were rated. Anatomy identification and diagnostic output was high as well as rating of 3D experience. Younger and female users rated the app tools higher. Conclusion This preliminary study demonstrates that MR holograms as surgical planning tool for congenital heart disease may have a high diagnostic value and contribute to understanding complex morphology. The first users experience of the hologram presentation was found to be very positive, with a preference among the female and the younger users. There is potential for improvement of the hologram manipulation tools.