bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Communication Cost Aware Resource Efficient Load Balancing (CARELB)
Framework for Cloud Datacenter
Authors: Saxena Deepika , Singh Ashutosh Kumar
Published: August 2020

Background:

Load balancing of communication-intensive applications, allowing efficient resource utilization and minimization of power consumption is a challenging multi-objective virtual machine (VM) placement problem. The communication among inter-dependent VMs, raises network traffic, hampers cloud client’s experience and degrades overall performance, by saturating the network.

Introduction:

Cloud computing has become an indispensable part of Information Technology (IT), which supports the backbone of digitization throughout the world. It provides shared pool of IT resources, which are: always on, accessible from anywhere, at anytime and delivered on demand, as a service. The scalability and pay-per-use benefits of cloud computing has driven the entire world towards on-demand IT services that facilitates increased usage of virtualized resources. The rapid growth in the demands of cloud resources has amplified the network traffic in and out of the datacenter. Cisco Global Cloud Index predicts that by the year 2021, the network traffic among the devices within the datacenter will grow at Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.4%

Methods:

To address these issues, a communication cost aware and resource efficient load balancing (CARE-LB) framework is presented, that minimizes communication cost, power consumption and maximize resource utilization. To reduce the communication cost, VMs with high affinity and inter-dependency are intentionally placed closer to each other. The VM placement is carried out by applying the proposed integration of Particle Swarm Optimization and non-dominated sorting based Genetic Algorithm i.e. PSOGA algorithm encoding VM allocation as particles as well as chromosomes.

Results:

The performance of proposed framework is evaluated by the execution of numerous experiments in the simulated datacenter environment and it is compared with the state-of-the-art methods like, Genetic Algorithm, First-Fit, Random-Fit and Best-Fit heuristic algorithms. The experimental outcome reveals that the CARE-LB framework improves 11% resource utilization, minimize 4.4% power consumption, 20.3% communication cost with reduction of execution time up to 49.7% over Genetic Algorithm based Load Balancing framework.

Conclusion:

The proposed CARE-LB framework provides promising solution for faster execution of data-intensive applications with improved resource utilization and reduced power consumption.

Discussion:

In the observed simulation, we analyze all the three objectives, after execution of the proposed multi-objective VM allocations and results are shown in Table 4. To choose the number of users for analysis of communication cost, the experiments are conducted with different number of users. For instance, for 100 VMs we choose 10, 20,...,80 users, and their request for VMs (number of VMs and type of VMs) are generated randomly, such that the total number of requested VMs do not exceed number of available VMs.
From the Editor
Authors: Humphreys John
Published: August 2020

A letter from the editor.
Half full or half empty: The effects of top managers’ dispositional optimism on strategic decision-making and firm performance
Authors: Papenhausen Chris
Published: August 2020

This study explores the effects of top managers’ dispositional optimism on firm behavior and performance, and more specifically, the relationship between top managers’ optimism and firm problem recognition, firm problem solving actions and firm performance. To test these hypotheses, surveys and other data from a strategy simulation game were analyzed. Results indicate that top managers’ optimism positively influences problem recognition and problem solving actions, but unexpectedly, negatively influences firm performance.
A Theoretical Model Applying Fuzzy Logic Theory for Evaluating Personnel in Project Management
Authors: Galinec Darko , Vidović Slavko
Published: August 2020

Project team work depends considerably on the contribution of its members and its management as well. Cooperation among members depends on the leader who is supposed to encourage interactions, growth and knowledge exchange among members. To identify the importance of each individual, a leader/manager must evaluate individual contributions. On the basis of such assessments, necessary and possible actions will be undertaken to improve the achievements of the team as a whole. A leader usually has defective and incomplete information at his disposal and, besides, is subjective. To solve the aforesaid problem, fuzzy approach and fuzzy logic are used. Fuzzy logic, as a method for soft-computing, as input values employs data with the following features; uncertainty and partial verity, indistinctive borders among particular categories. Fuzzy evaluation system has been designed to reduce evaluation subjectivity.
A precedence evaluation of demand and supply between vocational high school graduates and workforce requirement in Indonesia
Authors: Jaedun Amat , Omar Muhd Khaizer , Kartowagiran Badrun , Istiyono Edi
Published: August 2020

The success in implementing the demand-driven approach in Vocational High Schools (VHS) can be realized by understanding the misalignment that occurs between graduate skill competency and workforce demand by the industry. This study aims at describing the precedence between the VHS graduates and the businesses/industrial sector (BS/IS) portraying from the regional potential perspectives. The research data was collected from documents and survey forms distributed to (BS/IS) within the research population. The document analysis was employed to collect information on programs offered at VHS, existing VHS students enrollment, and the value of Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in studied provinces. An online survey was distributed to all VHS graduates and BS/IS employers. The content validity was carried out prior actual study to ensure the validity of the instrument. A descriptive analysis was performed to gather information pertaining to developed research objectives. The precedence of the academic programs with the GRDP was determined based on 5% of criteria differences. The results found that there is a misalignment between the academic programs and the VHS students enrollment towards the region job potentials in each province in Indonesia. In addition, the research also found that the competency of VHS graduates related to the theoretical knowledge, the job characteristics, and the workforce skills were at moderate level. The implication of the study offers salient notion on minimizing the precedence that occurs between the supply and demand in the form of graduates supply to workforce and at the same time, fulfilling the workforce requirements demand by the industries. It is suggested on the capabilities of educational institutions in tweaking into demand-driven approach in making sure the academic program is relevant and sustainable.
OBJETO DE APRENDIZAJE DE MATEMÁTICAS COMO HERRAMIENTA PARA DISMINUIR LA DESERCIÓN UNIVERSITARIA
Authors: Baldiris Silvia , Garzón-Álvarez Juan
Published: August 2020

En este artículo se describe la experiencia del proceso de validación de un Objeto de Aprendizaje (OA), creado como Mediador Pedagógico Virtual nivelatorio de matemáticas para apoyar el proceso de aprendizaje de los estudiantes que comienzan sus estudios de educación superior en el área de Ingeniería. El OA desarrollado, es un apoyo de los docentes que imparten los cursos básicos de matemáticas, favoreciendo la disminución de la deserción universitaria debida al bajo rendimiento académico.
INCENTIVO AO ESTUDO ATRAVÉS DOS JOGOS: EXPERIÊNCIAS NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DE UMA REDE SOCIAL GAMIFICADA
Authors: Winter Natália J , Santos Gilberto N. , Mossmann João B. , F. Barbosa Débora N. , Rosecler Bez Marta
Published: August 2020

Com o rápido e crescente uso da tecnologia, as crianças já nascem imergidas neste ambiente digitalizado, atuando de uma forma muito natural ao lidar com diversos tipos de tecnologias. A rede social é uma delas. Ela disponibiliza informação e interação sobre todo tipo de conteúdo para o usuário, também como a possibilidade de compartilhamento de conteúdo por parte do usuário. O projeto apresentado neste artigo estuda essa tecnologia para estimular e ajudar no reforço escolar, por meio de jogos para dispositivos móveis - bem como o compartilhamento das informações em uma Rede Social Gamificada. Postula-se, um empenho dos usuários através de suas conquistas e pontuações nos jogos educativos que fazem parte da Rede Social Gamificada, denominada Teia. Resultados preliminares do projeto foram mostrados no SBGames e no Gamepad, ambos no ano de 2013.
PROPUESTA DE EVALUACIÓN DEL CONTENIDO EDUCATIVO DIGITAL Y SU ACCESIBILIDAD PARA ALUMNOS NO VIDENTES
Authors: Tapia León Mariela , Luján-Mora Sergio , Palacios-Zamora Kerly
Published: August 2020

De acuerdo a diferentes convenciones internacionales, los Estados firmantes se comprometen a promover el acceso de las personas con discapacidad a los nuevos sistemas y tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, incluida Internet. Además, también se comprometen a garantizar el acceso a la educación. En el marco de este contexto, en este artículo se presentan los resultados de un estudio en el que se ha evaluado el nivel de accesibilidad del contenido digital educativo que se publica en la plataforma de apoyo al aprendizaje de la Universidad Estatal del Milagro en Ecuador.
A METAMEMORY MODEL FOR AN INTELLIGENT TUTORING SYSTEM UN MODELO DE METAMEMORIA PARA UN SISTEMA TUTOR INTELIGENTE
Authors: Caro Manuel , Josylua Darsana
Published: August 2020

Metamemory refers to the processes involved in self-regulation or self-awareness of memory. In this paper we describe a novel rule-based architecture of metamemory named M2-Acch. M2-Acch consists of a cycle of reasoning about events that occur in long-term memory (LTM) in an intelligent tutoring system. M2-Acch is composed of a three layer structure: static layer, functional layer and information layer. The structural components of each layer model are described using formal definitions. M2-Acch uses confidence judgments for recommending search strategies for adaptation to changes in the information retrieval constraints. An intelligent tutoring system named FUNPRO was implemented and validated. The results of the experimental tests show that M2-Acch can be used as a valid tool for adapting to changes
Revisión de expertos para medir la calidad de objetos de aprendizaje
Authors: Duque Nestor
Published: August 2020

Los Objetos de Aprendizaje (OAs) han originado un nuevo modelo conceptual para organizar el contenido en contextos educativos basados en e-learning. Debido a su importante aporte a los procesos de enseñanza/aprendizaje, se requiere de esfuerzos que permitan establecer estrategias para determinar y asegurar su calidad.La calidad en este contexto se entiende como el cumplimiento de un conjunto de características deseables del OA, desde diferentes dimensiones, tales como educativa, de contenido, estética, funcional y de metadatos. Una propuesta para revisión de OAs por parte de expertos, es presentada en el presente trabajo, donde se define un conjunto de 8 criterios orientados a obtener una visión general del OA, y que permitirán tomar decisiones frente a estrategias para el aseguramiento de la calidad de los recursos. Esta propuesta fue aplicada en la evaluación de OAs disponibles a través de la federación FROAC, evidenciando problemas de calidad de estos recursos, y con ello la necesidad de seguir trabajando en mejorar los procesos de construcción de estos recursos educativos.
Personalización en LMS a partir de un Modelo Integral de Estudiante: un Caso de Implementación Tecnológica
Authors: Mendoza Miguel , González Carolina , Peña Nestor
Published: August 2020

Este artículo parte del reconocimiento de tres ejes fundamentales: (1) la personalización (adaptación) es una función deseada por los sistemas de aprendizaje para los procesos centrados en el estudiante (usuario) y para ello requieren que el denominado Modelo de Estudiante (ME) integre sus características fundamentales; (2) la conformación de un Modelo Integral de Estudiante (MIE) que define y categoriza de manera holística los elementos fundamentales para promover la personalización; (3) los Sistemas de Gestión de Aprendizaje (LMS por sus siglas en inglés) son plataformas de uso masivo que usualmente no vinculan la función de personalización. Por lo anterior, el proceso investigativo seguido muestra un estudio de caso en el que a partir del MIE conformado se emplea la categoría de Estilos de Aprendizaje (EA) para generar la provisión personalizada de material instruccional a cada estudiante de los cursos adscritos a un LMS. Los resultados destacan el aporte conceptual a partir del MIE, la viabilidad del proceso de personalización en el LMS, la relevancia de las redes bayesianas para la personalización y la eficiencia de la arquitectura tecnológica implementada por medio de servicios web.
Hacia una ontología de razonamiento pedagógico para la recomendación de estrategias didácticas mediadas por TIC
Authors: Gomez Adan , Caro Manuel
Published: August 2020

Este trabajo presenta los avances preliminares obtenidos en la construcción de una ontología para el razonamiento pedagógico. La ontología tiene como objetivo la recomendación de estrategias didácticas mediadas por TIC a los docentes que utilizan dispositivos electrónicos como mediadores de procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje.
Redes Neuronales Artificiales (Rnas) En La Predicción De Propiedades Termodinámicas Del Líquido Y Vapor De Agua Saturados
Authors: Ortega Fabian , Sierra Mauricio J. , Lopez Emiro A.
Published: August 2020

Las propiedades termodinámicas del líquido y vapor de agua saturados son útiles en el diseño de evaporadores, columnas de destilación, líneas de transporte de vapor e intercambiadores de calor en general, y se pueden modelar a través de ecuaciones tradicionales conocidas (Clapeyron, Clausius-Clapeyron, Antoinne, Riedel y Watson, etc.), todas ellas arrojando una sola propiedad termodinámica, razón por la cual el modelo obtenido con RNAs es importante, ya que éste correlaciona muy bien todas las variables termodinámicas con la temperatura de saturación. El objetivo de este trabajo fue modelar las propiedades termodinámicas presión de saturación, entalpía, energía interna y entropía del líquido y vapor de agua saturados por medio de RNAs. Para el desarrollo de RNAs se utilizó la herramienta Simulink de Matlab 7.5, la arquitectura usada fue MLP (perceptrón multicapa), la función de transferencia usada en las neuronas ocultas fue la sigmoidea y en las de salida fue la función lineal, el algoritmo Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation fue usado para el entrenamiento y proceso de aprendizaje de la red. El mejor ajuste de los datos (R=0,999999, MSE=4,57) se obtuvo con la utilización de 7 neuronas ocultas en el modelo, el cual permite obtener las propiedades termodinámicas del líquido y vapor de agua saturados con sólo entrar la temperatura de saturación. Se encontró un modelo matemático de red neuronal que compite con los modelos termodinámicos tradicionales.
Sistema experto para el diagnóstico de plagas y enfermedades en los cultivos de Berenjena (Solanum Melongena L.) en la Región Caribe de Colombia
Authors: Bula Harold D. , Aramendiz Hermes , Salas Daniel , Vergara Wilmer E. , Villadiego Aida L.
Published: August 2020

El presente trabajo se basó en la construcción de un sistema experto para el diagnóstico de plagas y enfermedades en los cultivos de berenjena en la región Caribe de Colombia, con el objetivo de ponerlo a disposición de los profesionales del agro dedicados a esta labor, y de esta manera facilitar el diagnóstico de plagas y enfermedades en este cultivo. El trabajo se realizó con una base de conocimiento la cual se adquirió mediante la participación de un experto en el área del Departamento de Ingeniería Agronómica y Desarrollo rural de la Universidad de Córdoba. Su construcción combina tecnologías tales como, swi-prolog, JAVATM, PostgrSQL y XML y fue desarrollado bajo los principios actuales de la Ingeniería del Software y soportado en un enfoque metodológico que garantiza confiabilidad y consistencia del sistema. El sistema experto es capaz de diagnosticar ocho (8) plagas y nueve (9) enfermedades de los cultivos de berenjena, por medio de dos módulos de inferencia, donde se tienen en cuenta los daños presentes en las diferentes partes de la planta, así como la presencia de algún tipo de insecto. Adicionalmente se debe ingresar la estación climática, con el fin de dar un diagnóstico más certero.
Servicio De Transformación De Recursos Multimedia Para Su Entrega En Dispositivos Móviles
Authors: Gómez Sergio E. , Fabregat Ramón , Martínez Ramiro J. , Moreno Jose M. , Márquez Joevica
Published: August 2020

El estándar IMS-CP(IMS Content Packing) utilizado como contenedor de contenidos educativos, provee al aprendizaje móvil (m-learning) un instrumento muy útil, que facilita en gran medida la portabilidad, organización e intercambio de cualquier tipo de paquete educativo diseñado bajo este esquema. Por ser IMS-CP un estándar, se facilita el diseño de herramientas para la interpretación de estos, bajo plataformas, móviles, desktop o web, independientemente de lenguajes de programación, es decir, con IMS-CP es posible el diseño de todo tipo de herramientas apoyo al aprendizaje, bajo todo tipo de plataformas, con requerimientos mínimos muy bajos o muy altos, por ejemplo para el m-learning, solo con diseñar aplicaciones que permitan la lectura de paquetes IMS-CP desde aplicaciones móviles se está dando un gran salto, ya que la otra parte va de mano del educador, pues éste es quien se debe dar a la tarea de acumular actividades, recursos y demás contenidos para almacenarlos dentro de un IMS-CP. Bajo ciertas reglas y restricciones es posible que un educador almacene en un paquete contenidos educativos que posteriormente bajo cierto proceso, podrán ser leídos desde plataformas móviles, aunque no hayan sido diseñados con esta intención. Dicho proceso consiste en adecuar el contenido del paquete teniendo en cuenta las características del dispositivo del cual se requiera leer el paquete.
DISEÑO E IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UNA APLICACIÓN MÓVIL EN DISPOSITIVOS ANDROID PARA ESTIMULAR LA COMUNICACIÓN EN LA TERAPIA DE IMITACIÓN VERBAL EN EL CENTRO AUTISMO DIFICULTADES DEL COMPORTAMIENTO Y APRENDIZAJE.
Authors: Guevara Pedro , Barrios Berta , Arrieta Jose
Published: August 2020

The present work aims grade, developing a mobile application based on verbal imitation therapy for children with clinical diagnosis F.840, called autism, between 4 and 8 years old, taking the usability of android devices.
Verbal Imitation therapy is one of many that practice in rehabilitation centers, and is based on imitation of sounds in autistic children with some degree of attention and obedience. Until the child not 100% equates not stop performing.
Therapy is set to five levels by way of play, the child can not pass the level, but the activity exceeds the current level. In most activities, the game consists of a speech recognition system user and is based on listening and repetition of sounds, such as: the emission of sounds of farm animals, wild animals related to vocal and some consonants, the house where there are mixtures of vowels and consonants, among others.
Also this app is a great support to the therapist, because you can see the progress of children through the results obtained from the application.
PROCESO DE EVALUACIÓN DE COMPETENCIAS BASADO EN PROYECTOS
Authors: Cardona Sergio , Velez Jeimy , Tobón Sergio
Published: August 2020

Dentro del modelo de formación basado en competencias han surgido algunos enfoques, uno de ellos el socioformativo, que es cada vez más una referencia en América Latina para guiar la formación y evaluación de las competencias. El enfoque socioformativo utiliza la metodología de los proyectos de formación por medio de un conjunto articulado de estrategias pedagógicas que se utilizan a lo largo del tiempo para resolver problemas del contexto. Un proyecto formativo es un conjunto de actividades vinculadas que se despliegan en el tiempo para resolver un problema contextualizado en una red de situaciones y organizaciones que cambian constantemente, donde hay una evaluación continua que permite la retroalimentación a los estudiantes para ajustar su proceso de aprendizaje. En este trabajo se presenta una descripción de las actividades necesarias para estructurar un proyecto formativo y vincular un plan de evaluación de competencias que apliquen las concepciones pedagógicas y métodos metodológicos del enfoque socio-formativo. Se muestra una aplicación que permite a los profesores el diseño de un proyecto formativo y otro plan de evaluación dentro de un curso virtual por competencias. La aplicación fue desarrollada como un componente independiente de software que integra el sistema de gestión de aprendizaje (LMS Moodle).
A Serious Game on the First-Aid Procedure in Choking Scenarios: Design and Evaluation Study
Authors: Boada Imma , Rodriguez Benitez Antonio , Thió-Henestrosa Santiago , Soler Josep
Published: August 2020

Background

Choking is one of the causes of unintentional injury death. Gaining the knowledge of the first-aid procedure that has to be applied in case of choking can increase the chances of survival of persons with choking. Serious games can be a good channel for educating people about choking scenarios and the actions to be taken to save the persons with choking.

Objective

The objective of this study is to present and evaluate the effectiveness of a serious game designed to prevent choking and to promote the first-aid procedure that needs to be applied in case of choking.

Methods

In this study, we present a serious game as a set of minigames that reproduces the main steps of the protocol for the first-aid performed in choking. In the proposed game, the player acquires the role of a helper who has to save the person in a choking emergency by applying the main steps of the protocol. Time and score restrictions are imposed to pass each minigame. To test this game, we performed a pilot study with 48 high school students. Different tests were performed to assess the students’ preferences and their knowledge on choking before and after playing the proposed game. The obtained results were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test when a grade variable was involved and by using Fisher exact test when 2 categorical variables were involved.

Results

The findings of our study showed that the players enjoyed the game. No statistical differences were detected when considering the gender of the player, their preferences for video games, or their previous experience in choking emergencies. By comparing the knowledge of these students before and after playing the game, we found that all the indicators of the knowledge about how to act in case of a choking emergency were improved through this serious game.

Conclusions

The findings of our study show that the proposed game is a good strategy for promoting and teaching first-aid procedures in choking emergencies to nonexperts in this field.
A Mobile Health Intervention for Adolescents Exposed to Secondhand Smoke: Pilot Feasibility and Efficacy Study
Authors: Nardone Natalie , Giberson Jeremy , Prochaska Judith J , Jain Shonul , Benowitz Neal L
Published: August 2020

Background

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in children and adolescents has adverse health effects. For adolescents of lower socioeconomic status (SES), exposure is widespread, evidenced in the measurement of urinary cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine. Direct intervention with exposed children has been proposed as a novel method, yet there is minimal evidence of its efficacy. Combining this approach with a mobile health (mHealth) intervention may be more time and cost-effective and feasible for adolescent populations.

Objective

In this pilot study, we assessed the feasibility and preliminary evidence of efficacy of a 30-day text message–based mHealth intervention targeted at reducing SHS exposure in adolescent populations of low SES.

Methods

For the study, 14 nonsmoking and nonvaping participants between the ages of 12-21 years exposed to SHS were enrolled. The intervention consisted of a daily text message sent to the participants over the course of a month. Text message types included facts and information about SHS, behavioral methods for SHS avoidance, or true-or-false questions. Participants were asked to respond to each message within 24 hours as confirmation of receipt. Feasibility outcomes included completion of the 30-day intervention, receiving and responding to text messages, and feedback on the messages. Efficacy outcomes included a reduction in urinary cotinine, accuracy of true-or-false responses, and participants’ perceptions of effectiveness.

Results

Of the 14 participants that were enrolled, 13 completed the intervention. Though not required, all participants had their own cell phones with unlimited text messaging plans. Of the total number of text messages sent to the 13 completers, 91% (372/407) of them received on-time responses. Participant feedback was generally positive, with most requesting more informational and true-or-false questions. In terms of efficacy, 54% (6/11) of participants reduced their cotinine levels (however, change for the group overall was not statistically significant (P=.33) and 45% (5/11) of participants increased their cotinine levels. Of the total number of true-or-false questions sent across all completers, 77% (56/73) were answered correctly. Participants’ ratings of message effectiveness averaged 85 on a scale of 100.

Conclusions

In this pilot study, the intervention was feasible as the majority of participants had access to a cell phone, completed the study, and engaged by responding to the messages. The efficacy of the study requires further replication, as only half of the participants reduced their cotinine levels. However, participants answered the majority of true-or-false questions accurately and reported that the messages were helpful.
Effects of Avatar Perspective on Joint Excursions Used to Play Virtual Dodgeball: Within-Subject Comparative Study
Authors: van der Veen Susanne M , Stamenkovic Alexander , Applegate Megan E , Leitkam Samuel T , France Christopher R , Thomas James S
Published: August 2020

Background

Visual representation of oneself is likely to affect movement patterns. Prior work in virtual dodgeball showed greater excursion of the ankles, knees, hips, spine, and shoulder occurs when presented in the first-person perspective compared to the third-person perspective. However, the mode of presentation differed between the two conditions such that a head-mounted display was used to present the avatar in the first-person perspective, but a 3D television (3DTV) display was used to present the avatar in the third-person. Thus, it is unknown whether changes in joint excursions are driven by the visual display (head-mounted display versus 3DTV) or avatar perspective during virtual gameplay.

Objective

This study aimed to determine the influence of avatar perspective on joint excursion in healthy individuals playing virtual dodgeball using a head-mounted display.

Methods

Participants (n=29, 15 male, 14 female) performed full-body movements to intercept launched virtual targets presented in a game of virtual dodgeball using a head-mounted display. Two avatar perspectives were compared during each session of gameplay. A first-person perspective was created by placing the center of the displayed content at the bridge of the participant’s nose, while a third-person perspective was created by placing the camera view at the participant’s eye level but set 1 m behind the participant avatar. During gameplay, virtual dodgeballs were launched at a consistent velocity of 30 m/s to one of nine locations determined by a combination of three different intended impact heights and three different directions (left, center, or right) based on subject anthropometrics. Joint kinematics and angular excursions of the ankles, knees, hips, lumbar spine, elbows, and shoulders were assessed.

Results

The change in joint excursions from initial posture to the interception of the virtual dodgeball were averaged across trials. Separate repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed greater excursions of the ankle (P=.010), knee (P=.001), hip (P=.0014), spine (P=.001), and shoulder (P=.001) joints while playing virtual dodgeball in the first versus third-person perspective. Aligning with the expectations, there was a significant effect of impact height on joint excursions.

Conclusions

As clinicians develop treatment strategies in virtual reality to shape motion in orthopedic populations, it is important to be aware that changes in avatar perspective can significantly influence motor behavior. These data are important for the development of virtual reality assessment and treatment tools that are becoming increasingly practical for home and clinic-based rehabilitation.
A Serious Game on the First-Aid Procedure in Choking Scenarios: Design and Evaluation Study (Preprint)
Authors: Boada Imma , Rodriguez Benitez Antonio , Thió-Henestrosa Santiago , Soler Josep
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Choking is one of the causes of unintentional injury death. Gaining the knowledge of the first-aid procedure that has to be applied in case of choking can increase the chances of survival of persons with choking. Serious games can be a good channel for educating people about choking scenarios and the actions to be taken to save the persons with choking.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to present and evaluate the effectiveness of a serious game designed to prevent choking and to promote the first-aid procedure that needs to be applied in case of choking.

METHODS

In this study, we present a serious game as a set of minigames that reproduces the main steps of the protocol for the first-aid performed in choking. In the proposed game, the player acquires the role of a helper who has to save the person in a choking emergency by applying the main steps of the protocol. Time and score restrictions are imposed to pass each minigame. To test this game, we performed a pilot study with 48 high school students. Different tests were performed to assess the students’ preferences and their knowledge on choking before and after playing the proposed game. The obtained results were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test when a grade variable was involved and by using Fisher exact test when 2 categorical variables were involved.

RESULTS

The findings of our study showed that the players enjoyed the game. No statistical differences were detected when considering the gender of the player, their preferences for video games, or their previous experience in choking emergencies. By comparing the knowledge of these students before and after playing the game, we found that all the indicators of the knowledge about how to act in case of a choking emergency were improved through this serious game.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of our study show that the proposed game is a good strategy for promoting and teaching first-aid procedures in choking emergencies to nonexperts in this field.
A Mobile Health Intervention for Adolescents Exposed to Secondhand Smoke: Pilot Feasibility and Efficacy Study (Preprint)
Authors: Nardone Natalie , Giberson Jeremy , Prochaska Judith J , Jain Shonul , Benowitz Neal L
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in children and adolescents has adverse health effects. For adolescents of lower socioeconomic status (SES), exposure is widespread, evidenced in the measurement of urinary cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine. Direct intervention with exposed children has been proposed as a novel method, yet there is minimal evidence of its efficacy. Combining this approach with a mobile health (mHealth) intervention may be more time and cost-effective and feasible for adolescent populations.

OBJECTIVE

In this pilot study, we assessed the feasibility and preliminary evidence of efficacy of a 30-day text message–based mHealth intervention targeted at reducing SHS exposure in adolescent populations of low SES.

METHODS

For the study, 14 nonsmoking and nonvaping participants between the ages of 12-21 years exposed to SHS were enrolled. The intervention consisted of a daily text message sent to the participants over the course of a month. Text message types included facts and information about SHS, behavioral methods for SHS avoidance, or true-or-false questions. Participants were asked to respond to each message within 24 hours as confirmation of receipt. Feasibility outcomes included completion of the 30-day intervention, receiving and responding to text messages, and feedback on the messages. Efficacy outcomes included a reduction in urinary cotinine, accuracy of true-or-false responses, and participants’ perceptions of effectiveness.

RESULTS

Of the 14 participants that were enrolled, 13 completed the intervention. Though not required, all participants had their own cell phones with unlimited text messaging plans. Of the total number of text messages sent to the 13 completers, 91% (372/407) of them received on-time responses. Participant feedback was generally positive, with most requesting more informational and true-or-false questions. In terms of efficacy, 54% (6/11) of participants reduced their cotinine levels (however, change for the group overall was not statistically significant (P=.33) and 45% (5/11) of participants increased their cotinine levels. Of the total number of true-or-false questions sent across all completers, 77% (56/73) were answered correctly. Participants’ ratings of message effectiveness averaged 85 on a scale of 100.

CONCLUSIONS

In this pilot study, the intervention was feasible as the majority of participants had access to a cell phone, completed the study, and engaged by responding to the messages. The efficacy of the study requires further replication, as only half of the participants reduced their cotinine levels. However, participants answered the majority of true-or-false questions accurately and reported that the messages were helpful.
Effects of Avatar Perspective on Joint Excursions Used to Play Virtual Dodgeball: Within-Subject Comparative Study (Preprint)
Authors: van der Veen Susanne M , Stamenkovic Alexander , Applegate Megan E , Leitkam Samuel T , France Christopher R , Thomas James S
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Visual representation of oneself is likely to affect movement patterns. Prior work in virtual dodgeball showed greater excursion of the ankles, knees, hips, spine, and shoulder occurs when presented in the first-person perspective compared to the third-person perspective. However, the mode of presentation differed between the two conditions such that a head-mounted display was used to present the avatar in the first-person perspective, but a 3D television (3DTV) display was used to present the avatar in the third-person. Thus, it is unknown whether changes in joint excursions are driven by the visual display (head-mounted display versus 3DTV) or avatar perspective during virtual gameplay.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the influence of avatar perspective on joint excursion in healthy individuals playing virtual dodgeball using a head-mounted display.

METHODS

Participants (n=29, 15 male, 14 female) performed full-body movements to intercept launched virtual targets presented in a game of virtual dodgeball using a head-mounted display. Two avatar perspectives were compared during each session of gameplay. A first-person perspective was created by placing the center of the displayed content at the bridge of the participant’s nose, while a third-person perspective was created by placing the camera view at the participant’s eye level but set 1 m behind the participant avatar. During gameplay, virtual dodgeballs were launched at a consistent velocity of 30 m/s to one of nine locations determined by a combination of three different intended impact heights and three different directions (left, center, or right) based on subject anthropometrics. Joint kinematics and angular excursions of the ankles, knees, hips, lumbar spine, elbows, and shoulders were assessed.

RESULTS

The change in joint excursions from initial posture to the interception of the virtual dodgeball were averaged across trials. Separate repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed greater excursions of the ankle (P=.010), knee (P=.001), hip (P=.0014), spine (P=.001), and shoulder (P=.001) joints while playing virtual dodgeball in the first versus third-person perspective. Aligning with the expectations, there was a significant effect of impact height on joint excursions.

CONCLUSIONS

As clinicians develop treatment strategies in virtual reality to shape motion in orthopedic populations, it is important to be aware that changes in avatar perspective can significantly influence motor behavior. These data are important for the development of virtual reality assessment and treatment tools that are becoming increasingly practical for home and clinic-based rehabilitation.
Influence of Social Media Platforms on Public Health Protection Against the COVID-19 Pandemic via the Mediating Effects of Public Health Awareness and Behavioral Changes: Integrated Model (Preprint)
Authors: Al-Dmour Hani , Masa’deh Ra’ed , Salman Amer , Abuhashesh Mohammad , Al-Dmour Rand
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

Despite the growing body of literature examining social media in health contexts, including public health communication, promotion, and surveillance, limited insight has been provided into how the utility of social media may vary depending on the particular public health objectives governing an intervention. For example, the extent to which social media platforms contribute to enhancing public health awareness and prevention during epidemic disease transmission is currently unknown. Doubtlessly, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents a great challenge at the global level, aggressively affecting large cities and public gatherings and thereby having substantial impacts on many health care systems worldwide as a result of its rapid spread. Each country has its capacity and reacts according to its perception of threat, economy, health care policy, and the health care system structure. Furthermore, we noted a lack of research focusing on the role of social media campaigns in public health awareness and public protection against the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan as a developing country.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of social media platforms on public health protection against the COVID-19 pandemic via public health awareness and public health behavioral changes as mediating factors in Jordan.

METHODS

A quantitative approach and several social media platforms were used to collect data via web questionnaires in Jordan, and a total of 2555 social media users were sampled. This study used structural equation modeling to analyze and verify the study variables.

RESULTS

The main findings revealed that the use of social media platforms had a significant positive influence on public health protection against COVID-19 as a pandemic. Public health awareness and public health behavioral changes significantly acted as partial mediators in this relationship. Therefore, a better understanding of the effects of the use of social media interventions on public health protection against COVID-19 while taking public health awareness and behavioral changes into account as mediators should be helpful when developing any health promotion strategy plan.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the use of social media platforms can positively influence awareness of public health behavioral changes and public protection against COVID-19. Public health authorities may use social media platforms as an effective tool to increase public health awareness through dissemination of brief messages to targeted populations. However, more research is needed to validate how social media channels can be used to improve health knowledge and adoption of healthy behaviors in a cross-cultural context.
Identifying the underlying factors associated with antidepressant drug discontinuation: Content analysis of patients’ drug reviews (Preprint)
Authors: Alarifi Mohammad , Goudarzvand3 Somaieh , Jabour Abdulrahman , Foy Doreen , Zolnoori Maryam
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

The rate of antidepressant prescriptions is globally increasing. A large portion of patients stop their medications which could lead to many side effects including relapse, and anxiety.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this was to develop a drug-continuity prediction model and identify the factors associated with drug-continuity using online patient forums.

METHODS

We retrieved 982 antidepressant drug reviews from the online patient’s forum AskaPatient.com. We followed the Analytical Framework Method to extract structured data from unstructured data. Using the structured data, we examined the factors associated with antidepressant discontinuity and developed a predictive model using multiple machine learning techniques.

RESULTS

We tested multiple machine learning techniques which resulted in different performances ranging from accuracy of 65% to 82%. We found that Radom Forest algorithm provides the highest prediction method with 82% Accuracy, 78% Precision, 88.03% Recall, and 84.2% F1-Score. The factors associated with drug discontinuity the most were; withdrawal symptoms, effectiveness-ineffectiveness, perceived-distress-adverse drug reaction, rating, and perceived-distress related to withdrawal symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the nature of data available at online forums differ from data collected through surveys, we found that online patients forum can be a valuable source of data for drug-continuity prediction and understanding patients experience. The factors identified through our techniques were consistent with the findings of prior studies that used surveys.
Forecasting American COVID-19 Cases and Deaths through Machine Learning (Preprint)
Authors: Somalwar Anaiy
Published: August 2020

UNSTRUCTURED

COVID-19 has become a great national security problem for the United States and many other countries, where public policy and healthcare decisions are based on the several models for the prediction of the future deaths and cases of COVID-19. While the most commonly used models for COVID-19 include epidemiological models and Gaussian curve-fitting models, recent literature has indicated that these models could be improved by incorporating machine learning. However, within this research on potential machine learning models for COVID-19 forecasting, there has been a large emphasis on providing an array of different types of machine learning models rather than optimizing a single one. In this research, we suggest and optimize a linear machine learning model with a gradient-based optimizer for the prediction of future COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States. We also suggest that a hybrid of a machine learning model for shorter range predictions and a Gaussian curve-fitting model or an epidemiological model for longer range predictions could greatly increase the accuracy of COVID-19 forecasting.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

RR2-https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.13.20174631
COVID-19 Related Web Search Behaviors: An Analytical Study of Google Trends-based Query Volumes in Indonesia (Preprint)
Authors: Widyasari Vita , Putra Karisma Trinanda , Wang Jiun-Yi
Published: August 2020

BACKGROUND

The volume of search keywords on Google can be used as a reference to an ongoing online trend during COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to estimate the responsiveness and public awareness in early days of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia using Google Trends relative search volumes (RSV).

METHODS

Sixty terms or keywords forming six topics included in the analysis were basic information, prevention, government policy, socio-economic, anxiety, and other issues related to COVID-19. All these keywords were checked for surveillance purposes between January 1 and May 4, 2020. The Python programming language was used for data mining from Google Trends databases. Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the correlations between the incidence of COVID-19 and the search terms.

RESULTS

Community response and awareness in the six topics were associated with the number of COVID-19 cases (r range between 0.570-0.825, P-value<.005). Before the first case announced in Indonesian, the prominent topics were basic information and other issues. One month after the first case, all topics experienced an increase in RSV. In the phase of outbreak, socio-economic and anxiety got much more attentions.

CONCLUSIONS

The government should consider to optimize the internet as a media for timely delivering most relevant information and dynamically respond massive queries, and improve health communications to increase public awareness and intention to prevent the disease.
BRINE SHRIMPS LETHALITY TEST OF ETHANOL EXTRACT AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION OF BLIGHIA SAPIDA
Authors: MB ADEKOLA , JO AREOLA , OV ORIYOMI , JT APATA , OE APALOWO , AF ADESINA , OO BABALOLA
Published: August 2020

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate brine shrimp lethality of Blighia sapida stem-bark extract and its fractions and identify the bioactive constituents in the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique.

Methods: The ethanol extract (EE) and its fractions were subjected to lethality assay, and GC-MS analysis of EAF was carried out.

Results: The lethality test showed a concentration-dependent mortality rate in the brine shrimp nauplii for the EE and its fractions. GC-MS analysis of EAF of the extract revealed the existence of 13 peaks of the GC-MS chromatogram with only one prominent compound, n-hexadecanoic acid (peak area of 10.13%).

Conclusion: The result revealed the presence of 13 bioactive components in the EAF of the extract, the majority of which have been reported for different biological activities, hence, justifies the use of the plant in the treatment and management of different diseases ethnomedicinally.