Applications of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies During COVID-19: A Review.

We are glad to introduce you that the 2021 3rd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Applications (ICAITA 2021) was successfully held on September 10-12, 2021. In light of worldwide travel restriction and the impact of COVID-19, ICAITA 2021 was carried out in the form of virtual conference to avoid personnel gatherings. Because most participants were still highly enthusiastic about participating in this conference, we chose to carry out ICAITA 2021 via online platform according to the original schedule instead of postponing it.ICAITA 2021 is to bring together innovative academics and industrial experts in the field of Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Applications to a common forum. The primary goal of the conference is to promote research and developmental activities in Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Applications and another goal is to promote scientific information interchange between researchers, developers, engineers, students, and practitioners working all around the world. The conference will be held every year to make it an ideal platform for people to share views and experiences in Artificial Intelligence Technologies and Applications and related areas.This scientific event brings together more than 100 national and international researchers in artificial intelligence technologies and applications. During the conference, the conference model was divided into three sessions, including oral presentations, keynote speeches, and online Q&A discussion. In the first part, some scholars, whose submissions were selected as the excellent papers, were given about 5-10 minutes to perform their oral presentations one by one. Then in the second part, keynote speakers were each allocated 30-45 minutes to hold their speeches.We were pleased to invite three distinguished experts to present their insightful speeches. Our first keynote speaker, Prof. Yau Kok Lim, from Sunway University, Malaysia. His research interests include Applied artificial intelligence, 5G networks, Cognitiveradio networks, Routing and clustering, Trust and reputation, Intelligent transportation system. And then we had Prof. Peter Sincak, from Technical University of Kosice, Slovakia. His research includes Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems. Lastly, we were glad to invite Chinthaka Premachandra, from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Sri Lanka. His research interests include Artificial Intelligence, image processing and robotics. In the last part of the conference, all participants were invited to join in a WeChat group to discuss and explore the academic issues after the presentations. The online discussion was lasted for about 30-60 minutes. The first two parts were conducted via online collaboration tool, Zoom, while the online discussion was carried out through instant communication tool, WeChat. The online platform enabled all participants to join this grand academic event from their own home.We are glad to share with you that we still received lots of submissions from the conference during this special period. Hence, we selected a bunch of high-quality papers and compiled them into the proceedings after rigorously reviewed them. These papers feature following topics but are not limited to: Artificial Intelligence Applications & Technologies, Computing and the Mind, Foundations of Artificial Intelligence and other related topics. All the papers have been through rigorous review and process to meet the requirements of international publication standard.Lastly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Chairman, the distinguished keynote speakers, as well as all the participants. We also want to thank the publisher for publishing the proceedings. May the readers could enjoy the gain some valuable knowledge from the proceedings. We are expecting more and more experts and scholars from all over the world to join this international event next year.The Committee of ICAITA 2021List of titles Committee member, General Conference Chair, Technical Program Committee Chair, Academic Committee Chair, Technical Program Committee Member, Academic Committee Member are available in this Pdf.

Peer Reviewed

Cardiac Surgery-Enhanced Recovery Programs Modified for COVID-19: Key Steps to Preserve Resources, Manage Caseload Backlog, and Improve Patient Outcomes

AI Applications in Health Sector: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Covid-19 Crisis and Impacts of Medical Robots on Global Economy

The Adoption and Implementation of Digital Health Care in the Post–COVID-19 Era

OMICS: A Journal of Integrative BiologyVol. 24, No. 5 EditorialsCOVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019): Opportunities and Challenges for Digital Health and the Internet of Medical Things in ChinaBiaoyang Lin and ShengJun WuBiaoyang LinAddress correspondence to: Biaoyang Lin, PhD, Department of Urology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA E-mail Address: biaoylin@gmail.comZhejiang-California International Nanosystems Institute (ZCNI) Proprium Research Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.Department of Urology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.Search for more papers by this author and ShengJun WuDepartment of Clinical Laboratories, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:7 May 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/omi.2020.0047AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View article"COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019): Opportunities and Challenges for Digital Health and the Internet of Medical Things in China." OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, 24(5), pp. 231–232FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byEmerging technologies for COVID (ET-CoV) detection and diagnosis: Recent advancements, applications, challenges, and future perspectivesBiomedical Signal Processing and Control, Vol. 83Integration of cloud computing with the Internet of things for the treatment and management of the COVID-19 pandemic15 November 2022 | Information Systems and e-Business Management, Vol. 26A novel e-healthcare diagnosing system for COVID-19 via whale optimization algorithm24 September 2022 | Journal of Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 6Call for Papers: COVID-19 Systems Biology, Multi-Omics Integration, and Digital Technologies in Ecology, Health, and Society Vural Özdemir7 September 2022 | OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, Vol. 26, No. 9From Personalized Medicine to Population Health: A Survey of mHealth Sensing TechniquesIEEE Internet of Things Journal, Vol. 9, No. 17The role of contemporary digital tools and technologies in COVID‐19 crisis: An exploratory analysis6 October 2021 | Expert Systems, Vol. 39, No. 6Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Challenges and Opportunities10 September 2020 | Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, Vol. 16, No. 2Anthropomorphic Robotic Eyes: Structural Design and Non-Verbal Communication Effectiveness15 April 2022 | Sensors, Vol. 22, No. 8Digital Transformation in Personalized Medicine with Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Medical Things Biaoyang Lin and Shengjun Wu7 February 2022 | OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, Vol. 26, No. 2A Review About the Main Technologies to Fight COVID-1915 April 2022Identifying and addressing digital health risks associated with emergency pandemic response: Problem identification, scoping review, and directions toward evidence-based evaluationInternational Journal of Medical Informatics, Vol. 157Unlocking the Public Perception of COVID-19 Vaccination Process on Social MediaToward Combatting COVID-19: A Risk Assessment SystemIEEE Internet of Things Journal, Vol. 8, No. 21An online COVID-19 self-assessment framework supported by IoMT technology6 August 2021 | Journal of Intelligent Systems, Vol. 30, No. 1A Security Management Framework for Big Data in Smart HealthcareBig Data Research, Vol. 25Connected Medical Kiosks to Counter COVID-19: Needs, Architecture & Design GuidelinesThe perspectives of biomarker-based electrochemical immunosensors, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Medical Things toward COVID-19 diagnosis and managementMaterials Today Chemistry, Vol. 20Internet of Things (IoT) Enabled Architecture for Social Distancing During Pandemic15 April 2021 | Frontiers in Communications and Networks, Vol. 2A Comprehensive Review of Applications of Internet of Things for Covid-19 PandemicIOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 1055, No. 1Robotics and Drone-Based Solution for the Impact of COVID-19 Worldwide Using AI and IoT16 February 2021Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies for COVID-19 Pandemic: Social, Global, and Industry Perspectives20 February 2021Telemedicine maybe an effective solution for management of chronic disease during the COVID-19 epidemic29 September 2021 | Primary Health Care Research & Development, Vol. 22Uma análise sobre o desenvolvimento de tecnologias digitais em saúde para o enfrentamento da COVID-19 no Brasil e no mundo1 January 2021 | Cadernos de Saúde Pública, Vol. 37, No. 3Enabled IoT Applications for Covid-191 May 2021Swarm Intelligence based Hierarchical Routing Protocols Study in WSNsCOVID-19 Digital Health Innovation Policy: A Portal to Alternative Futures in the Making Mustafa Bayram, Simon Springer, Colin K. Garvey, and Vural Özdemir3 August 2020 | OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, Vol. 24, No. 8Digital Technologies-Enabled Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 in the Post-COVID-19 Era: Lessons Learnt from a Pandemic3 July 2020 | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 17, No. 13Adoption of Digital Technologies in Health Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of Early Scientific Literature6 November 2020 | Journal of Medical Internet Research, Vol. 22, No. 11 Volume 24Issue 5May 2020 InformationCopyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Biaoyang Lin and ShengJun Wu.COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019): Opportunities and Challenges for Digital Health and the Internet of Medical Things in China.OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology.May 2020.231-232.http://doi.org/10.1089/omi.2020.0047Published in Volume: 24 Issue 5: May 7, 2020Online Ahead of Print:April 20, 2020PDF download

Integration of digital technologies and public health (or digital healthcare) helps us to fight the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is the biggest public health crisis humanity has faced since the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. In order to better understand the digital healthcare, this work conducted a systematic and comprehensive review of digital healthcare, with the purpose of helping us combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper covers the background information and research overview of digital healthcare, summarizes its applications and challenges in the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally puts forward the prospects of digital healthcare. First, main concepts, key development processes, and common application scenarios of integrating digital technologies and digital healthcare were offered in the part of background information. Second, the bibliometric techniques were used to analyze the research output, geographic distribution, discipline distribution, collaboration network, and hot topics of digital healthcare before and after COVID-19 pandemic. We found that the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated research on the integration of digital technologies and healthcare. Third, application cases of China, EU and U.S using digital technologies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic were collected and analyzed. Among these digital technologies, big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G are most effective weapons to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications cases show that these technologies play an irreplaceable role in controlling the spread of the COVID-19. By comparing the application cases in these three regions, we contend that the key to China’s success in avoiding the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic is to integrate digital technologies and public health on a large scale without hesitation. Fourth, the application challenges of digital technologies in the public health field are summarized. These challenges mainly come from four aspects: data delays, data fragmentation, privacy security, and data security vulnerabilities. Finally, this study provides the future application prospects of digital healthcare. In addition, we also provide policy recommendations for other countries that use digital technology to combat COVID-19.

Viruses, especially single-stranded RNA viruses, have always been a pathogenic menace as they cause emerging infectious diseases such as Zika, Ebola, Bird Flu, Chikungunya, Dengue, MERS, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Mokeypox, Marburg, Polio, and others. Of note, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Delta and Omicron variants have posed significant global health impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, co-circulation, and co-infections caused emergence of recombinant and hybrid variants, and eventually leading to different waves of surge in cases due to evasion of the vaccine (vaccine breakthrough) and infection induced immunity1. Currently, Omicron subvariants and lineages such as BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, BA.5, and then BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BA.4.6, BF.7, BA.2.75.2, XBB.1 and BF.7 have created additional health burden, revealing escape from vaccine and viral infection induced protective immunity1–4. A significant surge in COVID-19 cases has been seen from time to time in 2022, and more recently, cases of COVID-19 are again being observed to be rising in a few countries, especially China, evidencing an unprecedented high rise owing to the Omicron BF.7 subvariant and thus posing fears of the feasibility of driving a new wave of pandemic ahead4,5. Therefore, while transmissibility and disease severity of most recently emerged Omicron subvariants are still being investigated, it is strongly encouraged to resume appropriate COVID-19 behavior protocols, adopt recommended prevention and control measures, especially airborne and contact precautions for avoiding infection, and also consider the significance of increasing vigilance and imposing restrictions on international travel, may be partial as deemed fit from time to time, unless and until the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. Many factors contribute to the emergence of viruses. Human factors include urbanization, globalization, immune status, demographics, and international travel. Environmental factors include weather and climate changes (El Niño effects), river damming (which affects the amount and distribution of possible viral vectors or hosts), tropical deforestation (forcing human-vector contact), ecological interactions, pollution, and disturbances to the equilibrium. Viral factors include the genetic makeup of the virus, viral genetic variations (mutation, reassortment, and recombination), and specific changes (antigenic shift and drift in the influenza virus). It is imperative to mention, that emerging viral diseases are zoonoses, which are predominantly spread by arthropods and nonhuman primates6. The emergence can be explained by the phenomenon of 'Microbial traffic' which refers to the mechanism through which infectious organisms can spread from animals to people or from isolated groups into new populations. A variety of activities boost microbial movement, promoting emergence and epidemics. In certain cases, the agents spread from their native habitat into the human population due to the many similarities. In other circumstances, infections that are already present in geographically isolated groups are given a chance to spread further. Unexpectedly, human actions often lead to the genesis of these outbreaks; occasionally, natural factors like climatic shifts can also play a role. The spread of new and re-emerging infectious illnesses throughout the world is facilitated in large part by international travel, the most recent great example being the COVID-19 pandemic7–9. The importation of infectious diseases has long been a concern that is disregarded in countries with developing economies, despite the fact that it poses a serious health issue Increases in the incidence of imported infectious diseases may be linked to the boom in worldwide travel and globalization. However, monitoring programs have not reflected the rise in imported infectious disease incidences because they do not adequately capture complete epidemiological data10,11. Most new infectious disease outbreaks start in animals, and this trend is growing as a result of human activity, including increased mobility and globalization, and shifting environmental conditions, such as climate change and global warming. The most vulnerable populations, vectors of transmission, fatality rate, and transmissibility (typically expressed as a basic reproduction number) vary greatly between different viral disease epidemics12. Despite these variations, policy responses to viral epidemics tend to be consistent over time and across countries. These responses include social isolation, quarantine, school closures, and information campaigns, as well as vector control campaigns for vector-borne viral diseases, personal protection, and vaccines. Strict mobility and travel limitations are being implemented for illnesses with a high potential for geographic spread coupled with significant case mortality13,14, and full high limitations as like during COVID-19 pandemic7,8. As the world becomes more interconnected and mobile, international travel and trade have become increasingly important in shaping the spread and resurgence of infectious illnesses. There are three ways in which travel is linked to the spread of disease: the disease first appears in an area that sees a lot of visitors; the behaviors of the tourists themselves may put them in danger; or the travelers themselves act as vectors to spread the agent to other places15,16. In the age of globalization, international travel has improved connectivity but it has also allowed the transmission of seeds of outbreak from one region to another7,8. This is further augmented by ecological factors, which typically precipitate emergence by bringing individuals into direct contact with a previously unknown but pre-existing natural reservoir or host for an infection (often a zoonotic or arthropod-borne infection), either by increasing proximity or, more frequently, by changing situations to support an increasing growth of the microbe or its natural host17. The recent COVID-19 pandemic and its long-lasting impacts have made us realize the importance of preventive measures and pandemic preparedness as well as emphasizing the importance of restrictions on international travel either partial or full bans on flights, and adopting adequate mitigation measures during travel7–9. International travel is increasingly becoming more regulated. However, political, economical, and emotional factors hinder timely action. It has been laid out in a catena of research that travel restrictions must be implemented quickly to postpone the peak of a future outbreak7. A stronger and more portable diagnostic framework can prevent emerging viral infections from becoming pandemics or epidemics by aiding in early diagnosis and treatment. Diagnostic criteria can include point-of-care (POC) testing and the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare systems. However, the gold standard for diagnostic methods remains reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) for many emerging infections. POC molecular diagnostics significantly aid testing expansion, offer a portable, cost-effective solution, and eliminate the over-reliance on centralized laboratories18. POC can also measure different entities (viruses, antigens, and antibodies) that can contribute to the precise determination of an individual's health status. Early and accurate testing can decide a patient's clinical course and aid in management. However, a major challenge to this approach is the development and scaling of reliable methods for emerging infections for molecular detection and serologic assays in a timely fashion. AI can be used during outbreaks of emerging viral infections by detecting the transmission or predicting high-risk patients to help develop appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. AI can improve diagnostics by providing objective pattern recognition, standardizing the diagnosis of infections with IPC implications, and disseminating expertise in IPC19. The essence of the prevention of emerging viral infections is vaccines, and advances in science and technology have paved the ways for designing and developing effective, improved, and modern vaccines, including recombinant vaccines, vector-based vaccines, DNA vaccines, plant-based vaccines, CRISPR- and artificial intelligence-based vaccines, and others. We have seen repurposed vaccines having great success against certain emerging viruses, but had we been better prepared, we could have saved more people from mortality and morbidity caused by COVID-19. Furthermore, we need to refine the prophylactic and empirical treatment options. Most direct-acting antivirals take a 'one drug, one bug' approach by inhibiting proteins encoded by a single virus and end up being expensive yet inefficient against emerging infections. A possible cost-efficient solution in this domain is to target the host cell machinery or enzymatic functions shared by multiple viruses (broad-spectrum antivirals)20. Different interventions fall under the umbrella of 'travel-related control measures', including the complete closure of national borders to entry or exit, or both; travel restrictions reducing or stopping cross-border travel (e.g. denial of entry or exit based on nationality, travel history, health status, or other characteristics; suspension of travel via air, land, and sea); symptom/exposure-based screening at borders; test-based screening at borders; quarantine of travelers; wearing of face masks, and so on9,21,22. Taking precautions against the spread of infectious diseases through travel is a well-established method in public health. The widespread use of quarantine in medieval port towns and other areas helped stop the spread of bubonic plague. Recent epidemics have seen the implementation of similar procedures, such as airport exit screening and entry screening at national borders during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak in 2019–2022, and airport exit screening during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2014–201622. Considering that international travel plays a major role in the spread of emerging infectious pathogens, the authorities have imposed respiratory and hand hygiene for all travelers, but these interventions are not enough at a public health level. The travel regulations and restrictions form an immediate administrative need and have seen significant developments after COVID-19, laying the groundwork to manage future outbreaks too. Major citable examples are the 'travel bubbles' and 'vaccine passports'. A travel bubble is an arrangement, where bilateral air travel between two economically dependent countries is carried out given the testing protocols are maintained8. Another legislative tool is the 'vaccine passport'. These documents or certificates allow the authorities to ensure that all travelers are vaccinated23. In general, the timely imposition of appropriate restrictions on international travel could help prevent the spread of infectious diseases from one country to another. If the quarantine time is long enough and compliance is high, it should be possible to prevent the spread of the disease through tourists. Combining quarantine with PCR and POC diagnostic testing at borders is anticipated to increase efficiency. Studies have shown that the effectiveness of public health measures can vary widely depending on a variety of variables, including the prevalence of the disease in the community, the number of people who travel, the distance they travel, the types of public health measures already in place, and when they are implemented21,22. Better reporting, a variety of research approaches beyond modeling, and a societal assessment of the possible benefits and hazards of travel-related control measures are all necessary for future research. To save the world from the impacts of recently emerging multiple Omicron subvariants posing the feasibility of a new wave of COVID-19 pandemics, and other future pandemics, we recommend well-planned country-specific legislative policies for imposing time-to-time restrictions on international travel, enhancing more collaborative research for developing broad-spectrum antivirals and effective and newer vaccines, and strengthening preplanned structures for vaccine repurposing. Mitigation of the spread of Omicron subvariants warrants an integrated and collaborative IPC approach that combines masking, physical distancing, improving ventilation, increased testing, vigilance, tracking, isolation, quarantine, and awareness to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic in an effective way. Ethical approval The authors declare no involvement of animal studies or human participants in the study as it is a compiled letter article. Sources of funding None. Author contribution O.K., Y.S., N.K., and I.P.: designed the study. Y.S., H.C., and D.C.: made the first draft. Y.S., K.D., C.C., A.I., and N.K.: updated the manuscript. Y.S. and K.D.: reviewed the final draft. All authors have critically reviewed and approved the final draft and are responsible for the content and similarity index of the manuscript. Conflicts of interest disclosure The authors declare that they have no financial conflict of interest with regard to the content of this report. Research registration unique identifying number (UIN) None. Guarantor Md. Aminul Islam, COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh. Data statement Data not available/not applicable.

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Nursing Science and COVID-19

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Rational perspectives on risk and certainty for dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic

The brave new world of artificial intelligence: dawn of a new era

Youth Experiencing Homelessness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Unique Needs and Practical Strategies From International Perspectives

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has threatened public health. Medical imaging tools such as chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) play an essential role in the global fight against COVID-19. Recently emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies further strengthen the power of imaging tools and help medical professionals. We reviewed the current progress in the development of AI technologies for the diagnostic imaging of COVID-19.Current Concepts: The rapid development of AI, including deep learning, has led to the development of technologies that may assist in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, prediction of disease risk and prognosis, health index monitoring, and drug development. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, AI can improve work efficiency through accurate delineation of infections on chest X-ray and CT images, differentiation of COVID-19 from other diseases, and facilitation of subsequent disease quantification. Moreover, computer-aided platforms help radiologists make clinical decisions for disease diagnosis, tracking, and prognosis.Discussion and Conclusion: We reviewed the current progress in AI technology for chest imaging for COVID-19. However, it is necessary to combine clinical experts’ observations, medical image data, and clinical and laboratory findings for reliable and efficient diagnosis and management of COVID-19. Future AI research should focus on multimodality-based models and how to select the best model architecture for COVID-19 diagnosis and management.