Accessible Platform Research Articles

Design of a distributed offloading and real-time data unified access platform for IoT within command and control communication networks

Design of a distributed offloading and real-time data unified access platform for IoT within command and control communication networks

Civic Life in the Digital Space of Pre-Service Teachers

This research investigates the profile and perceptions of respondents towards widely accessible social media platforms to identify key considerations in transforming online engagement into actual civic action. Quantitative in design, the survey of the descriptive method of research is used adopting the developed questions for the study of the United Nations Development Programme on young activists in 2021 to assess the digital engagement of 118 pre-service teachers randomly selected through the multistage sampling method. Utilizing descriptive statistics, social media platforms providing greater opportunities for self-expression such as Facebook and Tiktok are found frequently used for creating and sharing content related to education, and health. Respondents concurred on widespread disinformation online and the complementary nature of civic engagement. Despite the manifested lack of trust and reservations due to the risk of data surveillance and breach, the respondents consider social media platforms as enabling venues for civic engagement. Corresponding policies and programs that institute gender-inclusive, safe, and participatory venues in both digital and traditional forms are necessary means for supporting the youth as key players in nation-building.

Accessible heritage cities

PurposeThis viewpoint note aims to discuss the challenges and the suggestions of using assistive technologies to improve the accessibility for travellers with disabilities and their companions at heritage cities.Design/methodology/approachThe viewpoint note used the narrative approach which conceptualised accessible tourism, challenges and solutions of using assistive technologies for improving the heritage cities visit experience of travellers with disabilities.FindingsThe viewpoint note discussed three challenges (physical, informational and attitudinal) and three approaches of accessible platform, navigation system, and accessible and interactive heritage interpretation solutions for accessible heritage cities.Originality/valueThe viewpoint note presents the expert opinion of authors who investigated the accessibility issue in heritage cities. The first author of this note is a person with disabilities who has been living and studying about experience of travellers with disabilities at many heritage cities. The other author is an expert in heritage tourism.

MicroRNA‐Responsive DNA Dendrimer Acts as a Smart STING Signal Amplifier

AbstractThe cGAS‐STING (cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase/stimulator of interferon genes) pathway is emerging as a promising target for cancer immunotherapy. However, developing specific and effective strategies for activating the cGAS‐STING pathway in tumors is still challenging. Here, a microRNA‐21 (miR‐21)‐responsive nucleic acid system, as a STING signal amplifier, is designed based on the branched catalytic hairpin assembly (bCHA). The effects of three types of dsDNA structures (linear dsDNA, Y scaffold dsDNA, and dsDNA dendrimer) on cGAS‐STING activation are systematically studied. This study demonstrates that dsDNA dendrimer can induce the most effective liquid–liquid phase separation in a miR‐21‐dependent manner, allowing the controllable activation of cGAS‐STING in both cancer cells and dendritic cells. Given the programmable nature of nucleic acid structure, this study will enable a readily accessible platform for integrating with immunotherapeutic strategies while opening new avenues for controllable, tumor‐specific activation of STING agonists.

Experimentally Realizable PT Phase Transitions in Reflectionless Quantum Scattering.

Above-barrier quantum scattering with truncated real potentials V(x)=-|x|^{p} provides an experimentally accessible platform that exhibits spontaneous parity-time symmetry breaking as p is varied. The unbroken phase has reflectionless states that correspond to bound states in the continuum of the nontruncated potentials at arbitrarily high discrete real energies. In the fully broken phase there are no bound states. There is a mixed phase in which exceptional points occur at specific energies and values of p. These effects should be observable in cold-atom scattering experiments.

Comparing Unmanned Aerial Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imagery for Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring in Artificial Ponds Used for Fish Farming

This work aimed to assess the potential of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multi- and hyper-spectral platforms to estimate chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and cyanobacteria in experimental fishponds in Brazil. In addition to spectral resolutions, the tested platforms differ in the price, payload, imaging system, and processing. Hyperspectral airborne surveys were conducted using a push-broom system 276-band Headwall Nano-Hyperspec camera onboard a DJI Matrice 600 UAV. Multispectral airborne surveys were conducted using a global shutter-frame 4-band Parrot Sequoia camera onboard a DJI Phantom 4 UAV. Water quality field measurements were acquired using a portable fluorometer and laboratory analysis. The concentration ranged from 14.3 to 290.7 µg/L and from 0 to 112.5 µg/L for Chl-a and cyanobacteria, respectively. Forty-one Chl-a and cyanobacteria bio-optical retrieval models were tested. The UAV hyperspectral image achieved robust Chl-a and cyanobacteria assessments, with RMSE values of 32.8 and 12.1 µg/L, respectively. Multispectral images achieved Chl-a and cyanobacteria retrieval with RMSE values of 47.6 and 35.1 µg/L, respectively, efficiently mapping the broad Chl-a concentration classes. Hyperspectral platforms are ideal for the robust monitoring of Chl-a and CyanoHABs; however, the integrated platform has a high cost. More accessible multispectral platforms may represent a trade-off between the mapping efficiency and the deployment costs, provided that the multispectral cameras offer narrow spectral bands in the 660–690 nm and 700–730 nm ranges for Chl-a and in the 600–625 nm and 700–730 nm spectral ranges for cyanobacteria.

Versatile and Accessible Magnetic Diagnosis Platform with Different Types of Magnetic Particles for Liquid and Solid Biopsies.

The diagnosis of liquid and solid biopsies by different instruments makes the clinic loading difficult in many aspects. Given the compositions of magnetic particles (MPs) with diverse characterizations and the innovative acoustic type of vibration sample magnetometer (VSM), the versatile, accessible magnetic diagnosis platform was proposed to meet clinical demands, such as low loading for multiple biopsies. In liquid biopsies of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) standard solutions and subject serums, molecular concentration was analyzed from saturation magnetization by the soft type of Fe3O4 MPs with AFP bioprobe coating. In the phantom mixture simulated as bounded MPs in tissue, the bounded MPs was evaluated from the area of the hysteresis loop by hard type of cobalt MPs without bio-probes coating. Not only a calibration curve was founded for many hepatic cell carcinoma stages, but also microscale images verified the Ms increase due to magnetic protein clusters, etc. Hence, its wide populations in clinics could be expected.

A genderful research world: rapid review, design, and pilot study of an interactive platform for curated sex and gender health research resources

BackgroundIntegration of sex and gender into health research is best practice for designing and conducting equitable, rigorous scientific research. Many evidence-based resources exist to support researchers in this endeavour, but such resources often remain underutilized as they are difficult to find, are not publicly accessible, or are specific to a particular research phase, context, or population. The development and evaluation of a repository of resources was deemed important to create an accessible platform for promoting sex- and gender-integration in health research.MethodsA rapid review was conducted of critical resources for conducting sex and gender health research. These were integrated into a prototype website design (the Genderful Research World; GRW) that provided an interactive digital landscape for researchers to access these resources. A pilot study evaluated the GRW website for applicability, desirability, and usability with an international sample of 31 health researchers from various disciplines and career stages. Quantitative data from the pilot study was summarized with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was summarized narratively and used to identify concrete elements for improvement in a second design iteration.ResultsResults of the pilot study revealed that the GRW was considered user friendly and desirable by health researchers and helped them access relevant information. Feedback suggested that providing these resources in a playful way may enhance the experience of the user, particularly given the high ‘desirability’ scores and that users emphasized the interactive layout as being key to their intention to integrate it into their teaching endeavors. Key feedback from the pilot study (e.g., addition of resources specific to research with transgender populations, revision of website layout) was integrated into the current version of the website: www.genderfulresearchworld.com.ConclusionsThe present research suggests a utility for a repository of resources for integrating sex and gender considerations into research, and that providing a logical, intuitive means of cataloguing and navigating such resources is critical for usability. The results of this study may inform the development of other novel researcher-directed resource curation efforts to address health equity issues and encourage and support health researchers to integrate a sex and gender perspective in their work.

Bridging community and clinic through digital health: Community-based adaptation of a mobile phone-based heart failure program for remote communities in Uganda

BackgroundIn Uganda, limited healthcare access has created a significant burden for patients living with heart failure. With the increasing use of mobile phones, digital health tools could offer an accessible platform for individualized care support. In 2016, our multi-national team adapted a mobile phone-based program for heart failure self-care to the Ugandan context and found that patients using the system showed improvements in their symptoms and quality of life. With approximately 84% of Ugandans residing in rural communities, the Medly Uganda program can provide greater benefit for communities in rural areas with limited access to care. To support the implementation of this program within rural communities, this study worked in partnership with two remote clinics in Northern Uganda to identify the cultural and service level requirements for the program.MethodsUsing the principles from community-based research and user-centered design, we conducted a mixed-methods study composed of 4 participatory consensus cycles, 60 semi-structured interviews (SSI) and 8 iterative co-design meetings at two remote cardiac clinics. Patient surveys were also completed during each SSI to collect data related to cell phone access, community support, and geographic barriers. Qualitative data was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The Indigenous method of two-eyed seeing was also embedded within the analysis to help promote local perspectives regarding community care.ResultsFive themes were identified. The burden of travel was recognized as the largest barrier for care, as patients were travelling up to 19 km by motorbike for clinic visits. Despite mixed views on traditional medicine, patients often turned to healers due to the cost of medication and transport. With most patients owning a non-smartphone (n = 29), all participants valued the use of a digital tool to improve equitable access to care. However, to sustain program usage, integrating the role of village health teams (VHTs) to support in-community follow-ups and medication delivery was recognized as pivotal.ConclusionThe use of a mobile phone-based digital health program can help to reduce the barrier of geography, while empowering remote HF self-care. By leveraging the trusted role of VHTs within the delivery of the program, this will help enable more culturally informed care closer to home.

Machine-Learning Methods for Speech and Handwriting Detection Using Neural Signals: A Review

Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their potential applications in diverse fields, ranging from the medical sector (people with motor and/or communication disabilities), cognitive training, gaming, and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), among other areas. BCI which can decode and recognize neural signals involved in speech and handwriting has the potential to greatly assist individuals with severe motor impairments in their communication and interaction needs. Innovative and cutting-edge advancements in this field have the potential to develop a highly accessible and interactive communication platform for these people. The purpose of this review paper is to analyze the existing research on handwriting and speech recognition from neural signals. So that the new researchers who are interested in this field can gain thorough knowledge in this research area. The current research on neural signal-based recognition of handwriting and speech has been categorized into two main types: invasive and non-invasive studies. We have examined the latest papers on converting speech-activity-based neural signals and handwriting-activity-based neural signals into text data. The methods of extracting data from the brain have also been discussed in this review. Additionally, this review includes a brief summary of the datasets, preprocessing techniques, and methods used in these studies, which were published between 2014 and 2022. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the methodologies used in the current literature on neural signal-based recognition of handwriting and speech. In essence, this article is intended to serve as a valuable resource for future researchers who wish to investigate neural signal-based machine-learning methods in their work.

8-year Evaluation of GameBus: Status quo in Aiming for an Open Access Platform to Prototype and Test Digital Health Apps

Although a vast number of mobile health interventions has been discussed in the scientific literature, the scientific evidence for engineering gamified health interventions is too meager. Depending on the context, this leads to immature investments on one side of the spectrum and delayed implementations on the other side. GameBus is a web platform for increasing the rigor of gamified health experiments in living lab settings. This article clarifies the scientific design rationale of this platform and provides an eight-year evaluation of its performance. We demonstrate that a large variety of studies has been performed, leading to a promising data set for analyzing the impact of gamification techniques in the context of health promotion. While various articles on such studies have been published, along with data sets, this article shares novel information to enable other scholars to scale up such efforts. We also highlight critical gaps to guide future work on the platform.

Data-Driven Intelligent Platforms—Design of Self-Sovereign Data Trust Systems

Urban areas provide the seedbed conditions for a variety of agglomeration advantages, including incubator conditions for the ICT sector. This study aims to present the foundations for a data-driven digital architecture based on the notion of open access platform organisations (e.g., platform cities). The principles of coordinated multi-actor data handling and exchange mechanisms centre in particular on privacy and confidentiality regulations. These are highlighted and tested on the basis of the data exchange architecture in a particular Industry 4.0 sector, viz., the medical–pharmaceutical sector. To cope with these issues, self-sovereign data trust systems are designed and tested using an OpenDSU data environment. Several building blocks of this architecture are presented and assessed. The conclusion of this study is that OpenDSU technology offers promising departures for handling privacy-sensitive and confidential data exchange in open platform organisations, such as smart cities.

Why intrauterine device (IUD) utilization is low in southwestern Ethiopia. A mixed-method study.

An intrauterine device (IUD) is a highly effective long-acting and reversible contraceptive method widely available around the world. However, only a small proportion of women in developing countries, including Ethiopia, are currently using the method. Therefore, this study aimed to identify why IUD utilization is low in southwestern Ethiopia. A mixed-method study involving health facilities and communities was conducted. The focus group discussions and key informant interviewees for the qualitative study were selected purposively, whereas 844 women family planning users were selected using systematic random sampling from November 1-30, 2020. Quantitative data was collected using Open Data Kit and analyzed using Stata version 16.0. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to identify significant factors influencing IUD use. The qualitative data were tape-recorded, transcribed, and finally, thematic analyses were done. A total of 784 participants were involved in the study yielding a response rate of 92.9%. Among all respondents, only 1.3%, 2.4%, and 30.0% had been using an IUD, preferred an IUD, and had the intention to use an IUD, respectively. The main reported barriers to use an IUD among qualitative participants were fear of side-effects, religious prohibitions of contraception use, husband disapproval, lack of training by health workers, misconceptions, and longer duration of use. IUD information (AOR = 2.19 [CI: 1.56-3.08]), and rich wealth status (AOR = 1.70 [CI: 1.13-2.56]) were associated with the intention to continue or start to use an IUD. IUD use and information on IUDs in the study area was very low. Information about IUDs, wealth status, and partner disapproval were determinant factors for intention to use an IUD. Thus, a regular awareness creation program using accessible media platforms by the government and stakeholders on IUD use is necessary to provide reliable information to the community and resolve misconceptions. In addition, women's empowerment to balance partner dominance on decision-making of contraception use and health care worker training on long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) to increase access to LARC services are necessary to increase uptake of LARCs in general and of IUDs, in particular in the study regions.

Older adults’ motivations in game based systems: Heuristic definition and its connection with fun

Efforts are currently being made to generate wellbeing in the elderly population in order to achieve a good quality of life through the improvement of health, social interaction and psychological health. This is achieved, in addition to other options, through the application of game-based systems, presenting positive results that have been evidenced in several studies. These types of approaches are not only applied for entertainment and leisure, but also for learning and generating positive feelings, as a means of escape from loneliness, isolation, health improvement and support in daily life. Although these experiences are gradually being applied to the older adult population, they have usually been oriented to a young population with different characteristics, needs and motivations, where technological mastery is taken for granted. This makes an older adult feel limited when initially interacting with this type of experiences, which prevents them from fully using and enjoying these technological solutions. In this article, different motivational aspects that encourage older adults to use game-based systems (for learning, fun, health, etc.) were identified and characterized in order to increase the use of this type of technologies, and to improve the design and evaluation of these experiences to obtain greater enjoyment from the end users. These aspects were represented by a motivational model and then established as a set of heuristics. These heuristics were evaluated by means of an expert judgment focused on the design of game experiences, obtaining positive results for the use of these elements as guides in the design and construction of Game-Based Systems oriented to older adults. This set of heuristics and their application were published in the PL/PX web platform for detailed explanation, access and use by the academic community.

3D Bioprinting and Its Role in a Wound Healing Renaissance

Abstract3D printing (3DP) is an accessible platform being increasingly utilized by independent researchers in fields ranging from industrial manufacturing to medicine. 3D bioprinting is a form of 3D printing that makes use of “bioinks,” organic or synthetic polymer formulations that are often laden with cells. The wide range of materials available means that bioinks can be tailored to the types of tissue that they are meant to emulate. Human skin has a complex microenvironment consisting of numerous layers, cell types, growth factors, and molecular signaling pathways. 3D bioprinting's flexibility and ability to create complex, bioactive structures means that it has great potential in creating artificial skin constructs for skin wound regeneration. While the available materials and cell types for 3DP are large, an ideal bioink for printing artificial skin remains yet to be found. This review will cover the various types of 3DP, the bioinks commonly used, the functionalization of printed artificial skin constructs, challenges that arise in the 3D bioprinting of skin, and future directions for the field. The structure of skin and the wound healing process will also be discussed, as sufficient understanding of these subjects is key to the development of therapeutic artificial skin constructs.

Innovations in social health delivery to advance equitable pediatric and adolescent life course health development: A review and roadmap forward

Recognizing the influence of social determinants on health and development, health care has increasingly advocated for interventions that target upstream factors as part of routine pediatric care delivery. In response, clinic-based social risk screening and referral programs have proliferated wherein patients are screened for health-related social needs (HRSNs, such as food and housing insecurity) and referred to community-based organizations (CBOs) and social service providers to address those needs. In recent years, an array of digital platforms, known as Social Health Access and Referral Platforms (SHARPs), have emerged to facilitate the scale and implementation of these models amidst growing system demand.Recent evidence on the effectiveness of social risk screen and refer models and SHARPs has been mixed, giving researchers pause and calling for more nuanced understanding of the limitations of such models, especially for promoting child and family health. Design thinking informed by the Life-Course Health Development (LCHD) framework provides a particularly useful lens for synthesizing emerging limitations of such models in the pediatric context, given the dynamic and developmentally-driven circumstances that shape family health and well-being in the early life course. By (1) focusing on addressing deficits-based social risks, (2) scoping to act upon narrow, downstream needs, (3) timing to react to social needs that have already caused harm rather than preventing them, and (4) limiting scale to individual-by-individual responses rather than structural and population-wide interventions, the current design of prevailing social risk screen and refer programs fundamentally limits their potential impact and misses opportunities to improve health equity over the life course.How can health care, social care, and technology partners move forward in collaboration with families and communities to better support equitable lifelong health and social development? In this narrative review, we will summarize the current design, implementation, and limitations of the predominant social risk screen and refer approach in the context of early childhood and adolescent care delivery. We then will apply LCHD principles to advance and improve on this approach from a reactionary focus towards a Family Journey Model that better supports life course health development.

Ship-to-shore training for active deep-sea capacity development

Abstract Sailing on scientific expeditions as an early career researcher (ECR) offers the beneficial opportunity to gain field experience and training. However, the number of available berths to achieve the scientific goals of an expedition limits the number of onboard participants. Telepresence and remote learning can be utilized to increase the number of active participants, broadening the reach of capacity development. The 2021 iMirabilis2 expedition on board the Spanish Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa used telepresence to virtually involve ECRs from several countries in deep-sea science. One year post-expedition, a survey of onshore participants was conducted to assess and quantify the effectiveness of the peer-to-peer ECR ship-to-shore scheme. During the expedition, live, interactive training via WhatsApp and Zoom was utilized by onshore ECRs more than traditional static, unidirectional methods of blog posts and pre-recorded videos. All respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the scheme provided an inclusive and accessible platform to share deep-sea science. These results suggest similar schemes could be used to supplement shorter-duration at-sea-training, used prior to a seagoing experience to better prepare ECRs, or to allow members of the science community unable to join an expedition in person to actively participate remotely, increasing inclusivity.

A Simple Cost-Effectiveness Model of Screening: An Open-Source Teaching and Research Tool Coded in R.

Applied cost-effectiveness analysis models are an important tool for assessing health and economic effects of healthcare interventions but are not best suited for illustrating methods. Our objective is to provide a simple, open-source model for the simulation of disease-screening cost-effectiveness for teaching and research purposes. We introduce our model and provide an initial application to examine changes to the efficiency frontier as input parameters vary and to demonstrate face validity. We described a vectorised, discrete-event simulation of screening in R with an Excel interface to define parameters and inspect principal results. An R Shiny app permits dynamic interpretation of simulation outputs. An example with 8161 screening strategies illustrates the cost and effectiveness of varying the disease sojourn time, treatment effectiveness, and test performance characteristics and costs on screening policies. Many of our findings are intuitive and straightforward, such as a reduction in screening costs leading to decreased overall costs and improved cost-effectiveness. Others are less obvious and depend on whether we consider gross outcomes or those net to no screening. For instance, enhanced treatment of symptomatic disease increases gross effectiveness, but reduces the net effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of screening. A lengthening of the preclinical sojourn time has ambiguous effects relative to no screening, as cost-effectiveness improves for some strategies but deteriorates for others. Our simple model offers an accessible platform for methods research and teaching. We hope it will serve as a public good and promote an intuitive understanding of the cost-effectiveness of screening.

Musical Therapy through Facial Expression Recognizer using Machine Learning

Abstract: Musical therapy is a type of treatment that uses music to help people improve their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning.It is a non-invasive treatment that has been shown to have beneficial effects on mental health.Facial recognition technology has grown in prominence as a tool for analyzing human emotions and behaviors in recent years. We are investigating the possibility of facial recognition technology in musical therapy.In this project, we propose a novel approach to musical therapy that uses facial recognition technology to create personalized playlists for individuals based on their emotional state. We use a convolutional neural network (CNN) to analyze facial expressions and classify them into different emotional states, such as happiness, sadness, or anger. Based on the emotional state detected, we recommend music that is likely to have a positive effect on the individual's emotional well-being.A voice assistant is also integrated into the system to provide additional support and guidance to the users. The system is designed to be accessible to people of all ages and abilities, including those with disabilities.Our approach has the potential to improve the effectiveness of musical therapy by providing personalized recommendations based on the individual's emotional state. Moreover, our project provides a convenient and accessible platform for individuals to receive musical therapy without the need for in-person visits to a therapist.

0943 Sleep Medicine Tweet-by-Tweet, an Electronic Platform for Collaborative Medical Education

Abstract Introduction Twitter is a novel and accessible platform for the dissemination of medical education, and it is used by many medical practitioners (1). Many physicians have used Twitter as a means of meeting continuing medical education needs. This can manifest as Twitter-based Journal Clubs, curated conference data and webinars (2). Methods I have created a Sleep Medicine Medical Education Twitter account @SleepyNeuroDoc to share complex cases in all areas of sleep medicine, including sleep-disordered breathing, movement disorders in sleep, circadian rhythm disorders and nocturnal epilepsy. I share notable images of polysomnogram outputs, home sleep apnea tests, compliance data, neuro-imaging, electroencephalogram, cardiopulmonary coupling and more. This digital education platform allows rapid circulation of unique cases and promotes in-depth scholarly discussion, with no geographical limit. Polls are conducted for complex topics to facilitate knowledge exchange and consumer engagement. This educational twitter is followed by the entire spectrum of professions within the sleep medicine care team, including physicians, allied health, and researchers. To date, there are 40 cases posted. Results We conducted online questionnaires with consumers of this Twitter account, and the results so far indicate greater practitioner comfort with management of various sleep medicine conditions. Some consumers report having changed their approach to practice. Conclusion Our work suggests that this unique use of a social medical platform is beneficial for continuing medical education and knowledge exchange in the field of Sleep Medicine.