Asynchronous Communication Research Articles

ACTIVE DISTANCE LEARNING FOR TUTORS

The COVID-19 pandemic made the most of universities' teaching staff involved in emergency distance learning. Yet, about 80% of the staff was unfamiliar with the distance technologies, especially with the process of distance learning. The previous experience of preparing teachers to distance learning has revealed the presence of significant psychological barriers to synchronous and asynchronous communication. At the same time, the system of refresher training almost does not help due to the excessive workload of teachers. The paper offers an option for training tutors, in which the university teachers are provided with access to general-purpose distance courses created by experts. Teachers register in the distance course "Practicum of the Tutor " where they master the theories and technologies of distance learning and gain practical skills during conducting classes with their students, who are registered in the above mentioned courses. Such training resembles the on-the-job training, which is very popular in Western countries. The " Practicum of the Tutor" course was delivered to 74 teachers. 11 teachers have successfully completed the course, among them 7 teachers have involved 132 students in expert-made distance courses. The research demonstrated the effectiveness of training tutors on the basis of high-quality expert-made distance courses with the participation of their developers and the simultaneous conduction of the learning process with students. The experience of on-the-job training is used to support teachers in the course "Practice of blended learning" during the semester. The results of the student survey were discussed at a Round table at the Institute. The attention of teachers who develop and work with distance courses was focused on the problems indicated in the questionnaire, and the ways to further improve the educational web resources of the Institute were developed.

Seeing Your Stories: Visualization for Narrative Medicine.

Importance: Narrative medicine (NM), in which patient stories play a crucial role in their diagnosis and treatment, can potentially support a more holistic approach to patient care than traditional scientific ones. However, there are some challenges in the implementation of narrative medicine, for example, differences in understanding illnesses between physicians and patients and physicians' increased workloads and overloaded schedules. This paper first presents a review to explore previous visualization research for narrative medicine to bridge the gap between visualization researchers and narrative medicine experts and explore further visualization opportunities. Highlights: The review is conducted from 2 perspectives: (a) the contexts and domains in which visualization has been explored for narrative medicine and (b) the forms and solutions applied in these studies. Four applied domains are defined, including understanding patients from narrative records, medical communication, medical conversation training in education, and psychotherapy and emotional wellness enhancement. Conclusions: A future work framework illustrates some opportunities for future research, including groups of specific directions and future points for the 4 domains and 3 technological exploration opportunities (combination of narrative and medical data visualization, task-audience-based visual storytelling, and user-centered interactive visualization). Specifically, 3 directions of future work in medical communication (asynchronous online physician-patient communication, synchronous face-to-face medical conversation, and medical knowledge dissemination) were concluded.

Asynchronous Bidirectional Communication in Cell-Free Networks

We consider a bidirectional communication between two single-antenna transceivers using multiple multi-antenna access points (APs) in a cell-free network architecture. In such a network, because of different propagation delays associated with different APs, the end-to-end link is a multi-path channel that results in inter-symbol-interference (ISI) in the signals received at the transceivers. To tackle ISI, we resort to cyclic prefix (CP) assisted block transmission of the information symbols and employ joint pre- and post-channel equalizers at both the transceivers to mitigate the impact of intra-block interference. Considering the amplify-and-forward technique at the APs, we cast the joint design of equalizers, beamforming matrices, and transceivers’ transmit powers as a power minimization problem while guaranteeing predefined data rates at the transceivers. Assuming symmetric beamforming matrices at the APs, we devise a semi-closed-form solution for this problem. We prove rigorously that at the optimum only a synchronous subset of the APs should participate in the information exchange between the two transceivers. This is achieved by proving that at the optimum, the pre-equalizer matrices should be unitary and the post-equalizer matrices should be invertible.

Telecollaboration in English Language Teacher Education: A Systematic Review

Telecollaboration practices enable geographically dispersed participants to interact with each other through synchronous or asynchronous computer-mediated communication tools. Telecollaboration plays a significant role in learning cultural differences, raising awareness, and training language teachers by improving intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and language skills. With this role in mind, this paper aims to present a systematic review of the telecollaboration studies conducted within the scope of English language teacher training programs between 2018 and 2022 by analyzing twenty up-to-date and peer-reviewed articles according to the steps of the systematic review study. Along with the differences among study aims and designs, it is found that the findings of the reviewed studies can be grouped under three main themes, which are the benefits of telecollaborative exchanges, the drawbacks associated with telecollaboration and suggestions for further telecollaborative projects. Accordingly, some implications are provided for integrating telecollaboration into language teacher education programs.

Pandemic Patient Engagement Success: Maintaining Family Presence Through Partnership

This presentation is relevant for patients of hospitals and residents of long-term care facilities, their loved ones and essential partners in care, and staff and leadership of healthcare facilities.
 A painful pandemic challenge for patients, families and staff in hospitals was the absence of loved ones or essential care partners through Family Presence/Visitor Policy restrictions. Leadership at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) worked proactively with the Patient and Family Advisory Council and a small, diverse group of Patient Experience Advisors to plan for possible restrictions and consider how best to approach ongoing changes and challenges to the policy expected in the face of the pandemic. The group continues to work together at this time of uncertainty.
 An initial meeting of eight advisors and leaders took place prior to the World Health Organization’s official announcement of the pandemic. Due to growing concern about hospital infections, the meeting venue was a local coffee shop, hence the group became known throughout the hospital as The Balzac’s Group. Synchronous virtual meetings and asynchronous communication were employed by the group to address concerns and create family presence opportunities on a rapid response basis. Group collaboration remains evident as new concerns arise with the ongoing ebb and flow of COVID-19 hospitalizations, staff shortages and less restrictive family presence policies. This partnership has been pivotal to the organization’s pandemic planning and response, enabling family presence while respecting government directives, organizational challenges, and patient/family priorities.
 This collaboration informed several new and sustained initiatives including: a virtual visits process, ePostcards, a Care Partner Program, expanded cell phone use in restricted areas, resources for loved ones traveling distances, careful and measured increases in family presence and a family presence policy Exceptions Committee.
 An unexpected outcome was an increased level of respect and strengthened patient engagement. Factors influencing this success were transparency and trust in sharing sensitive or confidential information, mutual decision-making, frank and honest sharing of both personal and professional perspectives, and active listening. Many KHSC advisors increased their patient partnership activities during the pandemic and felt an enhanced sense of agency in their efforts to improve the patient experience in healthcare.
 
 This initiative may be a source of new ideas, inspiration, and encouragement for patient partners and hospital leaders to actively partner in co-design and delivery of compassionate person-centred policies and care, especially during times of crisis.
 The group continues to be the “go-to” group for family presence policy questions. The strengthened relationship with Patient Advisors has had a spillover effect more broadly into other hospital initiatives and increased awareness of the value of their input. We hope to continue to share this success story broadly to encourage other healthcare facilities to partner with the precious resource of patients, families, and patient advisors, at all levels of health care. We are considering a Patient Advisor led publication in the future.

"THE INFLUENCE OF THE MOBILE PHONE ON YOUNG ADULT COMMUNICATION"

The convergence of media technology can now be held in one’s hand. It offers new ways to communicate, unrestricted by location, mostly related to free choice and autonomy. Its portability has made possible the co-presence of synchronous and asynchronous communication, and has contributed to the popular notion that young adults are proficient multi-taskers. The ubiquitous use of the mobile phone by young adults serves as a vehicle for self-expression and collective identity, often through the use of text messaging and social media. This paper will explore some of the kinds of communication that are afforded via the mobile phone, and will then question some the potential strengths and weaknesses in communicating this way.

WHERE IS THE DIGITAL DIVIDE? INTRA-GENERATIONAL DIVIDE ON APP USAGE IN POST-PANDEMIC HONG KONG

Abstract The COVID pandemic has evoked extensive digitalization of our daily lives. This paper reports two studies conducted in the June/July 2023 that evaluated smartphone usage among Hong Kong middle-aged and older adults after 13 months of smartphone-based compulsory track-and-trace COVID policy. A focus group study with 145 adults aged 55 years or above (Max = 92) found that smartphones are used primarily for instant but asynchronous communication, thus, WhatsApp and WeChat are the most popular. Divisive usage is the most salient with apps that involve monetary transactions (e.g., mobile banking, online shopping) with participants having more trust towards the security provided by the device, the network, and the financial institutions as well as higher socio-economic status (SES) being more receptive. Higher SES was also related to a broader repertoire of app use. These findings corroborate with those from a concurrent survey with 750 smartphone users aged 45 or older (Max = 78). Using latent class analysis, we found two classes of users based on their usage on 18 categories of apps. Class 1 (64.3%) were more likely to use all categories of apps than Class 2 (35.7%), with the largest Chi-square values reported on apps for small-sum transactions, online shopping, private hire cab/courier, and mobile banking – all related to monetary transactions. Class 1 were younger, with higher SES, owning more smart devices, more proficient with mobile devices, and more optimistic with technologies than Class 2. Our findings elucidate directions for narrowing the digital divide within the older adult population.

FEASIBILITY OF THE NUDGELTC CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT APPLICATION

Abstract Long-term-care residents are at risk for under reporting of urinary tract infections due to insufficient point-of-care testing and indirect communication. Aim: Examine the feasibility of a Clinical Decision Support application (NudgeLTC) designed to guide Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) in data collection to improve communication confidence and satisfaction between LVN and Primary Care Provider (PCP). Sample size: 4 LVNs and 4 PCPs across 10 events. Qualitative description of interview comments and NudgeLTC output documented data collection and communication between LVN and PCP within the app. Forced choice questions about resident signs, symptoms, and laboratory values guided LVN data collection. Information was collected and stored within NudgeLTC. A summary was relayed directly to the PCP and followed with a PCP response to the LVN. Questionnaires included visual analogue scales for confidence (LVNs M=81.6; PCPs M=100 [0 low, 100 high]), satisfaction (LVNs M=7.8; PCPs M=10 [0 low, 10 high]), and the Systems Usability Scale (LVNs M=85.4; PCPs M=100 [0 poor, 100 high]). The NudgeLTC summary included resident assessment, vital signs, and lab values. Particular signs and symptoms noted included indwelling catheter and confusion. Select Challenges: PCP received LVN message and data, but was unable to respond via app; LVN stated the app did not work as “expected.” Transmission issues occurred and were resolved. Asynchronous communication was valued and facilitated confidence in resident data. Difficulties with data collection may, in part, be due to discomfort with technology or infrequent use of electronic charting. Future studies should focus on improving point-of- care data collection.

The Experiences and Challenges of Online Learning Technology for Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic among University Undergraduate Students

Online learning refers to teaching and learning process through asynchronous and real-time communication over the Internet and with multimedia. This study examines the perception and acceptance of online learning as an alternative way in teaching undergraduate courses at School of Technology Management and Logistics (STML) after COVID-19. It also aims at identifying factors that facilitate online learning and the challenges of online learning. To accomplish the aim, this study applied a quantitative approach, in which data were collected using an online survey involving 156 undergraduate students at STML. Results show a moderate high level of acceptance on online learning. In addition, it was found that among four main factors that facilitate online learning, Enthusiasm ranked the highest, followed by Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, and Enhancement of Communication Skills. Besides, results also reveal that among the main challenges encountered by majority of the students, delivery speed of teaching and learning, students’ attitude, struggles and stress of online learning mode were the most common issues. Results yielded in this study add to the existing literature on the possibility of online learning as an alternative pedagogy in post COVID-19.

Is there a glitch in the matrix? Artificial intelligence and management education

The rapid rise to prominence of ChatGPT, one of the most successful generative artificial intelligence tools to date, presents both important challenges and opportunities for management education. Specifically, while it improves prospects in many areas (i.e. remote learning, asynchronous communication, online collaboration, gamification, student engagement and assessments), it also poses significant challenges, particularly in relation to academic integrity and traditional forms of assessment (i.e. ‘open book’, non-invigilated, essays). Drawing on insights from social epistemology, I argue that this exogenous shock to the educational system provides opportunities for epistemic evolution, particularly in fields like management education, where essays have traditionally been the dominant form of assessment. I conclude by proposing potential responses to this disruption that can enable educators, students and institutions to succeed in this new environment.

Sequential fusion filtering based on minimum error entropy criterion

According to the minimum error entropy (MEE) criterion in information theory learning (ITL), the fusion filtering problem of non-Gaussian system is studied in this paper. Combined with the advantages of sequential fusion filtering (SFF) in dealing with asynchronous sampling and communication delay, two SFF algorithms are designed under MEE criterion. Firstly, the non-Gaussian multi-sensor system is transformed into a group of non-Gaussian single sensor subsystems. Then, by solving the optimal solution of the cost function corresponding to each subsystem, a set of fixed-point equations relating to the subsystems state is obtained. By using the strategies of global iteration and independent iteration to solve the fixed-point equations, two SFF algorithms based on the MEE criterion are designed, respectively. In addition, the performance including the computational complexity, the correlation between two iteration algorithms and their convergence is analyzed. Finally, simulation results indicate that the proposed SFF methods can effectively deal with the state estimation problem of non-Gaussian multi-sensor system, and can achieve similar fusion filtering accuracy.

A general and modular framework for dark web analysis

The dark web, often linked with illegal activities, can be monitored with different solutions. However, these tools are typically purpose-specific and designed for unique use cases. In this study, we propose a flexible and scalable framework that facilitates the easy integration of new workflows for dark web analysis. The design is based on the control, logic and operations layers, supplemented by a tools module, logs management, asynchronous message-based communication and a database. The implementation maps the features into a microservice approach, utilizing the open-source technologies Docker Swarm, Kafka, ELK Stack (Elastic Search, Logstash and Kibana), and PostgreSQL. A workflow to scrape web elements of Tor onion services is deployed and validated, demonstrating considerable framework performance despite the time-consuming task of navigating the dark web. Over 16 h, the framework collected over half million onion domains (84,371 unique ones) and made 78,555 accesses to them.

Program partitioning and deadlock analysis for MPI based on logical clocks

The message passing interface (MPI) has become a standard for programming models in the field of high performance computing. It is of great importance to ensure the reliability of MPI programs by detecting whether there exist errors in them. However, as one of the most common errors in MPI programs, deadlock is difficult to detect due to the non-determinism and the asynchronous communication supported by MPI. Existing approaches mainly focus on detecting deadlocks by traversing all possible execution paths in an MPI program. But in this way the detection efficiency is always limited since the number of execution paths increases exponentially with the number of wildcard receives and processes in the program.In order to alleviate the path explosion problem for single-path MPI programs, we propose a program partitioning approach based on logical clocks to detecting deadlocks. In the approach, the program is first divided into several preliminary partitions based on the matching detection rule. Then to obtain the dependency relationships of partitions, the Binary Lazy Clocks algorithm is raised to mark clocks for communication operations. Based on the clocks, the completion orders of communication operations in each process of the program are tracked. Further, we get the dependency relationships of the preliminary partitions by analyzing these completion orders and merge the preliminary partitions with the dependency relationships for generating the final partitions. Finally, deadlocks are detected by traversing all possible execution paths of each final partition. We have implemented our method in a tool called PDMPI and performed experimental evaluation on 14 programs. The experimental results indicate that PDMPI is more effective for detecting deadlocks in MPI programs than two most related tools ISP and SAMPI, especially in programs with numerous interleavings.

Remote User Interface for ABB IRB120 Robot Using TCP/IP Communication

Abstract This paper presents the development and implementation of a remote user interface for the ABB robot using the TCP/IP protocol. The study focuses on building a user-friendly interface in Matlab environment that enables precise and secure control of the robot’s operation with an educational support role in teaching the basics of robotics. The remote application offers a simple and intuitive controlling mode, providing users with a firsthand experience of the robot’s capabilities through predetermined actions. Additionally, the advanced mode allows users to test the robot’s functionality and perform simple tasks. The use of asynchronous communication contributes to the stability and performance of the remote control application.

DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECH COMPETENCES IN TERMS OF DISTANT LEARNING

Background. Features of formation of students’ abilities and skills concerning such speech competence, as speaking in the conditions of online learning.
 The purpose. Traditional education has many means to correct various issues that arise in the learning process. The conditions of distance learning consist of two important areas: technological and methodological and didactic, which cannot be separated from each other. The purpose of this article is to analyze and describe the various elements of modern online learning, both in terms of technology and in terms of methodological and didactic means. This goal involves solving the following tasks: the study of methodological and language didactic means that promote the development of speaking competence at foreign language classes during distance learning. Explore the benefits of different online means.
 Methods. Discriptive method. 
 Results. On the one hand, properly formed communication skills, thinking, directed motivation, as well as the topic and content of tasks play an important role in the development of speech competencies. On the other hand, the combination of synchronous and asynchronous means allows to implement the learning process on the internet in full.
 Discussion. The study describes a system of tools and methods for learning a foreign language, as well as. stages of learning to speak. This allows to summarize some elements of the didactic base. Knowing the stages of preparation for different types of communication, as well as the focus – situational or communicative, one can use a variety of methods and exercises to achieve free communication. The focused assistance during study is possible when some aspects of psychological development, personal knowledge of a particular student and the communicative situation are taken into account and it can give confidence to students and bring more satisfaction from the results. It is revealed that with the help of the most modern means for synchronous and asynchronous communication the distance learning system could be able to work in a constant normal rhythm. Thus, the distance learning process is carried out using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous means, while maintaining flexibility and convenience, and expands the quality and efficiency of both methods of communication. The application and combination of traditional knowledge and modern technologies allows to implement a successful distance learning in teaching a foreign language. The further development of our research lies in the field of linguodidactic description of means of listening competence development.

From classic communication to online communication: Identifying online communication tools

The emergence of the internet and digital technologies has facilitated the transition from classic communication to online communication. This shift has significantly expanded the possibilities of online communication. In this article, we will explore the development of a variety of online communication tools, such as synchronous and asynchronous online communication tools. These online communication tools support various types of communication. Ultimately, we will present how online communication offers new opportunities while requiring constant vigilance to maximize its benefits.

Using asynchronous communication to foster connection

Using asynchronous communication to foster connection

Distributed optimal consensus of multiagent systems with Markovian switching topologies: synchronous and asynchronous communications

Distributed optimal consensus of multiagent systems with Markovian switching topologies: synchronous and asynchronous communications

Comparative Evaluation of Java Virtual Machine-Based Message Queue Services: A Study on Kafka, Artemis, Pulsar, and RocketMQ

Message Queue (MQ) services play a vital role in modern distributed systems as they enable asynchronous communication between services and facilitate the decoupling of various components of the system. Among the many MQ services available, Kafka, Apache Pulsar, Artemis, and RocketMQ are popular choices, each offering unique features and capabilities. As the adoption of MQ services continues to grow, choosing the appropriate service that can meet the requirements of the system has become increasingly challenging. Therefore, a comprehensive comparison of these services is crucial to determine the most suitable one for a specific use-case. This research paper presents a thorough evaluation of these MQ services based on critical metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, garbage collection, latency, and throughput. Based on our extensive review, no other research has delved into such a detailed evaluation, thereby establishing our work as a cornerstone in this field. The results of our study offer valuable insights into the strengths and limitations of each service. Our findings indicate that each message queue behaves differently inside the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This work aims to assist developers and researchers in strategically deploying and optimizing MQ services based on specific system and use-case requirements. In addition to providing machine metrics, our results demonstrate the performance of each message queue under different load scenarios, making it a valuable resource for those seeking to ensure the effective functioning of their MQ services.

E-MQTT: End-to-End Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication Mechanisms in MQTT Protocol

Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) enables asynchronous confirmation of message reception by brokers but lacks a way for publishers to know when subscribers receive their messages without adding additional communication overhead. This paper addresses this problem by improving MQTT to establish end-to-end communication between a publisher and subscribers, reducing message exchanges, using what is called End-to-End MQTT (E-MQTT). In E-MQTT, a publisher sets the number of responses that it will wait for when it sends a message. After the broker collects the response messages from subscribers, it sends one aggregated response back to the publisher. The publisher also can receive the response message synchronously or asynchronously. Experimental results consistently show that E-MQTT outperforms traditional MQTT in terms of delay, especially when the publisher needs to monitor when its query message is received by subscribers. Although E-MQTT packets are slightly larger due to additional fields, the difference in packet size compared to MQTT is not significant.