Hybrid Users Research Articles

Are Virtual Complementary and Integrative Therapies as Effective as In-Person Therapies? Examining Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Veterans with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain.

Background: Virtual complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapy availability increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but little is known about effectiveness. We examined the perceived effectiveness of in-person and virtual CIH therapies for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain who recently started using CIH therapies. Methods: The sample included Veterans (n = 1,091) with chronic musculoskeletal pain, identified in the Veterans Health Administration's electronic health record based on initiation of CIH therapy use, who responded to VA's Patient Complementary and Integrative Health Therapy Experience Survey during March, 2021, to August, 2022. Using multivariable models with self-guided virtual (apps or videos) delivery as the reference, we compared patient-reported outcomes (pain, mental health, fatigue, and general well-being) associated with any yoga, Tai Chi/Qigong, or meditation use delivered: (1) only in-person, (2) only virtually with a live provider, (3) only virtually self-guided, (4) virtually self-guided + virtually provider-guided, or (5) hybrid in-person + virtual (self-or provider-guided). Results: Under 10% of Veterans reported only in-person use; 54% used only virtual formats and 36% a hybrid of in-person and virtual. Forty-one percent reported improvement in general well-being, 40.6% in mental health, 37.1% in pain, and 22.7% in fatigue. Compared with Veterans using only self-guided virtual CIH therapies, Veterans using only in-person therapies were more likely to report improvement in fatigue (odds ratio [OR]: 1.8, confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-3.1) and general well-being (OR: 1.7, CI: 1.0-2.6). Conclusions: Many patients perceived health improvements from CIH therapies, with in-person users reporting more improvement in fatigue and well-being than those using virtual sessions and similar improvements in pain and mental health for in-person and hybrid users.

Transitional affordances: A longitudinal mixed‐method study on the context and effects of changing mode of online access

AbstractAs mobile‐only use has increased over the last decade, research has found that mode of online access (mobile‐only vs. mobile and computer use) is related to digital inequalities. Relying on the literature on affordances and digital inclusion, this study seeks to: (1) examine the effects of mode of access on the number of online activities, over time; and (2) understand how the context of transitioning between modes of access shape how people perceive technologies. We conducted a 3‐year mixed‐methods longitudinal study. First, we ran a two‐wave representative panel survey in Chile (N = 512). People who became hybrid users increased their activities, whereas those who became mobile‐only decreased them. Then, we interviewed a subsample of people who switched mode of access between waves (N = 22). We found that people's relation with devices and their choices evolve over time according to their shifting needs and contexts. These results point to users’ agency and the relevance of the concept of affordances. Thus, we propose the concept of transitional affordances to explain how users’ perceptions, experiences, and ability to compare between mode of access shape their relation, engagement, and perceived affordances of technologies.

Assessing the environmental impacts of product service systems in the digital-devices market: An application of attributional and consequential life cycle assessment

Product Service Systems (PSS) have received increasing attention as a means for realizing a circular economy. Although PSS are expected to help mitigate the causes of climate change and slow the consumption of scarce natural resources, there is a risk of unintended consequences, resulting in a net increase in environmental impact. Despite this possibility, no effective evaluation method for PSS has been devised. In this study, consequential and attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches, combined with a consumer survey, were conducted to quantify the environmental consequences of PSS using a case study of digital camera rental services in Japan. Attributional LCA showed that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the rental scenario would actually increase relative to the emissions in the conventional purchase-only scenario, from 5.22 kg-CO2 eq. to 18.8 kg-CO2 eq. per individual's use of a digital camera for one year in the case of Digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) due to package production and delivery transportation. At the same time, rental services showed the possibility of reducing abiotic depletion potential (ADP) compared to conventional purchase, from 0.667 g Sb-eq. to 0.622 g Sb-eq. in the case of DSLR. The survey revealed four consumer segments emerging after the introduction of PSS: camera owners, hybrid users, shifting rental users, and new rental users, each with different environmental implications. Through consequential LCA, the environmental impacts on a countrywide scale were estimated. For example, GHG emissions were projected to increase by approximately 150 %, mainly caused by delivery processes following the broad acceptance of the camera rental services, whereas ADP increased only slightly due to the comparatively small number of devices needed by these services. The approach used in this study, combining consequential LCA with a consumer survey, points to the need for a better service design that addresses the potential of unintended consequences caused by the introduction of PSS well in advance of any large-scale implementation.

Audiological and Demographic Factors that Impact the Precision of Speech Categorization in Cochlear Implant Users.

The ability to adapt to subtle variations in acoustic input is a necessary skill for successful speech perception. Cochlear implant (CI) users tend to show speech perception benefits from the maintenance of their residual acoustic hearing. However, previous studies often compare CI users in different listening conditions within-subjects (i.e., in their typical Acoustic + Electric configuration compared with Acoustic-only or Electric-only configurations) and comparisons among different groups of CI users do not always reflect an Acoustic + Electric benefit. Existing work suggests that CI users with residual acoustic hearing perform similarly to Electric-only listeners on phonetic voicing contrasts and unexpectedly poorer with fricative contrasts which have little energy in the range of the Acoustic + Electric listeners' acoustic hearing. To further investigate how residual acoustic hearing impacts sensitivity to phonetic ambiguity, we examined whether device configuration, age, and device experience influenced phonetic categorization in a large individual differences study. CI users with various device configurations (Electric-only N = 41; Acoustic + Electric N = 95) categorized tokens from five /b-p/ and five /s-ʃ/ minimal pair continua (e.g., bet-pet; sock-shock). We investigated age, device experience, and when applicable, residual acoustic hearing (pure tone hearing thresholds) as predictors of categorization. We also examined the relationship between phonetic categorization and clinical outcomes (CNC, AzBio) in a subset of our sample. Acoustic + Electric CI users were better able to categorize along the voicing contrast (steeper categorization slope) compared with Electric-only users, but there was no group-level difference for fricatives. There were differences within the subgroups for fricatives: bilateral users showed better categorization than unilateral users and bimodal users had better categorization than hybrid users. Age was a significant factor for voicing, while device experience was significant for fricatives. Critically, within the Acoustic + Electric group, hybrid CI users had shallower slopes than bimodal CI users. Our findings suggest residual acoustic hearing is beneficial for categorizing stop voicing, but not frication. Age impacts the categorization of voicing, while device experience matters for fricatives. For CI users with ipsilateral residual acoustic hearing, those with better hearing thresholds may be over-relying on their acoustic hearing rather than extracting as much information as possible from their CI, and thus have shallower fricative categorization.

STAR-RIS Integrated Nonorthogonal Multiple Access and Over-the-Air Federated Learning: Framework, Analysis, and Optimization

This paper integrates non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and over-the-air federated learning (AirFL) into a unified framework using one simultaneous transmitting and reflecting reconfigurable intelligent surface (STAR-RIS). The STAR-RIS plays an important role in adjusting the decoding order of hybrid users for efficient interference mitigation and omni-directional coverage extension. To capture the impact of non-ideal wireless channels on AirFL, a closed-form expression for the optimality gap (a.k.a. convergence upper bound) between the actual loss and the optimal loss is derived. This analysis reveals that the learning performance is significantly affected by the active and passive beamforming schemes as well as wireless noise. Furthermore, when the learning rate diminishes as the training proceeds, the optimality gap is explicitly shown to converge with linear rate. To accelerate convergence while satisfying quality-of-service requirements, a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) problem is formulated by jointly designing the transmit power at users and the configuration mode of STAR-RIS. Next, a trust region-based successive convex approximation method and a penalty-based semidefinite relaxation approach are proposed to handle the decoupled non-convex subproblems iteratively. An alternating optimization algorithm is then developed to find a suboptimal solution for the original MINLP problem. Extensive simulation results show that i) the proposed framework can efficiently support NOMA and AirFL users via concurrent uplink communications, ii) our algorithms achieve faster convergence rate on IID and non-IID settings compared to existing baselines, and iii) both the spectrum efficiency and learning performance is significantly improved with the aid of the well-tuned STAR-RIS.

For better and for worse: A panel survey of how mobile-only and hybrid Internet use affects digital skills over time

Public policies across the world are tackling Internet access inequality through mobile connections, which has led to an increase in mobile-only use. However, digital skills remain as a stumbling block to achieve digital inclusion. Using a two-wave panel survey on a representative sample conducted in Chile between 2018 and 2020, this study investigates how different mode of access (i.e. mobile-only vs mobile and computer) affects digital abilities over time. Results show significant differences in skills by mode of access. People who became hybrid users (mobile and computer) by wave 2 significantly gained skills while those who were hybrid and became mobile-only by wave 2 significantly lost abilities. People who did not change their type of access did not change their level of digital skills, despite the past of time and gained experience using the Internet. These conclusions show how mode of access may have a key effect on people’s digital inclusion.

Cannabis and Its Different Strains.

Previous studies show how time perception can be altered by cannabis consumption, but it is not clear yet whether cannabis produces temporal underproductions or overproductions after acute cannabis intoxication. The present study aimed to analyze a sample of 50 regular cannabis users controlling for cannabis strain (sativa, indica, and hybrid) and to compare their scores in a temporal production task before and after consuming cannabis with a control group of 49 nonusers. Results showed that cannabis intake leads to overproductions, suggesting that regular users' internal tempo slows down after acute intoxication. However, the analyses of main effects showed that indica users, both at baseline levels and after consuming, reported significant underproductions compared to controls, sativa, and hybrid users, and the cannabis-induced effects had a higher magnitude after smoking in the indica-strain group. Results highlight the relevance of including the type of strain consumed in cannabis studies, and they are discussed in terms of short- and long-term alterations in temporal perception under the light of the self-medication theory and the therapeutic uses of cannabis.

Efficient power and admission control in multi-cell cognitive radio networks employing hybrid users

A recent class of cognitive user that can emerge and change the future of cognitive radio networks (CRNs) is hybrid user (HU). HU is an advanced primary user that is armed with cognitive functions to benefit greatly from CRN. In this paper, we aim to propose a framework to employ this type of users in CRNs. In this regard, we introduce a modified multi-cell CRN (MMCRN) based on HUs. In conventional MCRN (CMCRN), each user connects to its own base station (BS); however, in MMCRN, it is possible for HUs to exploit the secondary network. To construct the MMCRN, a BS assignment algorithm is proposed to assign the HUs to proper BSs. Afterwards, in an infeasible MMCRN, the problem of maximizing the number of admitted SUs is studied and a novel algorithm is presented. Furthermore, sum-throughput maximization of SUs is investigated in a feasible MMCRN. Finally, we modify our schemes considering channel gain uncertainty and propose algorithms that are robust against channel gain fluctuation. It is theoretically presented that our proposed schemes can significantly improve the efficiency of the network. The extensive simulations also verify the superior efficiency of MMCRN compared to CMCRN.

Joint power and admission control based on hybrid users in cognitive radio network

• We study the problem of joint power and admission control in spectrum underlay cognitive radio network based on hybrid users. • Hybrid users are advanced primary users that are able to access the secondary network using their cognitive functions. • An advanced cognitive radio network (ACRN) is proposed by employing the hybrid users. • We show that such ACRN can remarkably improve the network performance in terms of the number of supported secondary users, transmit power and aggregate throughput. Hybrid users or primary-secondary users (PSUs) are advanced primary users that are able to access the secondary network using their cognitive functions. Hybrid users can appear as a new type of cognitive users that would be promising for future cognitive radio networks (CRNs). Regarding the unique capabilities of such users and due to the lack of considerable research on this subject, we study the problem of joint power and admission control in spectrum underlay CRN based on hybrid users. In order to fully take the advantages of cognitive capability, an advanced cognitive radio network (ACRN) is proposed by employing the PSUs, and the corresponding power and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) are derived. Then, feasibility checking mechanism is investigated and the optimal value of interference temperature limit for PSUs is also obtained. A new formulation to maximize the number of admitted secondary users (SUs) in ACRN is presented. Moreover, two power and admission control algorithms are proposed which significantly improve the network performance not only in the number of admitted SUs but also in transmit power consumption. For a feasible network, the problem of aggregate throughput maximization is solved using successive geometric programming. Afterwards, it is proved that our proposed ACRN can improve the aggregate throughput of SUs. The superior efficiency of ACRN in terms of the number of admitted SUs, transmit power consumption and aggregate throughput is verified by simulation results for different scenarios.

A Survey of Fault-tolerance in Cloud Computing: Concepts and Practice

A fault tolerance is an important property in order to achieve performance levels for important attributes for a system’s dependability, reliability, availability and Quality of Service (QoS). In this survey a comprehensive review of representative works on fault tolerance in cloud computing is presented, in which general readers will be provided an overview of the concepts and practices of a fault-tolerance computing. Cloud computing service providers will rise and fall based on their ability to execute and deliver a satisfactory QoS in primary areas such as dependability. Many enterprise users are wary of the public clouds' dependability limitations, but also curious about the possibility of adopting the technologies, designs and best practices of clouds for their own data centers such as private clouds. The situation is evolving rapidly with public, private and hybrid clouds, as vendors and users are struggling to keep up with new developments.

Stage 1 hybrid palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome—assessment of contemporary patterns of use: An analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database

Hybrid palliation is an alternative to Norwood stage 1 for the initial management of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Contemporary multicenter hybrid use and institutional/patient factors associated with hybrid use relative to the Norwood have not been evaluated. We describe hybrid use in relation to institutional volume, patient factors, and short-term outcomes. Infants aged 60 days or less listed in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (2010-2012) undergoing initial palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome were included. Annual institutional hybrid use rates were calculated: [hybrid procedures/(Norwood + hybrid + transplant procedures)]. In-hospital outcomes for primary hybrid and primary Norwood were compared and stratified by high (defined as ≥50%) versus low (defined as ≤10%) institutional hybrid use. Of 1728 patients (100 centers), most (n=1496, 87%) underwent an index Norwood; 232 patients (13%) underwent an index hybrid procedure. Preoperative patient risk factors were more prevalent in patients undergoing the hybrid procedure. Only 13 of 100 institutions were high hybrid users, and these tended to have lower annual hypoplastic left heart syndrome index case volume. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality was higher for the hybrid compared with the Norwood procedure (30% vs 16%; P<.001). In-hospital mortality for the hybrid procedure was not associated with hybrid use (26% among institutions with low use vs 28% among institutions with high use). However, centers with high hybrid use had higher mortality after the Norwood (43%) compared with centers with low hybrid use (16%). Few centers currently select the hybrid procedure for most infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Although unadjusted in-hospital hybrid mortality is higher than Norwood mortality, potential risk factors are more prevalent among hybrid cases. Institutions with higher hybrid use have lower hypoplastic left heart syndrome case volume and higher Norwood mortality.

A Novel Mutual-Preference-Based Admission Control Mechanism for Hybrid Femtocells System

Femtocells have been assuming an increasingly important role to improve the coverage and capacity of cellular networks over the next few years. Different from macrocellular networks, femtocells, which are run by an operator, can provide three access modes, i.e., open, closed, and hybrid access. As a compromise of both open and closed access mode, hybrid mode is considered the most efficient for both operators and customers. In hybrid access mode, a femtocell normally prioritizes different types of users, and users always prefer to choose the femtocell with the best signal quality for better service and saving power, giving rise to a unique mutual preference. This unique mutual preference relationship between femtocells and users makes the admission control much more challenging, and no current approach considers this mutual preference when hybrid femtocells are accessed by many users. In this paper, we model a mutual selection admission (MSA) problem for hybrid femtocells and users, aiming to find a stable matching, where both the preference of femtocells and that of users are satisfied under a backhaul capacity constraint. We show that the problem of seeking an optimal stable matching with maximum cardinality is NP-hard, and we propose an efficient heuristic algorithm for solving the MSA problem by seeking a matching with different levels of stability. With extensive simulations, we show that the MSA algorithm can always find a stable matching and have a great rate gain compared with hybrid access for a wide range of users and femtocells.

Spectral and Temporal Measures in Hybrid Cochlear Implant Users

Compare auditory performance of Hybrid and standard cochlear implant users with psychoacoustic measures of spectral and temporal sensitivity and correlate with measures of clinical benefit. Cross-sectional study. Tertiary academic medical center. Hybrid cochlear implant users between 12 and 33 months after implantation. Hybrid recipients had preservation of low-frequency hearing. Administration of psychoacoustic, music perception, and speech reception in noise tests. Performance on spectral-ripple discrimination, temporal modulation detection, Schroeder-phase discrimination, Clinical Assessment of Music Perception, and speech reception in steady-state noise tests. Clinical Assessment of Music Perception pitch performance at 262 Hz was significantly better in Hybrid users compared with standard implant controls. There was a near significant difference on speech reception in steady-state noise. Surprisingly, neither Schroeder-phase discrimination at 2 frequencies nor temporal modulation detection thresholds across a range of frequencies revealed any advantage in Hybrid users. This contrasts with spectral-ripple measures that were significantly better in the Hybrid group. The spectral-ripple advantage was preserved even when using only residual hearing. These preliminary data confirm existing data demonstrating that residual low-frequency acoustic hearing is advantageous for pitch perception. Results also suggest that clinical benefits enjoyed by Hybrid recipients are due to improved spectral discrimination provided by the residual hearing. No evidence indicated that residual hearing provided temporal information beyond that provided by electric stimulation.

Do‐it‐yourself information technology: Role hybridization and the design–use interface

AbstractInformation technology designers and users are generally treated as interacting yet distinct groups. Although approaches such as participatory design attempt to bring these groups together, such efforts are viewed as temporary and restricted to a specific knowledge domain where users can share key information and insights with designers. The author explores case studies that point to a different situation, role hybridization. Role hybridization focuses on the ability of individuals to shift from one knowledge domain to another, thus allowing for simultaneous membership within two otherwise distinct social worlds. While some studies focus on the ability of designers to act as users, this study focuses on the opposite situation, users who become designers. Interview and participant observation data is used to explore hybrid user–designers in two case studies: frog dissection simulations used in K‐12 biology education and human anatomy simulations used in medical education. Hybrid users as designers are one part of a larger design–use interface, illustrating the mutually constructive relationship between the activities of information technology design and use. Users as designers also challenge the traditional power relationship between designers and users, leading to a novel and exciting form of user‐centered design.