Videoconferencing System Research Articles

Exploring Carers' Views and Experiences of Being Involved in Research and Development Work

This article aims to move knowledge beyond the first response, by outlining a framework for interpreting and evaluating the experiences of carers regarding their involvement in R&D work. The study adopted a descriptive and explorative qualitative design. The inclusion criterion to enroll in the study was being a career and having participated in an FGI in the ICS consultation phase. The sample of twelve participants ranged in age from 35 to 77 years (mean value 60 years). Data collection consisted of individual interviews, via the “Zoom” videoconference system, telephone or face-to-face, depending on the preferences of the participants. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at the university or a café. The result is participants emphasized the significance of lived experience and practical knowledge. There is a limited amount of systematic research carried out that also actively takes into account possible negative experiences, barriers, and issues.

The Use of Debates in an Online Nursing Course.

It is important to foster active participation in online graduate nursing courses through creative teaching strategies, such as virtual synchronous debates. A free videoconferencing system was used to complete the virtual synchronous debates. Demographic information and survey data were obtained to assess the impact of an online debate on critical thinking and presentation skills. Seven of the 10 scored survey items had statistically significant differences in preimplementation and postimplementation ranked scores. Five qualitative themes were revealed: predebate anxiety/nervousness, technical issues/online format, learning experience, improved presentation skills, and group work. Through virtual synchronous debates, graduate nursing students can gain a stronger appreciation for ethical issues in health care, learn to succinctly convey their views, and increase their confidence in presenting a professional argument.

Heart Transplantation Selection Committee Meetings: Transitioning from In-Person to Remote Video Meetings

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has introduced numerous changes to clinical and administrative practices in heart transplantation. One change is the transition of transplant selection committee meetings from in-person to remote video conference in order to maintain social distancing requirements. The impact of this transition on committee members and patient care is unknown.MethodsA 35-item anonymous survey, adapted from the validated Telehealth Usability Questionnaire, was developed and distributed electronically to the UCLA heart transplant selection committee. Quantitative and qualitative descriptive analyses were performed.ResultsOf 83 committee members queried, 46 (55%) responded. 50% were non-physician members and 50% were physician members, including 48% cardiologists, 13% anesthesiologists, and 9% surgeons. Over a 6 week period, there was a 5% increase in the average number of attendees from in-person to video meetings. Respondents were satisfied with the ease of use, interface quality, and interaction quality of the video conference system, except for the ability to see meeting attendees. Overall, respondents were satisfied with video meetings, agreeing that they could contribute effectively and achieve their goals over video. However, if given the choice, 54% still preferred the in-person format. Respondents did not feel that video meetings impacted patient care, such as ability to clarify clinical questions, create management plans, and determine and/or update transplant listing status. Multitasking, technology integration, and location convenience were the predominant positive aspects of video meetings, while communication was the main negative, including inability to see attendees, audio interruptions and barriers to communication flow. Communication and clinical decision-making were the predominant positive aspects of in-person meetings (Figure).ConclusionsThe transition from in-person to remote video conference heart transplantation selection committee meetings during the COVID-19 era has been well-received and does not appear to affect committee members’ perception of their ability to deliver patient care. Future, longer-term studies are needed to evaluate the impact of video meetings on transplant-related outcomes.

CRIMINAL PROCESS IN A PANDEMIC AND THEN

Due to the emergence of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), measures aimed at limiting its spread have made it impossible to administer justice in compliance with its democratic principles, implying the possibility of personal participation of all interested parties in court procedures to effectively defend their interests. In this regard, on April 8, 2020, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation adopted a decree recommending that the courts, among other measures, intensify the work of Internet receptions, ensure the reception, processing and registration of documents submitted to the courts in electronic form, including in the form of an electronic document, consider cases and materials of urgent nature in court hearings using the video-conferencing system and (or) the web-conference system. Despite the fact that in accordance with the program for the development of the Russian judicial system, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 27, 2012 № 1406, the modernization of the work of courts based on digital technologies has already begun in the country, their development in criminal proceedings lags behind other methods of administering justice. Given this circumstance, as well as the actual absence in the criminal process of electronic document management and legal regulation of the grounds and procedure for conducting a trial in the mode of a web conference, the article attempts to determine the limits of the possibilities of using new technologies in criminal proceedings, to substantiate the conclusion that that the use of digital technology in criminal proceedings is not only possible, but necessary, as well as to determine the direction of development of criminal proceedings in this direction.

Evaluating videoconferencing systems for the quality of the educational experience

ABSTRACT This study analyzed four widely used videoconferencing systems: Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and WhatsApp. Using experiential e-learning as the framework for analysis, this study examined the systems’ general characteristics, learning-related features, and usability. We conducted an analytical evaluation and analyzed system features in regard to their impact on the quality of the online educational experience. The results of this analysis provide guidance for selecting effective videoconferencing systems to support learning. They also offer insights on ways to explore teaching approaches and pedagogies for distance education. This paper offers a set of recommendations as well as suggestions for videoconferencing system improvements.

Regional education on endoscopic surgery using a teleconference system with high-quality video via the internet: Saga surgical videoconferences

BackgroundEffective education about endoscopic surgery (ES) is greatly needed for unskilled surgeons, especially at low-volume institutions, to maintain the safety of patients. We have tried to establish the remote educational system using videoconference system through the internet for education about ES to surgeons belonging to affiliate institutions. The aim of this manuscript was to report the potential to establish a comfortable remote educational system and to debate its advantages.MethodsWe established a local remote educational conference system by combining the use of a general web conferencing system and a synchronized remote video playback system with annotation function through a high-speed internet.ResultsDuring 2014–2019, we conducted 14 videoconferences to review and improve surgeons’ skills in performing ES at affiliated institutions. At these conferences, while an uncut video of ES that had been performed at one of the affiliated institutions was shown, the surgical procedure was discussed frankly, and expert surgeons advised improvements. The annotation system is useful for easy, prompt recognition among the audience regarding anatomical structures and procedures that are difficult to explain verbally.ConclusionsThis system is of low initial cost and offers easy participation and high-quality videos. It would therefore be a useful tool for regional ES education.

Architecture of cross-platform videoconferencing system with automatic recognition of user emotions

This paper considers implementation of the technology of automated detection of emotional condition and video conferencing technology for remote content delivery, such as transport communication systems, polls, lectures, psychotherapy sessions, etc. To establish remote communication sessions a platform-agnostic peer-to-peer architecture was developed. Convolutional neural networks are used for stream processing at the operator end, being utilized to estimate the emotional feedback of the customer. To define the emotional condition, three modalities (video, audio, text), as well multimodal recognition were used. Experiments for 10 pairs of humans were performed, where one of them acted as an operator and asked closed questions, whereas another answered these questions. The neural network shows the following average accuracy values for the individual modalities: video 76 %, audio 57 %. The best output is ensured by multimodal recognition (average accuracy of 80 %). These findings confirm the efficiency of multimodal recognition in videoconferencing systems for classification of human emotions.

Comparing Collaboration Fidelity between VR, MR and Video Conferencing Systems: The Effects of Visual Communication Media Fidelity on Collaboration

Video/audio conferencing systems have been used extensively for remote collaboration over many years. Recently, virtual and mixed reality (VR/MR) systems have started to show great potential as communication media for remote collaboration. Prior studies revealed that the creation of common ground between discourse participants is crucial for collaboration and that grounding techniques change with the communication medium. However, it is difficult to find previous research that compares VR and MR communication system performances with video conferencing systems regarding the creation of common ground for collaborative problem solving. On the other hand, prior studies have found that display fidelity and interaction fidelity had significant effects on performance-intensive individual tasks in virtual reality. Fidelity in VR can be defined as the degree of objective accuracy with which the real-world is represented by the virtual world. However, to date, fidelity for collaborative tasks in VR/MR has not been defined or studied much. In this paper, we compare five different communication media for the establishment of common ground in collaborative problem-solving tasks: Webcam, headband camera, VR, MR, and audio-only conferencing systems. We analyzed these communication media with respect to collaborative fidelity components which we defined. For the experiments, we utilized two different types of collaborative tasks: a 2D Tangram puzzle and a 3D Soma cube puzzle. The experimental results show that the traditional Webcam performed better than the other media in the 2D task, while the headband camera performed better in the 3D task. In terms of collaboration fidelity, these results were somehow predictable, although there was a little difference between our expectations and the results.

Preface

10th International Conference on High-Performance Computing Systems and Technologies in Scientific Research, Automation of Control and Production (HPCST-2020). May 15-16, 2020, Barnaul, Russia The 10th International Conference on High-Performance Computing Systems and Technologies in Scientific Research, Automation of Control and Production (HPCST-2020) took place at the Altai State University on May 15 - 16, 2020. Altai State University (AltSU) is located in the center of Barnaul city - the capital of Altai region of the south-west of Siberia.HPCST is a regular scientific meeting that is held annually since 2011. It attracts specialists in the various fields of modern computer and information science, and their applications in automation of control and production, in mathematical modelling and computer simulation of processes and phenomena in natural sciences by means of parallel computing.The aim of the traditional annual conference is to present state-of-art approaches and methods for solving contemporary scientific problems, to exchange the latest research results obtained by scientists both from universities and research institutions. All the results are valuable contributions to the modern computer and information science and to their applications and technology.Taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic, the HPCST-2020 conference was held in the remote mode as a video conference with a presentation of materials on the conference’s online resources. HPCST-2020 virtual meetings took place in the conference room (figures 2-3) of the university administration building using the Zoom remote videoconferencing system (figure 4).List of Conference Photographs are available in this PDF.

Enhancing student communication competencies in STEM using virtual global collaboration project based learning

ABSTRACT Background To prepare K-12 students for the globalizing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workplace, teachers must utilize pedagogies to improve students’ 21st century skills, specifically in communication. Project Based Learning (PBL) has evidenced success in enhancing students’ communication skills, while global collaboration through virtual interactions (herein global PBL) provides unique opportunities for students to practice communication in STEM by leveraging videoconferencing and Learning Management System technologies, bridging classrooms internationally. Yet, the extent of synergistic effects of global PBL on developing students’ STEM communication skills is unknown. Purpose This study investigated if a global PBL was an effective pedagogy for enhancing and developing communication skills needed for communication and global competence in the STEM workplace, from the perceptions of both US teachers and students. Sample A mixed method study investigated the impact of global PBL in two fifth grade STEM-focused classrooms; to explore, from the perception of teachers and students, changes in students’ communication competencies. Design and methods The intervention consisted of a 3-week PBL focused on air pollution in the water cycle, where two American treatment classrooms participated in global PBL with French and Chinese students in English language classrooms through Canvas. A third American classroom (using the same PBL, but without any virtual collaboration elements) served as a control. Data sources included teacher and researcher classroom observations, a pre and post student survey, and teacher interviews. Results Results of teacher perception data and researcher observation suggested the global PBL developed students’ abilities to share and understand ideas, use multiple representations to present those ideas, and be more receptive to perspectives different than their own. Conclusion This research suggests global PBL is a meaningful strategy for K-12 teachers to develop students’ communication competencies in STEM.

The Study of Intention to Apply Live Video Transmission System in Disaster Sites for Firefighters through UTAUT model

With the rapid development of network technology, the live video transmission system (LVTS) has improved the work efficiency because of the visual communication combining both images and data. In order to strengthen the effectiveness of disaster prevention through instant communication, the Fire Department in Taiwan has used the “VVLINK” videoconferencing system to provide multi-functional online conferences, and even grasp on-site dynamic situation of disasters in the first time, and then giving order to the disaster relief site online. Here, a research about the application of LVTS system in disaster sites was carried out to study the intention for firefighters in Fire Bureau of Changhua County, Taiwan. In this study “behavioural intension (BI)” and “usage behaviour (UB)” on LVTS system are explored through the Integrated Technology Acceptance Model (UTAUT). In addition, moderate variables such as gender, age, experience and voluntary are needed to be considered. “Performance expectation (PE)”, “effort expectation (EE)” and “social influence (SI)” can affect BI to be very significant; BI and “facilitating conditions (FC)” can also affect UB. Questionnaire analysis was applied. The results show that PE, EE, and SI have a positive direct impact on BI, and BI also has a positive direct impact on UB. It was also found that the FC had a positive and direct impact on BI as well as SI impacting on UB. All the moderate variables have significant difference on each UTAUT categories.

Examining university students’ attitudes towards using web-conferencing systems in distance learning courses: A study on scale development and application

The study aimed to develop a scale to assess students’ attitudes towards using interactive web conferencing systems in distance learning courses. An item pool was formed based on a review of the literature and the participants’ written views. A draft scale was developed with 29 items selected from this item pool. It was applied to 1100 undergraduate students in a distance program in theology, who took courses using Adobe Connect as a video conference system, together with Moodle as a learning management system. After removing incomplete or improperly filled questionnaires, a total of 596 participants’ responses were used for factor analysis. The scale was made up of four factors: user expectations on web-conference systems, user preferences for web-conferencing system, user attitudes towards using web-conferencing systems, and user problems experienced while using web-conferencing systems.

Design and Implementation of a Collaborative Communication Network for Video Conference Services

Under the current global conditions, strong emphasis is put on saving resources and reducing costs, migrating to collaborative unified communications solutions and developing open-source Web applications. The secure video-conferencing system will mainly use VoIP and WebRTC technologies to make multimedia calls, allowing end-users mobile and remote access (MRA) and therefore to facilitate communication between different networks, as well as the accessibility and the interoperability with any type of technology and device. This article will analyze the scalable implementation of the real-time communications network, providing redundancy and load balancing, therefore ensuring the high availability of the entire collaborative communications system. The call control and the dial plan are done through the Unified Call Manager software and WebRTC videoconferencing external access functionality is provided by configuring Traversal Using Relays around NAT (TURN) service across the Expressway Series server pair (Core & Edge). The ability to manage and monitor virtual meetings remains the responsibility of the open-source management tools.

Teledentistry in the diagnosis of oral lesions: A systematic review of the literature.

The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize information on the use of teledentistry in the diagnosis of oral lesions. A systematic literature search conducted in August 2018 included articles published until December 2018 in 4 databases. Two reviewers evaluated the search results separately. If they were uncertain as to whether to include an article, a third reviewer made the final decision. Studies related to the diagnosis of oral lesions using teledentistry were included. The methodological quality of the studies was analyzed using the Quality Assessment of Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy. Eleven articles were included in the study. The selected articles were published between 1999 and 2018, predominantly in developing countries. The professionals acting as patient examiners are dental students and dentists, as well as other health professionals. Most of the patients evaluated in the studies were from rural populations or locations distant from large centers. The tools used to obtain patient data were smartphones, videoconference, email, questionnaires, histopathological exams, and telemedicine applications and systems. Most studies concluded that there is a high level of agreement between teledentistry and clinical consultation and that the use of this resource for diagnostic purposes can reduce costs and the travel time to consult a specialist personally. Nine of the 11 studies were of good quality. Teledentistry has the potential to improve the care quality related to diagnosis and management of oral lesions, shortening distances between patients who need specialized diagnoses and specialists.

A methodology to improve eye contact in telepsychotherapy via videoconferencing with considerations for psychological distance

ABSTRACT Telepsychotherapy by videoconference (VC) is an effective way to treat clients over the Internet, yet therapists often report concerns that VC could affect the therapeutic relationship by hindering the perception of nonverbal behaviors such as eye contact. To date, no simple procedure describes the technical adjustments needed to compensate for the unnatural angle between the eye gaze of the participants and the webcam that is pervasive to most commercial VC systems. This article describes the steps towards a practical and inexpensive VC setup that enables eye contact between therapists and clients. Moreover, this setup allows users to choose between two camera framing conditions: a zoomed-out, head-to-waist framing or a zoomed-in, head-to-chest framing. These two setups were tested by four therapist-client dyads in simulated telepsychotherapy sessions. Participants indicated that they preferred the framing condition congruent with their desire to be “closer” or “farther” from their partner, highlighting how their perception of psychological distance was related to the degree of camera zooming in VC. The article provides recommendations for different adaptations that therapists and clients can implement to maximize their experience of telepsychotherapy by VC.

High-altitude mountain telemedicine

Introduction An innovative teleconsultation platform has been designed, developed and validated between summer 2017 and winter 2018, in five mountain huts and in three remote outpatient clinical centres of the Italian region Valle d’Aosta of the Mont Blanc massif area. Methods An ad-hoc videoconference system was developed within the framework of the e-Rés@MONT (Interreg ALCOTRA) European project, to tackle general health problems and high-altitude diseases (such as acute mountain sickness, high-altitude pulmonary and cerebral oedema). The system allows for contacting physicians at the main hospital in Aosta to perform a specific diagnosis and to give specific advice and therapy to the patients in an extreme environment out-hospital setting. At an altitude between 1500–3500 m, five trained nurses performed clinical evaluations (anamnesis, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation), electrocardiographic and echography monitoring on both tourists and residents as necessary; all of the collected data were sent to the physicians in Aosta. Results A total of 702 teleconsultation cases were performed: 333 dismissed (47%), 356 observed (51%) and 13 immediate interventions (2%). In 30 cases the physicians decided there was no need for helicopter and ambulance rescue intervention and hospital admissions. The main physiological measures, the classified pathologies, the severe cases and the cost savings are described in this article. Discussion The e-Rés@MONT teleconsultation platform has been discussed in terms of treated cases, feasibility, proactivity in reducing complexities, direct and indirect advantages, and diagnostics help; moreover, general and specific pros and cons have been debated, and future steps have been exposed.

Packet fragmentation as data protection method in automated systems

The paper gives a detailed description of the information transfer covert channels and their main types. One of the most popular protection methods, the one with the software and the hardware applied to traffic encryption, against the information disclosure threat is considered. Experimental data obtained from the statistical analysis of the encrypted traffic and contributing into the identification of different modern info-communication services by the IP-package distribution and the time intervals between their arrival are collected and provided. A detailed classification of the information transfer covert channels is looked upon under the regulating documents in the in-formation protection sphere. An overall mechanism of a convert channel functioning in the automated systems is described. The areas to counteract the convert channels as an information disclosure threat are specified. The authors put forward a protection method employing IP fragmentation. A diagram of a pilot stand for the videoconference systems which was tested during the experiment is presented. The parameters and the characteristics of the obtained results are described. The results are analysed, and the possible applications of IP fragmentation as a method to counteract the information transfer convert channels in the videoconference systems are offered.

Rapid Implementation of an Inpatient Telehealth Program during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Relaxation of laws and regulations around privacy and billing during the COVID-19 pandemic provide expanded opportunities to use telehealth to provide patient care at a distance. Many health systems have transitioned to providing outpatient care via telehealth; however, there is an opportunity to utilize telehealth for inpatients to promote physical distancing. This article evaluates the use of a rapidly implemented, secure inpatient telehealth program. We assembled a multidisciplinary team to rapidly design, implement, and iteratively improve an inpatient telehealth quality improvement initiative using an existing videoconferencing system at our academic medical center. We assigned each hospital bed space a unique meeting link and updated the meeting password for each new patient. Patients and families were encouraged to use their own mobile devices to join meetings when possible. Within 7 weeks of go-live, we hosted 1,820 inpatient telehealth sessions (13.3 sessions per 100 bedded days). We logged 104,647 minutes of inpatient telehealth time with a median session duration of 22 minutes (range 1-1,961). There were 5,288 participant devices used with a mean of 3 devices per telehealth session (range 2-22). Clinicians found they were able to build rapport and perform a reasonable physical exam. We successfully implemented and scaled a secure inpatient telehealth program using an existing videoconferencing system in less than 1 week. Our implementation provided an intuitive naming convention for providers and capitalized on the broad availability of smartphones and tablets. Initial comments from clinicians suggest the system was useful; however, further work is needed to streamline initial setup for patients and families as well as care coordination to support clinician communication and workflows. Numerous use cases identified suggest a role for inpatient telehealth will remain after the COVID-19 crisis underscoring the importance of lasting regulatory reform.

ON THE USE OF VIDEOCONFERENCING IN PRE-TRIAL CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

An urgent issue at the current stage of the development of criminal procedure is the use of videoconferencing in pre-trial criminal proceedings. The interest in this topic is caused both by the lack of legal regulation and ongoing discussions in the scientific community, as well as by the emerging and challenging situation with regard to the threat of coronavirus infection. In the context of the pandemic, the Court has acquired the right to conduct all criminal proceedings using videoconferencing systems, and investigators and interrogators are prevented from using remote technologies even during such an investigative action as an interrogation. This problem requires research and resolution by both scientists and legislators. Purpose: to analyze and develop scientific and legal foundations for the use of videoconferencing in pre-trial criminal proceedings. Methods: the author uses empirical methods of comparison, description, interpretation as well as theoretical methods of formal and dialectical logic. Results: the study makes it possible to trace the gradual increase in the use of videoconferencing in criminal proceedings, to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the introduction of remote technologies at the preliminary investigation stage, to identify gaps in the legal regulation of this issue in criminal proceedings, to propose a solution to the problem taking into account the emerging judicial practice, and the legislation of a number of foreign countries.

Pilot Study of Telehealth Evaluations in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Telehealth involves the use of telecommunication and information technology for the delivery of clinical care and may be a mechanism to alleviate the burden of visits faced by patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Few studies have evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of telehealth visits in the care of HCT patients. We conducted 27 telehealth visits with 25 patients undergoing HCT using a videoconferencing system that allows for real-time, 2-way interactions and administered satisfaction surveys to patients and providers. Of the 25 patients included in the study, 20 (80%) and 5 (20%) were undergoing autologous and allogeneic HCT, respectively. The telehealth visits were distributed as follows: 3 inpatient visits upon admission for HCT; 11 inpatient visits between 2 and 14 days post-HCT; 4 inpatient visits prior to discharge after HCT; 8 outpatient, post-HCT follow-up visits; and 1 handoff to a community oncologist. Out of a total of 54 provider assessments, 7 providers (13%) were unable to complete some part of the physical examination, but no provider reported being unable to manage patients' symptoms through telehealth. Eighty-one percent of patients were either satisfied or very satisfied with the telemedicine session. Overall satisfaction was higher among patients than providers (mean scores 4.12 versus 2.64; scale 1 to 5, with 1=very poor to 5=excellent). Technological barriers resulting in delays and suboptimal physical examination were largely responsible for provider dissatisfaction. The use of telehealth to deliver comprehensive follow-up care to HCT patients is feasible across different HCT types but is dependent upon quality of data streaming and videoconferencing technologies.