Virtual Service Research Articles

Improving Access to Care Through Youth-Focused Virtual Sexual Health Navigation

PurposeGender and sexually diverse adolescents and young adults in Baltimore City, Maryland, are disproportionately impacted by HIV. The Virtual and Online Integrated Sexual Health Services for Youth program is a health navigation program which combines virtual sexual health service delivery and health navigation to link youth at risk for HIV acquisition to HIV testing/prevention and sexual healthcare services. MethodsYouth between 13 and 26 years old and residing in the Baltimore area were eligible to participate in the program. Demographic and engagement data from 238 youth (average age 21.4, SD = 2.5) who requested navigation were collected and recorded in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-secure medical database and examined for associations between demographics, referral source, and the number of navigational services to which they were linked. Focused populations were defined as residents of high HIV prevalence zip codes who identify as sexual and gender diverse youth. ResultsReceipt of navigational services was significantly associated with self-identifying as sexually diverse. A multivariate regression revealed a significant association between the count of navigational services a youth was linked to and recording one's sexual orientation, identifying as a cisgender male, and residing in a high HIV-prevalence zip code. DiscussionVirtual health navigation has the potential to engage priority populations, including sexual and gender diverse youth. By refining linkage and identification approaches to health navigation, future outreach attempts can be tailored to support vulnerable communities, with the potential to improve sexual healthcare access.

Efficient criticality oriented service brokering policy in cloud datacenters

Cloud service provider (CSP) offers a huge number of datacenters and virtual servers to the users for processing their workloads in an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) cloud computing environment. Due to the heterogeneous volume of these resources and the immense number of user workloads arriving simultaneously in the cloud, it is necessary to use an effective load distribution technique for scheduling the resources to achieve high performance and high user satisfaction. Service brokering policy and load balancing techniques are the two crucial areas to be focused on while selecting the datacenters and virtual machines, respectively. In this study, we have proposed a dynamic efficient criticality-oriented service brokering policy for load allocations among datacenters by considering task criticality, datacenter proximity, and traffic, the size of the datacenter, its present load and makespan value. The proposed methodology is examined against the current policies in the CloudAnalyst simulation tool and the analysis report confirms that our proposed policy gives priority to processing the urgent loads and chooses the optimum datacenter to diminish the load response time, datacenter processing time, minimizes the cost, achieves optimum resource utilization and workload balancing among resources.

Technological perspectives of Metaverse for financial service providers

Most banking institutions are inadequately prepared for the ongoing integration of technology, including the digitalization of financial services, the advent of the Metaverse, and the emergence of Web 3.0. While other sectors are making strides in navigating virtual environments, financial institutions appear to be trailing. Concurrently, the nascent ecosystem of the Metaverse presents promising opportunities for businesses and industries, potentially revolutionizing economic models, governance frameworks, and ethical paradigms. This study aims to contribute to the emerging discourse on the provision of financial services within the Metaverse. The paper envisages virtual reality's future financial services landscape using a scenario-based technological foresight approach. This research is the first attempt to map the comprehensive landscape of financial services in the Metaverse, both in the present context and the foreseeable future. The paper delineates the economy of the Metaverse, its key sectors, and its enablers. It overviews the initial experiences with virtual financial services and proposes potential prospects for financial institutions operating within the Metaverse. This study, therefore, serves as a foundational reference for understanding the evolving dynamics of financial services in the virtual realm.

The digital revolution in the tourism industry: role of anthropomorphic virtual agent in digitalized hotel service

PurposeIn the tourism industry, immersive technologies become increasingly vital, amplifying traveler experiences and industry growth. By studying “e-booking” applications prevalent in hotels, this study aims to analyze the impact of integrating an anthropomorphic virtual agent (AVA) on user perceptions of humanness and service usage intent.Design/methodology/approachTwo experiments were conducted to examine the effects of using an AVA and explain the psychological mechanism of how AVA’s attributes increase intention to use “e-booking” application.FindingsThe results highlight the positive influence of AVA on the intention to use. They illustrate the psychological mechanism of how AVA’s attributes (agency and emotionality) influence perceived humanness and intention to use. More specifically, the results indicate that perceived humanness mediated the effect of an AVA on intention to use.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research should delve into additional capabilities related to humanness.Practical implicationsThis study provides useful insights for hotels’ managers about incorporating AVAs in digital services to enhance the perceived humanness of AVAs. The findings suggest that such efforts could yield benefits, especially when they involve conveying that AVAs possess agency and emotionality.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to investigate how AVA impacts hotel human–computer interaction. It examines agency and emotionality features on humanness perception and behavioral intent. It also guides successful digitalized hotel service development and design, expanding existing research on human–virtual agent digital services, which mainly focuses on superficial traits like face and gender.

Understanding virtual agents’ service quality in the context of customer service: A fit-viability perspective

Virtual agents, a prevalent application of artificial intelligence, significantly enhance e-commerce customer service (i.e., online interactions that address customers’ concerns). This creates an innovative service model aiming to meet diverse customer demands and create value for enterprises. However, understanding the factors driving the performance of virtual agents, especially in terms of service quality, remains a gap. Expanding the fit-viability model (FVM), this study investigates the drivers and mechanisms influencing virtual agents’ service quality, considering the matching of technology, service scenarios, and individual readiness. Surveying 399 respondents experienced in virtual agent service within e-commerce, the findings reveal that personalization negatively impacts response speed but positively influences response accuracy. Technology readiness positively affects convenience and accessibility. Overall, service quality is positively influenced by response speed, response accuracy, convenience, and accessibility. This study extends the fit-viability model to virtual agent service literature, providing practitioners with a fresh perspective to enhance e-commerce customer service.

Characteristics of Stacked GaInN‐Based Red, Green, and Blue Full‐Color Monolithic μLED Arrays Connected via Tunnel Junctions

The use of μLEDs in self‐luminous displays is crucial for the development of high‐efficiency displays for virtual space services. For this purpose, a stacked monolithic GaInN‐based micro light‐eimtting diodes (μLED) device that emits red, green, and blue (RGB) light is obtained. The RGB layers are connected via tunnel junction (TJ) layers. The pixel density is 330 ppi (35 × 15 μm2 of μLED mesa area corresponding to the emission). The cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy analysis indicates that there is not a significant increase in threading dislocations even after stacking the three RGB active layers and two TJ layers. In addition, the X‐ray diffraction reciprocal lattice space mapping shows that all the layers grow almost coherently with respect to the GaN substrate. A detailed evaluation of the resulting device shows that the BT.2020 color gamut coverage reaches a maximum of 71%, and the luminance is sufficiently high for head‐mounted display applications. Redshifting of the emission wavelength of the red μLEDs by increasing the InN mole fraction in the GaInN active layer would likely lead to improvement of the color gamut coverage in future studies.

Comparative Analysis of Cloud based SDN and NFV in 5g Networks

The acceleration of 5G and other communication technologies is significantly influenced by digitization. However, the current state of 5G development falls short in meeting various performance and manageability requirements, particularly in supporting data center networks. To overcome these challenges, telecom enterprises commonly utilize Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) in their data centers. This paper introduces a comprehensive SDN-NFV architecture aimed at simplifying network administration tasks for telecom enterprises. The evolution of interconnect network operations for virtual services has undergone substantial transformations due to the adoption of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). We conducted an investigation into the SDN/NFV paradigm to determine the effective implementation, management, and distribution of network services to end users. This compilation of research papers delves into various aspects of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) within the realm of emerging technologies. Aissioui et al. (2015) contribute with an elastic distributed SDN/NFV controller designed for the efficient management of 5G mobile cloud systems, addressing their dynamic nature. Alenezi et al. (2019) focus on cloud-based SDN and NFV architectures tailored for IoT infrastructure, emphasizing scalability and flexibility. Barakabitze et al. (2020) provide an extensive survey on 5G network slicing using SDN and NFV, categorizing approaches and discussing future challenges.

Adolescent Trauma and Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the School Context

This study examines the significant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent trauma and its subsequent consequences in the school setting. The pandemic has brought about a worldwide health emergency that goes beyond physical health, significantly impacting the mental and emotional well-being of teenagers. This demographic, which is already vulnerable to different types of psychological distress during a crucial period of growth, encountered intensified difficulties as a result of the disruptions caused by the pandemic. The study employs a mixed-method methodology, combining quantitative data from surveys with qualitative insights gathered through interviews and focus groups that include students, teachers, and school counselors. The objective is to evaluate the prevalence of trauma-related concerns among adolescents during the pandemic and investigate how these concerns have become apparent in educational environments. Primary concerns include the consequences of extended school closures, the transition to remote learning, social seclusion, and the broader psychosocial pressures associated with the pandemic. The findings indicate a notable surge in the number of reports concerning anxiety, depression, and other symptoms associated with trauma among adolescents. The interruption of typical school schedules and the lack of a physical school setting have decreased academic involvement and drive. Moreover, the absence of face-to-face social engagement and participation in extracurricular activities has intensified sentiments of isolation and social detachment. The study emphasizes the crucial role of schools in offering assistance and resources to tackle these difficulties. It highlights the necessity of implementing trauma-informed educational strategies and mental health support systems in schools to address the increased emotional and psychological requirements of students. Furthermore, the study identifies successful tactics schools utilize to lessen the consequences of the pandemic, such as incorporating mental health education into the curriculum, offering virtual counseling services, and cultivating a supportive online community.

Early COVID-19 School Policies’ Impact on Families and Youth Engagement in Virtual Learning and Telemental Health

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic quickly and significantly impacted students, schools, and communities. As part of a larger multisite study, the present investigation aimed to understand the effect of the pandemic-related switch to virtual schooling and virtual mental health services on youth. Specifically, this study aimed to explore the impacts of the pandemic on school administrators and staff, students, and families invested in supporting youth mental health. Focus groups were held in two disparate communities within the United States. Participants were members of two school mental health coalitions acting as key informants and included mental health program directors, school clinicians, parents of students, and community leaders. Data were analyzed using iterative rapid qualitative analysis. Salient themes include the role of family characteristics, communication, and infrastructure on use of virtual learning and virtual mental health services. Study findings indicate that fostering trust and increasing communication between school districts and families may ameliorate challenging policy transitions in future crises.

A Multiuser, Multisite, and Platform-Independent On-the-Cloud Framework for Interactive Immersion in Holographic XR

Background: The ever-growing extended reality (XR) technologies offer unique tools for the interactive visualization of images with a direct impact on many fields, from bioinformatics to medicine, as well as education and training. However, the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into XR applications poses substantial computational processing demands. Additionally, the intricate technical challenges associated with multilocation and multiuser interactions limit the usability and expansion of XR applications. Methods: A cloud deployable framework (Holo-Cloud) as a virtual server on a public cloud platform was designed and tested. The Holo-Cloud hosts FI3D, an augmented reality (AR) platform that renders and visualizes medical 3D imaging data, e.g., MRI images, on AR head-mounted displays and handheld devices. Holo-Cloud aims to overcome challenges by providing on-demand computational resources for location-independent, synergetic, and interactive human-to-image data immersion. Results: We demonstrated that Holo-Cloud is easy to implement, platform-independent, reliable, and secure. Owing to its scalability, Holo-Cloud can immediately adapt to computational needs, delivering adequate processing power for the hosted AR platforms. Conclusion: Holo-Cloud shows the potential to become a standard platform to facilitate the application of interactive XR in medical diagnosis, bioinformatics, and training by providing a robust platform for XR applications.

Fair and Scalable Orchestration of Network and Compute Resources for Virtual Edge Services

The combination of service virtualization and edge computing allows for low latency services, while keeping data storage and processing local. However, given the limited resources available at the edge, a conflict in resource usage arises when both virtualized user applications and network functions need to be supported. Further, the concurrent resource request by user applications and network functions is often entangled, since the data generated by the former has to be transferred by the latter, and vice versa. In this paper, we first show through experimental tests the correlation between a video-based application and a vRAN. Then, owing to the complex involved dynamics, we develop a scalable reinforcement learning framework for resource orchestration at the edge, which leverages a Pareto analysis for provable fair and efficient decisions. We validate our framework, named VERA, through a real-time proof-of-concept implementation, which we also use to obtain datasets reporting real-world operational conditions and performance. Using such experimental datasets, we demonstrate that VERA meets the KPI targets for over <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$96\%$</tex-math></inline-formula> of the observation period and performs similarly when executed in our real-time implementation, with KPI differences below 12.4%. Further, its scaling cost is <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$54\%$</tex-math></inline-formula> lower than a centralized framework based on deep-Q networks.

Patient Perceptions on Telepsychiatry as an In-Consult Alternative During COVID-19 Pandemic: Peruvian Adaptation of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire.

Objective: To identify the perceptions of the patients who received alternative care by telepsychiatry at the Cayetano Heredia Hospital (HCH). Methods: This research consisted of two phases: (1) transcultural adaptation of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) with three experts and (2) application of the questionnaire in 183 patients from psychiatry in HCH. Nonparametric tests were used to determine the association between variables. Results: We applied 20 questions to 60 men and 123 women, with a median age of 45. The ease of using the virtual consultation service, the comfort with its use, and the general satisfaction had a score of 6 out of 7 and are associated with the number of devices that patients have and their degree of education. The usefulness, communication by virtual means, and the solution of technical problems had scores higher than 6, being considered acceptable by the patients. Willingness to have a teleconsultation again was high and was associated with patient satisfaction with the consultation. Conclusions: Most patients were satisfied with telepsychiatry via telemonitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic. The usage of validated tools such as TUQ might be included as part of evaluations of new telemedicine services.

Media-Tech Companies as Agents of Innovation: From Radical to Incremental Innovation in a Cluster

During recent decades new players, forms, and practices have been entering the journalism field, prompting a re-examination of journalism’s professional and organizational boundaries. Many scholars argue for expanding the scope of journalism studies beyond the newsrooms to encompass actors labelled as strangers, peripheral players, or interlopers. Those actors do not belong to traditional journalism but are becoming involved in the production of news, challenging journalism borders from the inside and out. Their influence has been growing and scholarship is increasingly mapping out these strangers and assessing their role in journalism innovation. In this article, we examine the role of one type of implicit interloper in journalism innovation: media-tech companies. We consider companies that provide video management and virtual reality services as implicit interlopers, due to their connection to journalism through the boundary object of news production and lack of claim over journalistic authority. We argue that media-tech companies have been under-researched based on a review of literature on innovation according to Holton and Belair-Gagnon’s (2018) typology of interlopers. Therefore, we examine what kind of innovation comes from the periphery of journalism, and the prerequisites for and the role of those innovations in the context of a specific cluster. We conducted a case study of Media City Bergen based on a thematic analysis of semi-structured elite interviews with executives of media-tech companies. Our findings show how media-tech companies bring innovation to production and distribution, content, and content consumption. Furthermore, they show how disruptiveness and the degree of innovations change with the maturation of the cluster.

Evaluation of The Usability of Virtual Reality as An Educational Tool for Nursing Student Simulators

Technology-based simulation learning methods have great potential to support education for students in the health sector. One of the innovations that can be done is virtual reality. In using virtual reality, paying attention to the quality of virtual reality services to provide learning satisfaction and motivate students to be active in the learning process is essential. VNursLab designed VR as an additional learning media for Padjadjaran University nursing students. Therefore, this study aims to identify nursing students' satisfaction with using VR as a learning media simulator.The method used is pre-experimental quantitative research and a one-shot case study approach. The sampling used in the study was purposive. Eighty-six respondents completed the research by following the VR simulation for 20 minutes and continued filling out the PSSUQ (Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire) questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive analytics by finding the mean value of each aspect of the assessment obtained from the mean of each element of the respondent. The results show that the overall quality of VR VNursLab is good (2.2), with a mean value of system quality (2.3), mean InfoQual (2.21), and IntQual (2.28). Based on these results, VR VNursLab as a learning media with virtual simulation methods has a good quality of use assessment and provides satisfaction with nursing students' use.

On the scalability of the speedup considering the overhead of consolidating virtual machines in servers for data centers

Virtualization technologies are extensively utilized in data centers, particularly cloud computing. This facilitates data center management and diminishes the number of physical machines (servers) and, subsequently, their cooling requirements, leading to cost, space, and power consumption reductions. When applications in data centers are executing independent parallel transactions, but with similar performance requirements, the appropriate level of virtual machine consolidation on a server poses a fundamental challenge for capacity planning. This article introduces a method to evaluate the performance speedup achieved through virtualization on any server and the effects of virtualization and consolidation overheads on physical or virtual machine scalability. This research formalizes the speedup and overheads, using classical computer architecture statements. but at the same time proposes a new method to analyze these overhead amounts and types, showing the scalability and efficiency of different consolidations in the same server and its comparison against no consolidation. This work also proposes a new way to determine the optimal number of physical servers and the optimal number of consolidated virtual machines for a given transaction workload. The real experimentation was performed with different workload sizes, types of virtualizations and different servers. The method presented also facilitates the representation of linear scalability against the real degree of parallelism of either physical machines or consolidated virtual machines for a given transaction workload, as well as striking the right balance between speedup and energy in virtual server consolidation.

Legal Responsibility for Misuse of Restricted Over-The-Counter Medicine Sold by Small Traders

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The purpose of this legal research is to find out about the applications of doctors who perform telemedicine services and to find out the legal protection for doctors who perform telemedicine services. By using normative legal research method, this research uses statute approach and conceptual approach. Based on this research, a conclusion is obtained that refers to Law Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health, Minister of Health Regulation Number 20 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Telemedicine Services Between Health Service Facilities, and Law Number 29 of 20004 concerning Medical Practice. However, these regulations have not provided legal protection for doctors who perform telemedicine services both in statutory provisions and the medical code of ethics. Legal protection should be provided through a new law on doctors who perform remote virtual services (telemedicine) which contains telemedicine authority so that there are limits to the authority of doctors to perform telemedicine services.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Virtual urgent care is here to stay: driving toward safe, equitable, and sustainable integration within emergency medicine.

Virtual care in Canada rapidly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic in a low-rules environment in response to pressing needs for ongoing access to care amid public health restrictions. Emergency medicine specialists now face the challenge of advising on which virtual urgent care services ought to remain as part of comprehensive emergency care. Consideration must be given to safe, quality, and appropriate care as well as issues of equitable access, public demand, and sustainability (financial and otherwise). The aim of this project was to summarize current literature and expert opinion and formulate recommendations on the path forward for virtual care in emergency medicine. We formed a working group of emergency medicine physicians from across Canada working in a variety of practice settings. The virtual care working group conducted a scoping review of the literature and met monthly to discuss themes and develop recommendations. The final recommendations were circulated to stakeholders for input and subsequently presented at the 2023 Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Academic Symposium for discussion, feedback, and refinement. The working group developed and reached unanimity on nine recommendations addressing the themes of system design, equity and accessibility, quality and patient safety, education and curriculum, financial models, and sustainability of virtual urgent care services in Canada. Virtual urgent care has become an established service in the Canadian health care system. Emergency medicine specialists are uniquely suited to provide leadership and guidance on the optimal delivery of these services to enhance and complement emergency care in Canada.

Guidelines and recommendations about virtual mental health services from high-income countries: a rapid review

ObjectivesThis study reviewed existing recommendations for virtual mental healthcare services through the quadruple aim framework to create a set of recommendations on virtual healthcare delivery to guide the development of...

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Early Intervention Services Use Among Children with Developmental Disabilities

Early Intervention (EI) is a federally-funded program that provides therapies for children with developmental delays. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions in Philadelphia in 2020, these services made a rapid change to virtual service delivery. We sought to explore the experiences of families in accessing online therapy. We recruited families to participate in a mixed methods study in order to evaluate changes in the initiation and use of EI services pre- and post-pandemic lockdown. Of the 94 who completed surveys, 27 families were purposively sampled for semi-structured telephonic interviews to identify their perceptions of program assistance and needs. Themes developed from these interviews included participant satisfaction with the communication of program changes and concerns related to the effectiveness of virtual EI services. This information can be used in plans for transitioning to hybrid therapy as well as for future pandemics requiring a return to fully virtual services.

디지털트윈 전시형 콘텐츠 개발을 위한 엔티티 기반 3차원 예술작품 데이터모델링 개선방안 연구

Recently, a number of virtual reality exhibition-type content services have been produced using archive resources of visual art records as a means of promoting cultural policy-based public companies. However, it is by no means easy to accumulate 3D works of art as data. Looking at the current state of metadata in public institutions, there was no digitalization of resources when developing digital twins because it was built based on old international standards. It was found that data modeling evolution is inevitable to connect multidimensional data at a capacity and speed that exceeds the functions of existing systems. Therefore, the elements and concepts of data modeling design were first considered among previous studies. When developing virtual reality content, when it is designed for the migration of 3D modeling data, the previously created metadata was analyzed to improve the upper elements that must be added to 3D modeling. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the possibility by directly implementing the process of using newly created metadata in virtual reality content in accordance with the data modeling process. If this study is gradually developed in the future, metadata-based data modeling can become more meaningful in the use of public data than it is today.