THE EFFECT OF LIGHTING ENVIRONMENT ON FACIAL EXPRESSION PERCEPTION IN VIDEO TELECONFERENCING

In this study, we investigated whether manipulating the lighting environment in videoconferencing changes the readability of facial expressions. In the experiment, the participants were asked to evaluate their impressions of a video that simulated the situation in a videoconference. A total of 12 lighting conditions were used, including three colour temperature conditions and four lighting directions conditions. As a result of the factor analysis, four factors were identified: "Clarity," "Dynamism," "Naturalness," and "Healthiness." The results of ANOVA showed that placing the lighting in front was effective for all factors. And in all of the factors, it showed that lighting from the front was effective for the participants. In addition, while lower colour temperature decreased clarity, it improved naturalness and healthiness and was particularly effective when the lighting was placed in front of the subject.

Title: Experiences of Risk In Australian Hotel Quarantine: A Qualitative Study

Background: In response to the threat of COVID-19 infection, Australia mandated a 14 day quarantine period in a designated facility for all travellers returning from overseas from late March 2020. These facilities were usually hotels, or hotel-like serviced apartments, and also included a repurposed former mining village in the Northern Territory. This study aimed to investigate the perspectives and experiences of people quarantined in designated supervised facilities in Australia, which has not been systematically explored before.Methods: In this qualitative study semi-structured interviews were conducted with 58 participants quarantined between March 2020 and January 2021. Participants were returned Australian citizens and residents who were required to undergo mandatory supervised quarantine for COVID-19. Interviews were conducted using video teleconferencing (via Zoom), transcribed and coded, then analysed thematically. The theoretical orientation of the study was empirical bioethics.Results: While participants generally supported the concept of quarantine to protect the Australian public, they were critical of elements of it where they felt exposed to risk (COVID-related or not). They also described instances where infection control within the system seemed inadequate. For some, particularly those quarantined with small children, they reported that the facilities were inadequate or inappropriate for health and wellbeing. Using thematic analysis, three major themes were identified that related to problems in the existing system: Feeling at risk in the quarantine process, risks to the community identified in quarantine, and alternatives to hotel quarantine. Conclusions: There are systemic issues with infection control in hotel quarantine, which can be further undermined by individual non-compliance. Risks to safety for those in quarantine can be reduced, both in terms of infection control within hotel quarantine and, in the case of the Northern Territory facility, timely in-person medical care as needed for non-COVID conditions. Systems of infection control need ongoing review to ensure that people entering quarantine are protected from known risks of infection at every stage. Medical services in quarantine facilities should be examined to ensure timely and appropriate non-COVID medical services are available.

Rapid Review on the Effectiveness of Telehealth Interventions for the Treatment of Behavioral Health Disorders

ABSTRACT Introduction The Psychological Health Center of Excellence conducted a rapid review of the literature to investigate the effectiveness of behavioral health treatments (i.e., evidence-based psychotherapy and psychiatry) delivered in person compared to telehealth (TH; i.e., video teleconference and telephone). Materials and Methods The rapid review methods included a systematic search of a single database (PubMed), hand-searching of relevant systematic reviews, dual screening, single-person data abstraction verified by a second person, and dual risk of bias assessment. Due to heterogeneity across studies, no quantitative analyses were conducted. Results Twenty-two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), eight of which were non-inferiority trials, evaluated the effectiveness of TH via telephone or video teleconferencing compared to in-person (IP) delivery for patient populations with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and mixed diagnoses. The majority of RCTs and all but one of the eight non-inferiority trials found that clinical outcomes did not differ between TH and IP treatment delivery. Two studies found that subgroups with higher symptom severity (hopelessness and anxiety disorders, respectively) in the TH group had worse treatment-related outcomes than IP participants with similar symptom profiles. The majority of studies found no significant differences in satisfaction with care, quality of the therapeutic alliance, or study discontinuation between TH and IP groups. Conclusion Based on evidence from 22 RCTs, the use of TH platforms, including video conference and telephone modalities, generally produces similar outcomes as face-to-face provision of psychotherapy and psychiatry services.

Are online meetings noisier than conventional meetings?

Design of sound insulation in office meeting rooms is typically based on 'normal' speech levels, but anecdotal evidence suggests that raised speech levels may be common where video/teleconferencing (VC/TC) is in use. If this is the case, then partitions in meeting rooms may be under-designed. In order to gain an understanding of the real-world occupational noise levels that exist in VC/TC enabled meeting rooms, long-term noise monitoring was conducted in multiple offices across the globe and matched to records of VC/TC use. Correlations uncovered include a link between VC/TC use and increased Lp, and higher speech Lw in larger meeting rooms.

Responsive Parenting as a Target for Telehealth Language Interventions in Fragile X Syndrome: Implications for Scalability and Best Practices

This review highlights the ways in which telehealth procedures can be implemented to help bridge the research-to-practice gap in supporting developmental outcomes for youth with fragile X syndrome (FXS). We review how the literature to date has informed potential treatment targets in the areas of speech and language development with a focus on understanding and supporting the dyadic relationship between the child and their biological mother, who is also impacted biologically. Notably, parental responsivity is an area that is strongly related to child language outcomes, both early and into adolescence, and thus, it is an important treatment target for subsequent interventions. To date, several parent-implemented interventions have been done in FXS across a broad age range (2–17-year-olds) all showing support not only that parents are successful in learning responsive strategies but also that there are subsequent impacts to child language development. Moreover, these interventions were successfully implemented at a distance through telehealth procedures including video teleconferencing and shared recordings of parent–child interactions. This review also addresses potential moderators of treatment gains. Implications for scaling such interventions in the future as well as best practices for incorporating telehealth procedures into future research and intervention programs are also discussed.

Transforming higher education in Ghana in times of disruption: flexible learning in rural communities with high latency internet connectivity

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone. In addition, the study aims to identify the associations between the audio teleconferencing and video teleconferencing in a 12-week postgraduate course. Design/methodology/approach The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted at the Department of Educational Innovations at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from March to June 2020. The purposive sampling technique was used to sample 100 postgraduate students who registered for a course in the department. The data for the study were collected using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and 17-item self-administered eQuestionnaire. Multiple Linear Regression analysis, ANOVA, Independent sample T-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to estimate the differences in course achievements of students who experienced education through audio teleconferencing and those who experienced education through video teleconferencing. Findings In total, 59% of the participating postgraduate students chose to attend the synchronous online lectures via audio teleconferencing (dial-in). The participants gave a high SUS score (SUS > 80.3; Grade A; Excellent) for audio conferencing service. Among the students in the audio teleconferencing cohort, the results evidenced a strong positive linear correlation, (r (57) = 0.79, p < 0.05), between the individual adjective ratings and the SUS scores. There was marginal significance among demography of students in the audio teleconference (AT) cohort with regards to their perception about the dial-in lecture. There was no statistically significant difference, (t (98) = 1.88, p = 0.063), in the achievement test for AT students and video teleconference (VT) students. The instructors and the students were satisfied with the AT. Practical implications Based on the students’ preference, AT offers equal benefit as VT with regards to system satisfaction and perceived quality of online teaching. AT, as teaching modality, should be an option for students who reside in communities with high latency internet connectivity. It is recommended that instructors are trained on how to engage and motivate students via AT. Originality/value Higher education institutions in Ghana are facing decisions about how to continue learning and teaching through flexible pedagogy, while keeping their faculty members and students protected from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these institutions have canceled the brick-and-mortar education and other conventional learning practices and have instructed faculty to adopt online teaching through synchronous video teleconferencing platforms. However, the learning experience is not the same for students who reside in remote or rural communities with low bandwidth. There is very little research in this topic, especially in developing countries like Ghana, and the present study aims to bridge the gap in the literature by exploring the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone, in the context of a 12-week postgraduate course.

INTERNET REACTOR LABORATORY: A NUCLEAR REACTOR PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION MODALITY FOR THE 21st CENTURY

The “second generation” Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) has been installed and is currently functional at the PULSTAR reactor of the Nuclear Reactor Program (NRP) at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The NRP has offered IRL based reactor physics experiments and training to external academic institutions and organizations since 2004. In 2016, the United States and the Republic of Vietnam entered into an Administrative Arrangement under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, with a goal of enhancing nuclear training and education for Vietnamese engineering students. Funding was provided by the DOE to upgrade the PULSTAR IRL infrastructure to state-of-the-art remote data acquisition and video teleconferencing capabilities supporting content sharing across multiple remote user platforms. Subsequently, a Cisco Telepresence and LabView reactor data acquisition system were installed and commissioned at the PULSTAR facility. Using this “second generation” system, and during IRL sessions, up to 100 remote students may interact with the control room staff via the Telepresence system using their mobile device or PC, and view 130 channels of live reactor telemetry via the remote client LabView application while recording the data for subsequent review and analysis. LabView graphical user interfaces (GUI) are provided for each IRL module, and incorporate embedded supporting documents such as schematics and diagrams that aid in illustrating associated technical details and concepts. Consequently, the educational experience offered to remote students and trainees is enhanced and assured to be of the same quality as offered to onsite students/trainees at NCSU.