Harnessing the Power of Smart and Connected Health to Tackle COVID-19:IoT, AI, Robotics, and Blockchain for a Better World

As COVID-19 hounds the world, the common cause of finding a swift solution to manage the pandemic has brought together researchers, institutions, governments, and society at large. The Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) — including Machine Learning (ML) and Big Data analytics — as well as Robotics and Blockchain, are the four decisive areas of technological innovation that have been ingenuity harnessed to fight this pandemic and future ones. While these highly interrelated smart and connected health technologies cannot resolve the pandemic overnight and may not be the only answer to the crisis, they can provide greater insight into the disease and support frontline efforts to prevent and control the pandemic. This paper provides a blend of discussions on the contribution of these digital technologies, propose several complementary and multidisciplinary techniques to combat COVID-19, offer opportunities for more holistic studies, and accelerate knowledge acquisition and scientific discoveries in pandemic research. First, four areas where IoT can contribute are discussed, namely, i) tracking and tracing, ii) Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) by Wearable IoT (WIoT), iii) Personal Digital Twins (PDT), and iv) real-life use case: ICT/IoT solution in Korea. Second, the role and novel applications of AI are explained, namely: i) diagnosis and prognosis, ii) risk prediction, iii) vaccine and drug development, iv) research dataset, v) early warnings and alerts, vi) social control and fake news detection, and vii) communication and chatbot. Third, the main uses of robotics and drone technology are analyzed, including i) crowd surveillance, ii) public announcements, iii) screening and diagnosis, and iv) essential supply delivery. Finally, we discuss how Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs), of which blockchain is a common example, can be combined with other technologies for tackling COVID-19

Type 1 Diabetes: A Non-Fiction Perspective/ Just a Kid: Emily’s Diabetes Story

How many people do you know with diabetes? Many Americans are living with this disease in our society today. As adults, acknowledging this prevalence seems to be an easy task. However, imagine yourself as a young elementary school child. How much do you know about diseases? What happens if a student in your classroom has a disease? What do you think of this person? For some children, these questions are an imminent reality, part of their everyday childhood life. Thinking about the answers to similar questions mentioned above, I understand the importance of a reliable, accurate, and knowledgeable source for children. After asking such questions to school aged children, I realized many of their answers were masked with prejudice, ignorance, and fear. Upon further analysis of those questions, I knew I needed to create an educational source for such children who are both asking questions about diseases and who are living with diseases that are frequently misunderstood. Just a Kid: Emily’s Diabetes Story was inspired by two personal experiences in my life with diabetes. First, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent or juvenile diabetes) two years ago while studying abroad in Europe. Almost one year to the day later, my three year old niece was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. My niece’s experience in pre-school further illuminated fearful and ignorant responses to questions concerning her diabetes. I knew writing a non-fiction children’s picture book on type 1 diabetes was a perfect solution for all children in the classroom. My hopes for this book is to help educate parents, guardians, teachers, and students about type 1 diabetes. In every school, there is a child living with this disease; it is imperative for all school members to understand how this child with diabetes functions from day to day. Used as an educational tool, Just a Kid: Emily’s Diabetes Story will help de-stigmatize such students living with diabetes by telling valuable and useful information about type 1 diabetes

Comparison of the Department of the Army, Navy and Air Forces contracting internship programs

The Department of Defense has experienced a significant loss of acquisition professionals because of attrition and workforce reductions. Interns have been hired to curtail the loss, but the dwindling number of experienced acquisition personnel has left little time to train the new entrants while still meeting complex mission requirements. In an effort to maintain a professional staff that is qualified to fill critical positions in contracting, the Air Force, Army, and Navy have each created contracting internship programs. The research purpose is to: (1) identify whether the DoD contracting competencies are covered consistently among the Army, Navy, and Air Forces contracting internship programs (2) determine if and to what extent these defense organizations are incorporating industry best practices into their internship programs and (3) recommend program improvements to ensure consistent coverage of the DoD contracting competencies and that industry best practices are incorporated. Study results suggest the defense contracting internship programs are not consistent in their coverage of DoD contracting competencies and that each program has best practices that are not fully implemented. Alignment and standardization of the defense internship programs are suggested to ensure consistent coverage of DoD contracting technical competencies and that industry best practices be fully incorporated.http://archive.org/details/comparisonofdepa1094537680Civilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Improving Family Functioning Following Diagnosis of ASD: A Randomized Trial of a Parent Mentorship Program

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known to impact family functioning and decrease family quality of life. Unfortunately, many parents of children with ASD are left to coordinate their child’s care with little ongoing support or education. There is a growing interest in parent-to-parent (P2P) programs to provide family supports with the goal of improving family outcomes. This study investigates a P2P program for families of children newly diagnosed with ASD that combines (1) family-centered action planning, (2) education on accessing complex systems of care, and (3) ongoing mentorship by a trained Parent Mentor for six months. In a randomized controlled trial, the intervention was given to a group of parents (N = 33) and compared to a waitlist group (N = 34). The intervention consisted of development of an individualized action plan and training on navigating service systems immediately after entry into the program, followed by monthly check-ins by a trained parent mentor for six months. An intent-to-treat analysis examined the impact of CPM on family quality of life, family functioning, service utilization, and program acceptability and satisfaction. The intervention improved satisfaction with disability-related services and prevented rigidity in family functioning. Services used outside of school increased for both groups but did not meet the national recommendation. Participants described the program as highly acceptable and indicated that it improved their emotional wellbeing. The CPM program may be a useful tool for helping families cope with their child’s ASD; although, additional research is needed to confirm these effects

A Principled Approach to Research Conducted with Inuit, Métis, and First Nations People: Promoting Engagement Inspired by the CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People (2007-2010)

Research to address the health burdens experienced by Indigenous populations is essential. In the Canadian context, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada determined that these health burdens are the result of policies that have undermined opportunities to address community-level health needs. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People (2007-2010), or“CIHR Guidelines,” were prepared in a national consultation process involving Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities, researchers, and institutions. This paper asserts that the principles espoused in the CIHR Guidelines hold ongoing potential to guide health research with Indigenous people in ways that promote equitable research partnerships. We encourage those in research environments to engage with the spirit and content of the CIHR Guidelines

Improving Family Functioning Following Diagnosis of ASD: A Randomized Trial of a Parent Mentorship Program

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known to impact family functioning and decrease family quality of life. Unfortunately, many parents of children with ASD are left to coordinate their child’s care with little ongoing support or education. There is a growing interest in parent-to-parent (P2P) programs to provide family supports with the goal of improving family outcomes. This study investigates a P2P program for families of children newly diagnosed with ASD that combines (1) family-centered action planning, (2) education on accessing complex systems of care, and (3) ongoing mentorship by a trained Parent Mentor for six months. In a randomized controlled trial, the intervention was given to a group of parents (N = 33) and compared to a waitlist group (N = 34). The intervention consisted of development of an individualized action plan and training on navigating service systems immediately after entry into the program, followed by monthly check-ins by a trained parent mentor for six months. An intent-to-treat analysis examined the impact of CPM on family quality of life, family functioning, service utilization, and program acceptability and satisfaction. The intervention improved satisfaction with disability-related services and prevented rigidity in family functioning. Services used outside of school increased for both groups but did not meet the national recommendation. Participants described the program as highly acceptable and indicated that it improved their emotional wellbeing. The CPM program may be a useful tool for helping families cope with their child’s ASD; although, additional research is needed to confirm these effects

Impairment of CD1d-Restricted Natural Killer T Cells in Chronic HIV Type 1 Clade C Infection

Recent studies suggest that natural killer T (NKT) cells play a role in early antiviral pathogenesis and are rapidly depleted in chronic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) clade B infection. We aimed to characterize the phenotypic and functional characteristics of NKT cells in HIV-1 clade C-infected Africans at different stages of HIV-1 disease. NKT cell frequencies, subsets, and ex vivo effector functions were assessed using multiparametric flow cytometry in a cross-sectional analysis of cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a cohort of 53 HIV-1 clade C chronically infected South African adults with CD4 T cell counts ranging from 94 to 839 cells/μl. We observed a significant decline of NKT cell numbers in advanced HIV-1 disease as well as activation and functional impairment of NKT cells in individuals with low CD4 T cell counts. The loss of NKT cells was largely driven by a reduction in the CD4+ and CD4–CD8– NKT cell subsets in advanced disease. These findings demonstrate significant impairment of the NKT cell compartment in progressive HIV-1 clade C disease that might play an important role in the modulation of immune function in HIV-1 infection