An Internet-based telerehabilitation system for the assessment of motor speech disorders: A pilot study

Purpose: This pilot study explored the feasibility and effectiveness of an Internet-based telerehabilitation application for the assessment of motor speech disorders in adults with acquired neurological impairment. Method: Using a counterbalanced, repeated measures research design, 2 speech-language pathologists assessed 19 speakers with dysarthria on a battery of perceptual assessments. The assessments included a 19-item version of the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA; P. Enderby, 1983), the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (K. M. Yorkston & D. R. Beukelman, 1981), perceptual analysis of a speech sample, and an overall rating of severity of the dysarthria. One assessment was conducted in the traditional face-to-face manner, whereas the other assessment was conducted using an online, custom-built telerehabilitation application. This application enabled real-time videoconferencing at 128 kb/s and the transfer of store-and-forward audio and video data between the speaker and speech-language pathologist sites. The assessment methods were compared using the J.M.Bland and D.G.Altman (1986, 1999) limits-of-agreement method and percentage level of agreement between the 2 methods. Results: Measurements of severity of dysarthria, percentage intelligibility in sentences, and most perceptual ratings made in the telerehabilitation environment were found to fall within the clinically acceptable criteria. However, several ratings on the FDA were not comparable between the environments, and explanations for these results were explored. Conclusions: The online assessment of motor speech disorders using an Internet-based telerehabilitation system is feasible. This study suggests that with additional refinement of the technology and assessment protocols, reliable assessment of motor speech disorders over the Internet is possible. Future research methods are outlined.

Web services based state of the environment reporting

The Environmental Sciences Division within Queensland Environmental Protection Agency works to monitor, assess and model the condition of the environment. The Division has as a legislative responsibility to produce a whole-of-government report every four years dealing environmental conditions and trends in a ”State of the Environment report” (SoE)[1][2][3]. State of Environment Web Service Reporting System is a supplementary web service based SoE reporting tool, which aims to deliver accurate, timely and accessible information on the condition of the environment through web services via Internet [4][5]. This prototype provides a scientific assessment of environmental conditions for a set of environmental indicators. It contains text descriptions and tables, charts and maps with spatiotemporal dimensions to show the impact of certain environmental indicators on our environment. This prototype is a template based indicator system, to which the administrator may add new sql queries for new indicator services without changing the architecture and codes of this template. The benefits are brought through a service-oriented architecture which provides an online query service with seamless integration. In addition, since it uses web service architecture, each individual component within the application can be implemented by using different programming languages and in different operating systems. Although the services showed in this demo are built upon two datasets of regional ecosystem and protection area of Queensland, it will be possible to report on the condition of water, air, land, coastal zones, energy resources, biodiversity, human settlements and natural culture heritage on the fly as well. Figure 1 shows the architecture of the prototype. In the next section, I will discuss the research tasks in the prototype.

National culture, trust and internet privacy concerns

A major inhibitor to e-commerce stems from the reluctance consumers have to complete transactions because of concern over the use of private information divulged in online transaction processing. Because e-commerce occurs in a global environment, cultural factors are likely to have a significant impact on this concern. Building on work done in the area of culture and privacy, and also trust and privacy, we explore the three way relationship between culture, privacy and trust. Better, more appropriate, and contemporary measures of culture have recently been espoused, and a better understanding and articulation of internet users information privacy concern has been developed. We present the results of an exploratory study that builds on the work of Milberg, Gefen, and Bellman to better understand and test the effect that national culture has on trust and internet privacy.

Using the Internet for Physical Activity Promotion in a Regional Community: Feasibility Study Findings

New communication technologies (websites and email) are believed to hold promise for delivering population health interventions. However, studies on internet-delivered physical activity (PA) programs have encountered difficulties in engaging and retaining participants. Recent PA research has focused on peoples’ perceptions of the local environment and how this relates to PA participation. This study investigated the potential of: 1) reaching people living in a regional community via a locally-based Internet Service Provider (ISP), and 2) using data on the local environment to design a PA intervention relevant to the individual. An online survey was conducted via the ISP’s website over 12 days. ISP clients (approximately 9,000) were invited to participate in the survey via electronic newsletter and direct email. Data on motivational readiness and environmental correlates of PA were collected. 820 surveys were completed, of which 797 were valid (response rate = 9%). Participants had a mean BMI 27.6±8.3, were 55% male, 56% aged >45 years, 57% worked fulltime, and 36% were in the early stages of motivational readiness for PA. Most reported positive perceptions of the local environment in terms of aesthetics, convenience, access, traffic and safety. However, over half did not know about or use local PA facilities. Over 70% were somewhat to extremely interested in having access to a PA promotion website. These data suggest that promoting PA via a locally based ISP is feasible and appealing to some people living in a regional community, but also highlight some of the challenges of using this technology to deliver population health interventions.