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Background: Therapists and counsellors increasingly use online video applications to offer treatment in place of face‐to‐face delivery. In the alcohol treatment sector, this offers a range of potential benefits for treatment providers. However, the impact of working remotely via video on the therapeutic relationship remains unclear and under‐researched. Aims: This study aimed to explore how alcohol treatment clients make sense of the relational aspects of therapy delivered remotely, and to examine how the use of remote therapy might disrupt existing ideas around the therapeutic relationship. Methodology: This study utilised a qualitative design using thematic analysis, with 15 participant interviews with adult service users from a single treatment provider. All participants had previously undertaken at least four 1‐h online therapy sessions. Findings: The themes that were identified highlighted the significance of the participants' own homes as the site of therapy, with emphasis on the comfort of the home, and the presence of family members and pets. Participants stressed the importance of viewing the face of the therapist, the establishment of a therapeutic bond and specific therapist qualities. Participants also reflected on issues around denial and avoidance associated with self‐image and identity. Discussion There are nuanced and potentially unforeseen consequences of undertaking therapy for alcohol problems via video, relating to the significance of the therapy environment and relationship between client and therapist. This may include issues of shame, denial and avoidance, which are of particular significance for clients experiencing difficulties associated with alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Previous studies have examined the association between frequency of contact with friends and relatives via internet and psychosocial factors (in terms of loneliness, life satisfaction and depressive symptoms). However, far less is known about such a link during the COVID‐19 pandemic, particularly based on nationally representative samples. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine this association among middle‐aged/older adults. Methods/Design: Data were taken from the short survey of the German Ageing Survey (June/July 2020, 3134 individuals in the analytical sample). The De Jong Gierveld scale was used to quantify loneliness, the Satisfaction with Life Scale was used to quantify life satisfaction and the 10‐item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies‐Depression was used to quantify depressive symptoms. Results: Regressions showed that—compared to daily users—less frequent users of the internet for contact with friends and relatives reported increased loneliness, lower life satisfaction and more depressive symptoms. With regard to covariates, better psychosocial factors were associated with medium education (compared to low education), living with partner in the same household (compared to singles), better self‐rated health, and favourable COVID‐19 factors (in terms of decreased feeling that the Corona crisis is a threat for oneself, not having an infection with the coronavirus and an increased feeling that you can influence an infection with the coronavirus yourself). Conclusions: Data suggest that individuals with a high frequency of contact with friends and relatives via internet reported better psychosocial factors. Future research in other cultural settings are required. Key points: Nationally representative data were used (collected during the pandemic).Compared to daily users‐less frequent users of the internet for contact with friends and relatives reported increased loneliness, lower life satisfaction and more depressive symptoms.Daily contact with friends and relatives via internet may be particularly helpful when other ways to stay in regular contact (e.g., personal contact) are difficult or nearly impossible.Knowledge about such associations may assist in addressing individuals at risk for adverse psychosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telestroke network can provide rapid access to specialized treatment and improves on‐site management of acute stroke patients through the "hub‐and‐spoke" model. In the northern part of Okayama Prefecture, there has been a regional gap of stroke care due to the shortage of stroke specialists and facilities. In addition, due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), it is required to reduce the unnecessary contact with stroke patients from other hospitals. Aim: We organized a novel cost‐free telestroke network with an image and video sharing for neurological diseases in the northern part of Okayama Prefecture to improve the stroke management in the area. Method: We prepared the tablet device on which Skype® application was installed for each hospital and recruited the patients who visited or hospitalized in the spoke hospitals and were suspected to have some neurological diseases from April 2019 to May 2020. The patient's clinical data were recorded and analyzed. Results: During the study period, 5 patients were recruited including the cases with the initial diagnosis of stroke or brain tumor. Among them, 2 cases were transferred to the hub hospital, 2 cases were transferred to other hospitals, and 1 case was treated on site under specialist's advice. Conclusion: The new telestroke network system may be beneficial for acute stroke management and reducing the unnecessary patient's transfer in the rural area, especially under coexistence with COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isabel Allen is Editorial Director of BEAM (Built Environment and Architecture Media). Here she describes how three decades of innovation – and an ongoing delight in the poetic possibilities of the home – make AHMM perfectly positioned to deliver a new kind of housing that responds to the practical and psychological challenges of these extraordinary times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construct of oral ability is multifaceted, but due to technological and practical constraints, the majority of computer‐delivered speaking assessments are designed to measure only certain aspects of this ability. Most notably, interactional competence, which we define as the ability to actively structure dialogic speech in real time, is often not assessed. Innovations in technology, namely, computer‐mediated video, make it possible for test takers in different locations to see and speak with others in real time and may make it achievable for computer‐based tests to assess more aspects of oral communication, including interactional competence. This report gives the findings from a study that explored to what extent computer‐mediated video, namely, Skype, could function in conjunction with a platform designed to present four innovative speaking tasks that could conceivably assess a broad construct of oral ability. The overarching goals of this project were twofold. First, we aimed to determine (a) the degree to which current computer video‐mediated technology can be used effectively to deliver assessments remotely and (b) the extent to which participants felt that four specific tasks could assess speaking ability by means of this technology. The speaking tasks included giving short responses to an interlocutor's questions, summarizing a proposal, defending a position in a group discussion, and giving a prepared presentation and responding to questions from other participants. Two data collections were conducted: one with all 72 participants located in the United States and one with all 74 participants located in China. The findings provide preliminary evidence that the stability of computer video‐mediated technology varies considerably, with technical disruptions being relatively few in the U.S. trial but very frequent in the China context. Moreover, the findings suggest that participants viewed the tasks as generally representing interactive speaking activities that they encounter in the oral language use domain, affording them the opportunity to demonstrate their oral abilities, and that these tasks can be effectively completed in a computer video‐mediated environment when technology cooperates. Report Number: ETS RR–19‐05 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fieldwork is being stretched in new directions across time and space. In this article we examine the kinds of emotional and affective encounters constructed in online interviews. We draw on Lefebvre's notion of rhythm and Ash's concept of 'affective atmospheres' to help identify moments of disjuncture in research interviews. These moments of disjuncture can be prompted by researchers and participants not being able to share a range of senses (touch, smell and taste) during Skype interviews. The technology does not sink into the background but instead can, for some, prompt an uncomfortable 'affective atmosphere'. Finally, we argue that bodies, performance, digital interfaces, movement, senses, emotion and affect need to grappled with methodologically as increasing numbers of researchers turn to online interviewing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of recent years there has not only been an increasing use of Skype in analytic treatment, supervision and teaching, but also a number of writers have been endeavouring to assess its effectiveness. Whilst it is generally agreed that Skype can facilitate an analytic encounter where distance prohibits a face-to-face process, where continuity needs to be maintained and where analysands are in areas far from specialized centres, there is divergence in the literature as to whether analysis, as opposed to psychotherapy, can be successful using Skype. This paper reviews the literature and concludes that the essentials of a genuine analytic process are not necessarily precluded by Skype. One central reason is because there exists a cross-modal communication channel between the human senses (underpinned by audiovisual mirror neurons) in addition to the recently discovered instinct for communication and interpersonal understanding, and these can override the need for physical proximity of the participants. The essentials of an analytic frame can thus be maintained, and the continuity that Skype enables means that containment is also facilitated and this counters the negative aspects of shuttle analysis. The critical issues for the profession then become the professional development for practitioners in the use of Skype and suggestions are listed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Completing a building on time at a high quality is an age-old challenge for design and construction professionals. But what happens when everything speeds up exponentially? Jonathan Mallie is an expert in integrating design innovation with technologically advanced construction solutions. The founder of JLM | design & construction consultancy, he was previously a principal at SHoP in New York. Here he describes how 4D and 5D building information modelling (BIM) technologies allow architects to build quickly in response to clients' needs for speed, but also benefit the design-and-build process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial accounting standards are set by organizations granted a significant degree of monopoly power by various governments.While there has been considerable debate on the merits of national (e.g., US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)) versus international (International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)) monopolies, little attention has been paid to the merits of using competing standard-setting organizations (SSOs) for setting accounting standards.We compare the standard-setting processes of the FASB/IASB to the processes of four technology-oriented SSOs to assess the role of competition. We also provide a case study of monopoly and competitive standards in telephony. Both telephony and accounting yield some gains from coordination, and similar arguments are used (under the labels of comparability and consistency of accounting) in debates about granting a monopoly to their respective SSOs. Our results show that a group of volunteers competing with the government-sanctioned monopoly of International Telecommunications Union transformed the telephone industry. Thanks to this standards competition, we enjoy free video internet calling and massive cost savings. Implications for accounting standard setting are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY In the previous years, Skype has gained more and more popularity, since it is seen as the best VoIP software with good quality of sound, ease of use and one that works everywhere and with every OS. Because of its great diffusion, both the operators and the users are, for different reasons, interested in detecting Skype traffic. In this paper we propose a real-time algorithm (named Skype-Hunter) to detect and classify Skype traffic. In more detail, this novel method, by means of both signature-based and statistical procedures, is able to correctly reveal and classify the signaling traffic as well as the data traffic (calls and file transfers). To assess the effectiveness of the algorithm, experimental tests have been performed with several traffic data sets, collected in different network scenarios. Our system outperforms the 'classical' statistical traffic classifiers as well as the state-of-the-art ad hoc Skype classifier. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skype applies strong encryption to provide secure communication inside the whole Skype network. It also uses several techniques to conceal the traffic and the protocol. As a consequence, traditional port-based or payload-based identification of Skype traffic cannot be applied. In this paper, after an overview of the Skype P2P system, network entities and operation, we introduce novel algorithms to detect several types of communications (including voice calls primarily) that the Skype client initiates toward dedicated servers of the Skype network and other peers. The common point in these algorithms is that all of them are based on packet headers only and the extracted flow level information. We do not need information from packet payloads. The identification methods allow us to discover logged on Skype users and their voice calls. The whole identification process is scripted in Transact-SQL; it can thus be executed automatically on a prerecorded (offline) data set. We present identification results, analysis and comparison of data sets captured in mobile and fixed networks. We also present the validation of the algorithms in both network types. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. After investigating the operation of the Skype peer-to-peer overlay network and performing traffic measurements, we proposed heuristic methods based on flow-dynamics to identify Skype traffic. Besides packet headers and the extracted flow-level information, the identification algorithms rely on the observable behavior of the Skype protocol. We performed traffic analysis in fixed and mobile network environments, including ADSL and 3G/HSDPA mobile networks. The results involve daily profiles of Skype calls and user activity, characteristic properties of Skype voice calls, and findings about the Skype codec. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]