The uncanny valley, notes on the realism of ���living��� creatures in digital games and their relationships with the player

Neste artigo argumenta-se que as simula����es num��ricas fomentam e exploram rela����es complexas entre o jogador e o sistema cibern��tico da m��quina que com este se relaciona atrav��s da jogabilidade, ou seja, da real aplica����o ��s regras de jogo de t��cticas e estrat��gias usadas pelo participante durante o seu trajecto na aplica����o l��dica. Considera-se que o espa��o m��gico imposto pelo tabuleiro de jogo �� mais do que um espa��o de confus��o entre real e artificial mas antes se apresenta como uma cortina ou interface entre o corpo pr��prio do participante e a simula����o digital inerente ao sistema computacional.

Ball Recovery in the Handball Tournament of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Sequential Analysis of Positional Play as Used by the Spanish Team���s Defence

In sport there is a great need to obtain as much information as possible about the factors which affect the dynamics of play. This study uses sequential analysis and temporal patterns (T-patterns)to examine the evolution of defence (against an equal number of attackers)as used by the Spanish handball team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The aim is to help handball coaches (during their training and gathering of professional experience)to understand the importance of the structure of defensive systems. This can be achieved through observational processes that reveal the evolution and adaptation of these defensive systems according to different variables: the match score, the response of the opposing team and progress through the tournament.

A bot spooler architecture to integrate virtual worlds with e-learning management systems for corporate training

Joining efforts of academic and corporate teams, we developed an integration architecture - MULTIS - that enables corporate e-learning managers to use a Learning Management System (LMS) for management of educational activities in virtual worlds. This architecture was then implemented for the Formare LMS. In this paper we present this architecture and concretizations of its implementation for the Second Life Grid/OpenSimulator virtual world platforms. Current systems are focused on activities managed by individual trainers, rather than groups of trainers and large numbers of trainees: they focus on providing the LMS with information about educational activities taking place in a virtual world and/or being able to access within the virtual world some of the information stored in the LMS, and disregard the streamlining of activity setup and data collection in multi-trainer contexts, among other administrative issues. This architecture aims to overcome the limitations of existing systems for organizational management of corporate e-learning activities.

Methods for automatic and assisted image annotation

Personal memories composed of digital pictures are very popular at the moment. To retrieve these media items annotation is required. During the last years, several approaches have been proposed in order to overcome the image annotation problem. This paper presents our proposals to address this problem. Automatic and semi-automatic learning methods for semantic concepts are presented. The automatic method is based on semantic concepts estimated using visual content, context metadata and audio information. The semi-automatic method is based on results provided by a computer game. The paper describes our proposals and presents their evaluations.

An ultrasound based computer-aided diagnosis tool for steatosis detection

Liver steatosis is a common disease usually associated with social and genetic factors. Early detection and quantification is important since it can evolve to cirrhosis. In this paper, a new computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for steatosis classification, in a local and global basis, is presented. Bayes factor is computed from objective ultrasound textural features extracted from the liver parenchyma. The goal is to develop a CAD screening tool, to help in the steatosis detection. Results showed an accuracy of 93.33%, with a sensitivity of 94.59% and specificity of 92.11%, using the Bayes classifier. The proposed CAD system is a suitable graphical display for steatosis classification.

O papel da interactividade na constru����o da narrativa em role-playing games digitais

Disserta����o apresentada �� Escola Superior de Comunica����o Social como parte dos requisitos para obten����o de grau de mestre em Audiovisual e Multim��dia.

Nostalgia Studio. A game engine for creating collaborative multiplayer online graphic adventure games

No decorrer do projeto SELEAG foi desenvolvido um jogo de aventura gr��fica educativo com o prop��sito de ensinar hist��ria, cultura e rela����es sociais aos alunos. Este jogo foi avaliado em contexto de sala de aula em diversos pa��ses, obtendo resultados positivos. No entanto, por motivos t��cnicos, alguns dos objetivos propostos pelo projeto n��o puderam ser devidamente explorados, como permitir que o jogo fosse extens��vel por outros educadores ou suportar a colabora����o online entre os jogadores. Nomeadamente, as ferramentas utilizadas para desenvolver o jogo eram demasiado complicadas para serem utilizadas fora da equipa de desenvolvimento, o que limitou a extensibilidade do projeto, e tornou imposs��vel que educadores sem conhecimentos de programa����o fossem tamb��m capazes de traduzir os seus conte��dos educativos para este formato. Al��m disso, apesar do jogo possuir algumas funcionalidades de colabora����o online, toda a intera����o era efetuada externamente ao jogo, atrav��s de um f��rum de mensagens, o que demonstrou ser pouco motivante para os jogadores, pois muitos deles nem se aperceberam que havia uma componente de colabora����o no jogo. O objetivo desta tese incide sobre estes dois problemas, e consistiu em desenvolver um editor e motor de jogo com uma interface simples de utilizar, que n��o necessita de conhecimentos pr��vios de programa����o, e que permite criar jogos de aventura gr��fica com uma componente de colabora����o online verdadeiramente embebida na jogabilidade. A aplica����o desenvolvida foi testada por um conjunto de utilizadores de diversas ��reas, tendo-se obtido resultados que demonstram a acessibilidade e simplicidade da mesma, independentemente do n��vel de experi��ncia pr��vio de programa����o do utilizador. A componente de colabora����o online foi tamb��m muito bem recebida pelos utilizadores, os quais demonstraram bastante interesse em ver jogos de aventura gr��fica com componente de colabora����o online serem desenvolvidos no futuro.

Avalia����o da caracteriza����o de les��es em mamografia com recurso a sistemas CAD (Computer-Aided Diagnosis)

Os sistemas Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) auxiliam a dete����o e diferencia����o de les��es benignas e malignas, aumentando a performance no diagn��stico do cancro da mama. As les��es da mama est��o fortemente correlacionadas com a forma do contorno: les��es benignas apresentam contornos regulares, enquanto as les��es malignas tendem a apresentar contornos irregulares. Desta forma, a utiliza����o de medidas quantitativas, como a dimens��o fractal (DF), pode ajudar na caracteriza����o dos contornos regulares ou irregulares de uma les��o. O principal objetivo deste estudo �� verificar se a utiliza����o concomitante de 2 (ou mais) medidas de DF ��� uma tradicionalmente utilizada, a qual foi designada por ���DF de contorno���; outra proposta por n��s, designada por ���DF de ��rea��� ��� e ainda 3 medidas obtidas a partir destas, por opera����es de dilata����o/eros��o e por normaliza����o de uma das medidas anteriores, melhoram a capacidade de caracteriza����o de acordo com a escala BIRADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) e o tipo de les��o. As medidas de DF (DF contorno e DF ��rea) foram calculadas atrav��s da aplica����o do m��todo box-counting, diretamente em imagens de les��es segmentadas e ap��s a aplica����o de um algoritmo de dilata����o/eros��o. A ��ltima medida baseia-se na diferen��a normalizada entre as duas medidas DF de ��rea antes e ap��s a aplica����o do algoritmo de dilata����o/eros��o. Os resultados demonstram que a medida DF de contorno �� uma ferramenta ��til na diferencia����o de les��es, de acordo com a escala BIRADS e o tipo de les��o; no entanto, em algumas situa����es, ocorrem alguns erros. O uso combinado desta medida com as quatro medidas propostas pode melhorar a classifica����o das les��es.

Methodology for in-game certification in serious games

Serious games are starting to attain a higher role as tools for learning in various contexts, but in particular in areas such as education and training. Due to its characteristics, such as rules, behavior simulation and feedback to the player's actions, serious games provide a favorable learning environment where errors can occur without real life penalty and students get instant feedback from challenges. These challenges are in accordance with the intended objectives and will self-adapt and repeat according to the student���s difficulty level. Through motivating and engaging environments, which serve as base for problem solving and simulation of different situations and contexts, serious games have a great potential to aid players developing professional skills. But, how do we certify the acquired knowledge and skills? With this work we intend to propose a methodology to establish a relationship between the game mechanics of serious games and an array of competences for certification, evaluating the applicability of various aspects in the design and development of games such as the user interfaces and the gameplay, obtaining learning outcomes within the game itself. Through the definition of game mechanics combined with the necessary pedagogical elements, the game will ensure the certification. This paper will present a matrix of generic skills, based on the European Framework of Qualifications, and the definition of the game mechanics necessary for certification on tour guide training context. The certification matrix has as reference axes: skills, knowledge and competencies, which describe what the students should learn, understand and be able to do after they complete the learning process. The guides-interpreters welcome and accompany tourists on trips and visits to places of tourist interest and cultural heritage such as museums, palaces and national monuments, where they provide various information. Tour guide certification requirements include skills and specific knowledge about foreign languages and in the areas of History, Ethnology, Politics, Religion, Geography and Art of the territory where it is inserted. These skills are communication, interpersonal relationships, motivation, organization and management. This certification process aims to validate the skills to plan and conduct guided tours on the territory, demonstrate knowledge appropriate to the context and finally match a good group leader. After defining which competences are to be certified, the next step is to delineate the expected learning outcomes, as well as identify the game mechanics associated with it. The game mechanics, as methods invoked by agents for interaction with the game world, in combination with game elements/objects allows multiple paths through which to explore the game environment and its educational process. Mechanics as achievements, appointments, progression, reward schedules or status, describe how game can be designed to affect players in unprecedented ways. In order for the game to be able to certify tour guides, the design of the training game will incorporate a set of theoretical and practical tasks to acquire skills and knowledge of various transversal themes. For this end, patterns of skills and abilities in acquiring different knowledge will be identified.

Distributed computer-controlled systems: the DEAR-COTS approach

This paper proposes a new architecture targeting real-time and reliable Distributed Computer-Controlled Systems (DCCS). This architecture provides a structured approach for the integration of soft and/or hard real-time applications with Commercial O -The-Shelf (COTS) components. The Timely Computing Base model is used as the reference model to deal with the heterogeneity of system components with respect to guaranteeing the timeliness of applications. The reliability and availability requirements of hard real-time applications are guaranteed by a software-based fault-tolerance approach.

Supporting real-time distributed computer-controlled systems with multi-hop P-NET networks

Fieldbus communication networks aim to interconnect sensors, actuators and controllers within process control applications. Therefore, they constitute the foundation upon which real-time distributed computer-controlled systems can be implemented. P-NET is a fieldbus communication standard, which uses a virtual token-passing medium-access-control mechanism. In this paper pre-run-time schedulability conditions for supporting real-time traffic with P-NET networks are established. Essentially, formulae to evaluate the upper bound of the end-to-end communication delay in P-NET messages are provided. Using this upper bound, a feasibility test is then provided to check the timing requirements for accessing remote process variables. This paper also shows how P-NET network segmentation can significantly reduce the end-to-end communication delays for messages with stringent timing requirements.

An architecture for reliable distributed computer-controlled systems

In Distributed Computer-Controlled Systems (DCCS), both real-time and reliability requirements are of major concern. Architectures for DCCS must be designed considering the integration of processing nodes and the underlying communication infrastructure. Such integration must be provided by appropriate software support services. In this paper, an architecture for DCCS is presented, its structure is outlined, and the services provided by the support software are presented. These are considered in order to guarantee the real-time and reliability requirements placed by current and future systems.

A communication support for real-time distributed computer controlled systems

In this paper, we analyse the ability of P-NET [1] fieldbus to cope with the timing requirements of a Distributed Computer Control System (DCCS), where messages associated to discrete events should be made available within a maximum bound time. The main objective of this work is to analyse how the network access and queueing delays, imposed by P-NET���s virtual token Medium Access Control (MAC) mechanism, affect the realtime behaviour of the supported DCCS.

Using a prioritized MAC protocol to execute the database operation join in networked embedded computer systems

Database query languages on relations (for example SQL) make it possible to join two relations. This operation is very common in desktop/server database systems but unfortunately query processing systems in networked embedded computer systems currently do not support this operation; specifically, the query processing systems TAG, TinyDB, Cougar do not support this. We show how a prioritized medium access control (MAC) protocol can be used to efficiently execute the database operation join for networked embedded computer systems where all computer nodes are in a single broadcast domain.

Development of a platform for lean manufacturing simulation games

More than ever, the economic globalization is creating the need to increase business competitiveness. Lean manufacturing is a management philosophy oriented to the elimination of activities that do not create any type of value and are thus considered a waste. One of the main differences from other management philosophies is the shop-floor focus and the operators' involvement. Therefore, the training of all organization levels is crucial for the success of lean manufacturing. Universities should also participate actively in this process by developing students' lean management skills and promoting a better and faster integration of students into their future organizations. This paper proposes a single realistic manufacturing platform, involving production and assembly operations, to learn by playing many of the lean tools such as VSM, 5S, SMED, poke-yoke, line balance, TPM, Mizusumashi, plant layout, and JIT/kanban. This simulation game was built in tight cooperation with experienced lean companies under the international program ���Lean Learning Academy,���http://www.leanlearningacademy.eu/ and its main aim is to make bachelor and master courses in applied sciences more attractive by integrating classic lectures with a simulated production environment that could result in more motivated students and higher study yields. The simulation game results show that our approach is efficient in providing a realistic platform for the effective learning of lean principles, tools, and mindset, which can be easily included in course classes of less than two hours.