Gamification: applicazioni sociali e mobili

L'obiettivo di questa tesi, in base all'analisi di atti di convegni e workshop, lettura di libri e articoli pubblicati in siti Web, in materie di gamification, è per prima cosa, spiegare il concetto della gamification, partendo da alcune definizioni date da ricercatori e progettisti di videogiochi, cercando di capire sia i fattori positivi, sia i fattori negativi. Si vogliono elencare e spiegare gli elementi di gioco che compongono la gamification, con particolare attenzione alle meccaniche, come punti, distintivi, premi e dinamiche, come competenza, espressione di sè, status sociale, elementi collegati tra di loro, analizzando quali meccaniche originano certe dinamiche. Si cercherà anche di analizzare la gamification sotto gli aspetti psicologici e di User Experience che innescano le motivazioni intrinseche ed estrinseche delle persone, le prime azionate dalle meccaniche, le seconde azionate dalle dinamiche della gamification e l'importanza di ciò nella progettazione di applicazioni gamificate. Si vogliono esaminare ed illustrare in generale, progetti i quali adottano tecniche di gamification, che spaziano dal fitness fino ad attività di marketing per capire i benefici riscontrati. Si vuole inoltre scoprire se ci sono dei validi presupposti per sviluppare App gamificate per smarphone, che sfruttino alcune specifiche tecniche dei dispositivi mobili come, connettività, il GPS ed i sensori come ad esempio, l'accelerometro ed altre tecnologie come il lettore NFC, QR-code. Infine, come caso di studio, saranno testate tre app per smarphone, Foursquare, tramite la quale un utente può consultare e lasciare consigli sui luoghi nelle sue vicinanze, Swarm, tramite la quale un utente oltre ad effettuare il check-in in un luogo, può vedere se ci sono amici nelle vicinanze e Waze, tramite la quale un utente può inviare ed apprendere informazioni relative al traffico.

Bex: un ambiente user-friendly per esplorare articoli scientifici e bibliografie

Un'applicazione web user-friendly di supporto ai ricercatori per l'esecuzione efficiente di specifici tasks di ricerca e analisi di articoli scientifici

Geographic information system-based decision support for soil conservation planning in Tajikistan

Soil erosion on sloping agricultural land poses a serious problem for the environment, as well as for production. In areas with highly erodible soils, such as those in loess zones, application of soil and water conservation measures is crucial to sustain agricultural yields and to prevent or reduce land degradation. The present study, carried out in Faizabad, Tajikistan, was designed to evaluate the potential of local conservation measures on cropland using a spatial modelling approach to provide decision-making support for the planning of spatially explicit sustainable land use. A sampling design to support comparative analysis between well-conserved units and other field units was established in order to estimate factors that determine water erosion, according to the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Such factor-based approaches allow ready application using a geographic information system (GIS) and facilitate straightforward scenario modelling in areas with limited data resources. The study showed first that assessment of erosion and conservation in an area with inhomogeneous vegetation cover requires the integration of plot-based cover. Plot-based vegetation cover can be effectively derived from high-resolution satellite imagery, providing a useful basis for plot-wise conservation planning. Furthermore, thorough field assessments showed that 25.7% of current total cropland is covered by conservation measures (terracing, agroforestry and perennial herbaceous fodder). Assessment of the effectiveness of these local measures, combined with the RUSLE calculations, revealed that current average soil loss could be reduced through low-cost measures such as contouring (by 11%), fodder plants (by 16%), and drainage ditches (by 53%). More expensive measures such as terracing and agroforestry can reduce erosion by as much as 63% (for agroforestry) and 93% (for agroforestry combined with terracing). Indeed, scenario runs for different levels of tolerable erosion rates showed that more cost-intensive and technologically advanced measures would lead to greater reduction of soil loss. However, given economic conditions in Tajikistan, it seems advisable to support the spread of low-cost and labourextensive measures.

A navigation system for percutaneous needle interventions based on PET/CT images: design, workflow and error analysis of soft tissue and bone punctures

Percutaneous needle intervention based on PET/CT images is effective, but exposes the patient to unnecessary radiation due to the increased number of CT scans required. Computer assisted intervention can reduce the number of scans, but requires handling, matching and visualization of two different datasets. While one dataset is used for target definition according to metabolism, the other is used for instrument guidance according to anatomical structures. No navigation systems capable of handling such data and performing PET/CT image-based procedures while following clinically approved protocols for oncologic percutaneous interventions are available. The need for such systems is emphasized in scenarios where the target can be located in different types of tissue such as bone and soft tissue. These two tissues require different clinical protocols for puncturing and may therefore give rise to different problems during the navigated intervention. Studies comparing the performance of navigated needle interventions targeting lesions located in these two types of tissue are not often found in the literature. Hence, this paper presents an optical navigation system for percutaneous needle interventions based on PET/CT images. The system provides viewers for guiding the physician to the target with real-time visualization of PET/CT datasets, and is able to handle targets located in both bone and soft tissue. The navigation system and the required clinical workflow were designed taking into consideration clinical protocols and requirements, and the system is thus operable by a single person, even during transition to the sterile phase. Both the system and the workflow were evaluated in an initial set of experiments simulating 41 lesions (23 located in bone tissue and 18 in soft tissue) in swine cadavers. We also measured and decomposed the overall system error into distinct error sources, which allowed for the identification of particularities involved in the process as well as highlighting the differences between bone and soft tissue punctures. An overall average error of 4.23 mm and 3.07 mm for bone and soft tissue punctures, respectively, demonstrated the feasibility of using this system for such interventions. The proposed system workflow was shown to be effective in separating the preparation from the sterile phase, as well as in keeping the system manageable by a single operator. Among the distinct sources of error, the user error based on the system accuracy (defined as the distance from the planned target to the actual needle tip) appeared to be the most significant. Bone punctures showed higher user error, whereas soft tissue punctures showed higher tissue deformation error.

Time-lapse microscopy and classification of 2D human mesenchymal stem cells based on cell shape picks up myogenic from osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation

Current methods to characterize mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are limited to CD marker expression, plastic adherence and their ability to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic precursors. It seems evident that stem cells undergoing differentiation should differ in many aspects, such as morphology and possibly also behaviour; however, such a correlation has not yet been exploited for fate prediction of MSCs. Primary human MSCs from bone marrow were expanded and pelleted to form high-density cultures and were then randomly divided into four groups to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic chondrogenic and myogenic progenitor cells. The cells were expanded as heterogeneous and tracked with time-lapse microscopy to record cell shape, using phase-contrast microscopy. The cells were segmented using a custom-made image-processing pipeline. Seven morphological features were extracted for each of the segmented cells. Statistical analysis was performed on the seven-dimensional feature vectors, using a tree-like classification method. Differentiation of cells was monitored with key marker genes and histology. Cells in differentiation media were expressing the key genes for each of the three pathways after 21 days, i.e. adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic, which was also confirmed by histological staining. Time-lapse microscopy data were obtained and contained new evidence that two cell shape features, eccentricity and filopodia (= 'fingers') are highly informative to classify myogenic differentiation from all others. However, no robust classifiers could be identified for the other cell differentiation paths. The results suggest that non-invasive automated time-lapse microscopy could potentially be used to predict the stem cell fate of hMSCs for clinical application, based on morphology for earlier time-points. The classification is challenged by cell density, proliferation and possible unknown donor-specific factors, which affect the performance of morphology-based approaches. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Payone : incentive for epidemic protocol-based anonymity system

Anonymity systems maintain the anonymity of communicating nodes by camouflaging them, either with peer nodes generating dummy traffic or with peer nodes participating in the actual communication process. The probability of any adversary breaking down the anonymity of the communicating nodes is inversely proportional to the number of peer nodes participating in the network. Hence to maintain the anonymity of the communicating nodes, a large number of peer nodes are needed. Lack of peer availability weakens the anonymity of any large scale anonymity system. This work proposes PayOne, an incentive based scheme for promoting peer availability. PayOne aims to increase the peer availability by encouraging nodes to participate in the anonymity system by awarding them with incentives and thereby promoting the anonymity strength. Existing incentive schemes are designed for single path based approaches. There is no incentive scheme for multipath based or epidemic based anonymity systems. This work has been specifically designed for epidemic protocols and has been implemented over MuON, one of the latest entries to the area of multicasting based anonymity systems. MuON is a peer-to-peer based anonymity system which uses epidemic protocol for data dissemination. Existing incentive schemes involve paying every intermediate node that is involved in the communication between the initiator and the receiver. These schemes are not appropriate for epidemic based anonymity systems due to the incurred overhead. PayOne differs from the existing schemes because it involves paying a single intermediate node that participates in the network. The intermediate node can be any random node that participates in the communication and does not necessarily need to lie in the communication path between the initiator and the receiver. The light-weight characteristics of PayOne make it viable for large-scale epidemic based anonymity systems.

A comparison of pixel and object-based land cover classification. A case study of the Asmara region, Eritrea

In this paper we compare the performance of two image classification paradigms (object- and pixel-based) for creating a land cover map of Asmara, the capital of Eritrea and its surrounding areas using a Landsat ETM+ imagery acquired in January 2000. The image classification methods used were maximum likelihood for the pixel-based approach and Bhattacharyya distance for the object-oriented approach available in, respectively, ArcGIS and SPRING software packages. Advantages and limitations of both approaches are presented and discussed. Classifications outputs were assessed using overall accuracy and Kappa indices. Pixel- and object-based classification methods result in an overall accuracy of 78% and 85%, respectively. The Kappa coefficient for pixel- and object-based approaches was 0.74 and 0.82, respectively. Although pixel-based approach is the most commonly used method, assessment and visual interpretation of the results clearly reveal that the object-oriented approach has advantages for this specific case-study.

Simulating Wind and Warmth in Virtual Reality: Conception, Realization and Evaluation for a CAVE Environment

Wind and warmth sensations proved to be able to enhance users' state of presence in Virtual Reality applications. Still, only few projects deal with their detailed effect on the user and general ways of implementing such stimuli. This work tries to fill this gap: After analyzing requirements for hardware and software concerning wind and warmth simulations, a hardware and also a software setup for the application in a CAVE environment is proposed. The setup is evaluated with regard to technical details and requirements, but also - in the form of a pilot study - in view of user experience and presence. Our setup proved to comply with the requirements and leads to satisfactory results. To our knowledge, the low cost simulation system (approx. 2200 Euro) presented here is one of the most extensive, most flexible and best evaluated systems for creating wind and warmth stimuli in CAVE-based VR applications.

Context-aware Adaptation Mechanism for Video Dissemination over Flying Ad-Hoc Networks

The user experience on watching live video se- quences transmitted over a Flying Ad-Hoc Networks (FANETs) must be considered to drop packets in overloaded queues, in scenarios with high buffer overflow and packet loss rate. In this paper, we introduce a context-aware adaptation mechanism to manage overloaded buffers. More specifically, we propose a utility function to compute the dropping probability of each packet in overloaded queues based on video context information, such as frame importance, packet deadline, and sensing relevance. In this way, the proposed mechanism drops the packet that adds the minimum video distortion. Simulation evaluation shows that the proposed adaptation mechanism provides real-time multimedia dissemination with QoE support in a multi-hop, multi-flow, and mobile network environments.

Adaptive Beaconless Opportunistic Routing for Multimedia Distribution

User experience on watching live videos must be satisfactory even under the inuence of different network conditions and topology changes, such as happening in Flying Ad-Hoc Networks (FANETs). Routing services for video dissemination over FANETs must be able to adapt routing decisions at runtime to meet Quality of Experience (QoE) requirements. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive beaconless opportunistic routing protocol for video dissemination over FANETs with QoE support, by taking into account multiple types of context information, such as link quality, residual energy, buffer state, as well as geographic information and node mobility in a 3D space. The proposed protocol takes into account Bayesian networks to define weight vectors and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to adjust the degree of importance for the context information based on instantaneous values. It also includes a position prediction to monitor the distance between two nodes in order to detect possible route failure.

Invited Abstract: Issues with State-based Energy Consumption Modelling

Energy consumption modelling by state based approaches often assume constant energy consumption values in each state. However, it happens in certain situations that during state transitions or even during a state the energy consumption is not constant and does fluctuate. This paper discusses those issues by presenting some examples from wireless sensor and wireless local area networks for such cases and possible solutions.

An MILP-based heuristic for staff scheduling problems with acceptance levels

We present a real-world staff-assignment problem that was reported to us by a provider of an online workforce scheduling software. The problem consists of assigning employees to work shifts subject to a large variety of requirements related to work laws, work shift compatibility, workload balancing, and personal preferences of employees. A target value is given for each requirement, and all possible deviations from these values are associated with acceptance levels. The objective is to minimize the total number of deviations in ascending order of the acceptance levels. We present an exact lexicographic goal programming MILP formulation and an MILP-based heuristic. The heuristic consists of two phases: in the first phase a feasible schedule is built and in the second phase parts of the schedule are iteratively re-optimized by applying an exact MILP model. A major advantage of such MILP-based approaches is the flexibility to account for additional constraints or modified planning objectives, which is important as the requirements may vary depending on the company or planning period. The applicability of the heuristic is demonstrated for a test set derived from real-world data. Our computational results indicate that the heuristic is able to devise optimal solutions to non-trivial problem instances, and outperforms the exact lexicographic goal programming formulation on medium- and large-sized problem instances.

A novel organ-slice culturing system to simulate meniscal repair: Proof of concept using a synovium-based pool of meniscoprogenitor cells.

Meniscal injuries can occur secondary to trauma or be instigated by the changes in knee-joint function that are associated with aging, osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, disturbances in gait and obesity. Sixty per cent of persons over 50 years of age manifest signs of meniscal pathology. The surgical and arthroscopic measures that are currently implemented to treat meniscal deficiencies bring only transient relief from pain and effect but a temporary improvement in joint function. Although tissue-engineering-based approaches to meniscal repair are now being pursued, an appropriate in-vitro model has not been conceived. The aim of this study was to develop an organ-slice culturing system to simulate the repair of human meniscal lesions in vitro. The model consists of a ring of bovine meniscus enclosing a chamber that represents the defect and reproduces its sequestered physiological microenvironment. The defect, which is closed with a porous membrane, is filled with fragments of synovial tissue, as a source of meniscoprogenitor cells, and a fibrin-embedded, calcium-phosphate-entrapped depot of the meniscogenic agents BMP-2 and TGF-ß1. After culturing for 2 to 6 weeks, the constructs were evaluated histochemically and histomorphometrically, as well as immunohistochemically for the apoptotic marker caspase 3 and collagen types I and II. Under the defined conditions, the fragments of synovium underwent differentiation into meniscal tissue, which bonded with the parent meniscal wall. Both the parent and the neoformed meniscal tissue survived the duration of the culturing period without significant cell losses. The concept on which the in-vitro system is based was thus validated. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Model-based changes in global annual mean surface temperature change (Delta T_g) and radiative forcing due to land ice albedo changes (Delta R_[LI]) over the last 5 Myr, supplementary material

It is still an open question how equilibrium warming in response to increasing radiative forcing - the specific equilibrium climate sensitivity S - depends on background climate. We here present palaeodata-based evidence on the state dependency of S, by using CO2 proxy data together with a 3-D ice-sheet-model-based reconstruction of land ice albedo over the last 5 million years (Myr). We find that the land ice albedo forcing depends non-linearly on the background climate, while any non-linearity of CO2 radiative forcing depends on the CO2 data set used. This non-linearity has not, so far, been accounted for in similar approaches due to previously more simplistic approximations, in which land ice albedo radiative forcing was a linear function of sea level change. The latitudinal dependency of ice-sheet area changes is important for the non-linearity between land ice albedo and sea level. In our set-up, in which the radiative forcing of CO2 and of the land ice albedo (LI) is combined, we find a state dependence in the calculated specific equilibrium climate sensitivity, S[CO2,LI], for most of the Pleistocene (last 2.1 Myr). During Pleistocene intermediate glaciated climates and interglacial periods, S[CO2,LI] is on average ~ 45 % larger than during Pleistocene full glacial conditions. In the Pliocene part of our analysis (2.6-5 Myr BP) the CO2 data uncertainties prevent a well-supported calculation for S[CO2,LI], but our analysis suggests that during times without a large land ice area in the Northern Hemisphere (e.g. before 2.82 Myr BP), the specific equilibrium climate sensitivity, S[CO2,LI], was smaller than during interglacials of the Pleistocene. We thus find support for a previously proposed state change in the climate system with the widespread appearance of northern hemispheric ice sheets. This study points for the first time to a so far overlooked non-linearity in the land ice albedo radiative forcing, which is important for similar palaeodata-based approaches to calculate climate sensitivity. However, the implications of this study for a suggested warming under CO2 doubling are not yet entirely clear since the details of necessary corrections for other slow feedbacks are not fully known and the uncertainties that exist in the ice-sheet simulations and global temperature reconstructions are large.

Modelado de sistemas de inteligencia ambiental para el entrenamiento de las cualidades físicas

En un ejercicio no extenuante la frecuencia cardíaca (FC) guarda una relación lineal con el consumo máximo de oxígeno (V O2max) y se suele usar como uno de los parámetros de referencia para cuantificar la capacidad del sistema cardiovascular. Normalmente la frecuencia cardíaca puede remplazar el porcentaje de V O2max en las prescripciones básicas de ejercicio para la mejora de la resistencia aeróbica. Para obtener los mejores resultados en la mejora de la resistencia aeróbica, el entrenamiento de los individuos se debe hacer a una frecuencia cardíaca suficientemente alta, para que el trabajo sea de predominio dinámico con la fosforilación oxidativa como fuente energética primaria, pero no tan elevada que pueda suponer un riesgo de infarto de miocardio para el sujeto que se está entrenando. Los programas de entrenamiento de base mínima y de base óptima, con ejercicios de estiramientos para prevenir lesiones, son algunos de los programas más adecuados para el entrenamiento de la resistencia aeróbica porque maximizan los beneficios y minimizan los riesgos para el sistema cardiovascular durante las sesiones de entrenamiento. En esta tesis, se ha definido un modelo funcional para sistemas de inteligencia ambiental capaz de monitorizar, evaluar y entrenar las cualidades físicas que ha sido validado cuando la cualidad física es la resistencia aeróbica. El modelo se ha implementado en una aplicación Android utilizando la camiseta inteligente “GOW running” de la empresa Weartech. El sistema se ha comparado en el Laboratorio de Fisiología del Esfuerzo (LFE) de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) durante la realización de pruebas de esfuerzo. Además se ha evaluado un sistema de guiado con voz para los entrenamientos de base mínima y de base óptima. También el desarrollo del software ha sido validado. Con el uso de cuestionarios sobre las experiencias de los usuarios utilizando la aplicación se ha evaluado el atractivo de la misma. Por otro lado se ha definido una nueva metodología y nuevos tipos de cuestionarios diseñados para evaluar la utilidad que los usuarios asignan al uso de un sistema de guiado por voz. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la validez del modelo. Se ha obtenido una alta concordancia entre las medidas de FC hecha por la aplicación Android y el LFE. También ha resultado que los métodos de estimación del VO2max de los dos sistemas pueden ser intercambiables. Todos los usuarios que utilizaron el sistema de guiado por voz para entrenamientos de 10 base mínima y de base óptimas de la resistencia aeróbica consiguieron llevar a cabo las sesiones de entrenamientos con un 95% de éxito considerando unos márgenes de error de un 10% de la frecuencia cardíaca máxima teórica. La aplicación fue atractiva para los usuarios y hubo también una aceptación del sistema de guiado por voz. Se ha obtenido una evaluación psicológica positiva de la satisfacción de los usuarios que interactuaron con el sistema. En conclusión, se ha demostrado que es posible desarrollar sistemas de Inteligencia Ambiental en dispositivos móviles para la mejora de la salud. El modelo definido en la tesis es el primero modelo funcional teórico de referencia para el desarrollo de este tipo de aplicaciones. Posteriores estudios se realizarán con el objetivo de extender dicho modelo para las demás cualidades físicas que suponen modelos fisiológicos más complejos como por ejemplo la flexibilidad. Abstract In a non-strenuous exercise, the heart rate (HR) shows a linear relationship with the maximum volume of oxygen consumption (V O2max) and serves as an indicator of performance of the cardiovascular system. The heart rate replaces the %V O2max in exercise program prescription to improve aerobic endurance. In order to achieve an optimal effect during endurance training, the athlete needs to work out at a heart rate high enough to trigger the aerobic metabolism, while avoiding the high heart rates that bring along significant risks of myocardial infarction. The minimal and optimal base training programs, followed by stretching exercises to prevent injuries, are adequate programs to maximize benefits and minimize health risks for the cardiovascular system during single session training. In this thesis, we have defined an ambient intelligence system functional model that monitors, evaluates and trains physical qualities, and it has been validated for aerobic endurance. It is based on the Android System and the “GOW Running” smart shirt. The system has been evaluated during functional assessment stress testing of aerobic endurance in the Stress Physiology Laboratory (SPL) of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM). Furthermore, a voice system, designed to guide the user through minimal and optimal base training programs, has been evaluated. Also the software development has been evaluated. By means of user experience questionnaires, we have rated the attractiveness of the android application. Moreover, we have defined a methodology and a new kind of questionnaires in order to assess the user experience with the audio exercise guide system. The results obtained confirm the model. We have a high similarity between HR measurements made of our system and the one used by SPL. We have also a high correlation between the VO2max estimations of our system and the SPL system. All users, that tried the voice guidance system for minimal and optimal base training programs, were able to perform the 95% of the training session with an error lower than the 10% of theoretical maximum heart rate. The application appeared attractive to the users, and it has also been proven that the voice guidance system was useful. As result we obtained a positive evaluation of the users' satisfaction while they interacted with the system. In conclusion, it has been demonstrated that is possible to develop mobile Ambient Intelligence applications for the improvement of healthy lifestyle. AmIRTEM model is the first theoretical reference functional model for the design of this kind of applications. Further studies will be realized in order to extend the AmIRTEM model to other physical qualities whose physiological models are more complex than the aerobic endurance.