eKnowledge Project: Developing and piloting a forum tool to support the collaborative construction of knowledge on the UOC's Virtual Campus

Final report of the eKnowledge's project, an online forum tool that offers consultants and students the chance to create spaces for asynchronous communication and collaboration.

Proyecto eKnowledge: Desarrollo y pilotaje de una herramienta de foro para apoyar la construcción colaborativa de conocimiento en el Campus Virtual de la UOC

Informe final del proyecto eKnowledge, una herramienta de foros en línea que ofrece a consultores y estudiantes la posbilidad de crear espacios de comunicación y colaboración asíncrona que respondan a diferentes finalidades y niveles de estructuración por parte de los docentes.

Desenvolupament d'un node sensor sense fils autoalimentat. Mòdul piezo-magnètic

En aquest projecte es pretén implementar un dispositiu capaç de ser auto-suficient i no dependre de cap tipus de pila, bateria o fil elèctric que l’abasteixi d’energia elèctrica. El dispositiu recol·lectarà la energia magnètica generada per la corrent elèctrica a un fil i la transformarà en energia elèctrica, que serà emmagatzemada per el seu posterior ús. A demès, aquest projecte s’ha desenvolupat en col·laboració amb un segon projecte, dintre del qual s’implementarà una xarxa de sensors, mitjançant el protocol MIWI. Aquest projecte es divideix en tres grans blocs. El primer bloc del projecte serà una introducció teòrica de tots els coneixements relacionats amb el concepte d’energy harvesting i els mecanismes físic implicats. Al segon bloc podrem veure com s’han realitzat els càlculs, simulacions i posada en marxa, dels diferents elements que formaran el dispositiu recol·lector d’energia. Per últim en el tercer bloc veurem el prototip ja implementat. Es valoraran els resultats obtinguts, i es veuran els temps que necessitarà per alimentar al microcontrolador.

PoolStore : Supermercado virtual de productos de piscina con códigos QR

El proyecto denominado 'Supermercado virtual de productos de piscina con códigos QR en Android' pretende generar una serie de lineales con las fotografías de los diferentes productos con los precios y asociarlos a su código QR.

Measurement of the dynamics in ski jumping using a wearable inertial sensor-based system.

Abstract Dynamics is a central aspect of ski jumping, particularly during take-off and stable flight. Currently, measurement systems able to measure ski jumping dynamics (e.g. 3D cameras, force plates) are complex and only available in few research centres worldwide. This study proposes a method to determine dynamics using a wearable inertial sensor-based system which can be used routinely on any ski jumping hill. The system automatically calculates characteristic dynamic parameters during take-off (position and velocity of the centre of mass perpendicular to the table, force acting on the centre of mass perpendicular to the table and somersault angular velocity) and stable flight (total aerodynamic force). Furthermore, the acceleration of the ski perpendicular to the table was quantified to characterise the skis lift at take-off. The system was tested with two groups of 11 athletes with different jump distances. The force acting on the centre of mass, acceleration of the ski perpendicular to the table, somersault angular velocity and total aerodynamic force were different between groups and correlated with the jump distances. Furthermore, all dynamic parameters were within the range of prior studies based on stationary measurement systems, except for the centre of mass mean force which was slightly lower.

Grupos de discussão virtual: uma proposta para o ensino em enfermagem

Este trabalho descreve uma experiência docente que teve como objetivo proporcionar interatividade à técnica do diário de campo, utilizando um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem. A proposta educacional teve como origem o Estágio de Docência, vinculado ao Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Enfermagem da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), no qual a mestranda, supervisionada pela sua orientadora, propôs a formação de grupos de discussão virtual para realizar o diário de campo em uma disciplina da graduação em enfermagem, visando a oportunizar a discussão conjunta das vivências acadêmicas em campo de prática. Os professores da disciplina na qual a proposta foi desenvolvida também estiveram inseridos nas atividades. A tecnologia virtual dinamizou a técnica de diário de campo, permitindo a troca de experiências entre os acadêmicos, o professor e a mestranda, assim como momentos de reflexão e discussão acerca dos temas confrontados na prática da enfermagem.

Personality traits and virtual reality performance.

BACKGROUND: Surgeons' personalities have been described as different from those of the general population, but this was based on small descriptive studies limited by the choice of evaluation instrument. Furthermore, although the importance of the human factor in team performance has been recognized, the effect of personality traits on technical performance is unknown. This study aimed to compare surgical residents' personality traits with those of the general population and to evaluate whether an association exists between their personality traits and technical performance using a virtual reality (VR) laparoscopy simulator. METHODS: In this study, 95 participants (54 residents with basic, 29 with intermediate laparoscopic experience, and 12 students) underwent personality assessment using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and performed five VR tasks of the Lap Mentor? basic tasks module. The residents' personality traits were compared with those of the general population, and the association between VR performance and personality traits was investigated. RESULTS: Surgical residents showed personality traits different from those of the general population, demonstrating lower neuroticism, higher extraversion and conscientiousness, and male residents showed greater openness. In the multivariable analysis, adjusted for gender and surgical experience, none of the personality traits was found to be an independent predictor of technical performance. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical residents present distinct personality traits that differ from those of the general population. These traits were not found to be associated with technical performance in a virtual environment. The traits may, however, play an important role in team performance, which in turn is highly relevant for optimal surgical performance.

Non-invasive and non-occlusive blood pressure estimation via a chest sensor.

The clinical demand for a device to monitor Blood Pressure (BP) in ambulatory scenarios with minimal use of inflation cuffs is increasing. Based on the so-called Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) principle, this paper introduces and evaluates a novel concept of BP monitor that can be fully integrated within a chest sensor. After a preliminary calibration, the sensor provides non-occlusive beat-by-beat estimations of Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) by measuring the Pulse Transit Time (PTT) of arterial pressure pulses travelling from the ascending aorta towards the subcutaneous vasculature of the chest. In a cohort of 15 healthy male subjects, a total of 462 simultaneous readings consisting of reference MAP and chest PTT were acquired. Each subject was recorded at three different days: D, D+3 and D+14. Overall, the implemented protocol induced MAP values to range from 80 ± 6 mmHg in baseline, to 107 ± 9 mmHg during isometric handgrip maneuvers. Agreement between reference and chest-sensor MAP values was tested by using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = 0.78) and Bland-Altman analysis (mean error = 0.7 mmHg, standard deviation = 5.1 mmHg). The cumulative percentage of MAP values provided by the chest sensor falling within a range of ±5 mmHg compared to reference MAP readings was of 70%, within ±10 mmHg was of 91%, and within ±15mmHg was of 98%. These results point at the fact that the chest sensor complies with the British Hypertension Society (BHS) requirements of Grade A BP monitors, when applied to MAP readings. Grade A performance was maintained even two weeks after having performed the initial subject-dependent calibration. In conclusion, this paper introduces a sensor and a calibration strategy to perform MAP measurements at the chest. The encouraging performance of the presented technique paves the way towards an ambulatory-compliant, continuous and non-occlusive BP monitoring system.

A combined ear sensor for pulse oximetry and carbon dioxide tension monitoring: accuracy in critically ill children.

IMPLICATIONS: A new combined ear sensor was tested for accuracy in 20 critically ill children. It provides noninvasive and continuous monitoring of arterial oxygen saturation, arterial carbon dioxide tension, and pulse rate. The sensor proved to be clinically accurate in the tested range.

CalUOC : Calendario para dispositivos móviles vinculado al campus virtual de la UOC

El proyecto consiste en el desarrollo de una aplicación multiplataforma capaz de ejecutarse en multitud de sistemas operativos de distintos fabricantes de dispositivos móviles, como son teléfonos inteligentes y tabletas. La aplicación se basa en un calendario conectado al campus de la UOC.

Integración del archivo de imágenes de un telescopio robótico al observatorio virtual

S’ha implementat un servei VO (Virtual Observatori) a les instal lacions del Telescopi TFRM, que permet distribuir les imatges preses amb el telescopi de manera remota i automàtica a qualsevol usuari del servei. El servei està format per un arxiu d’imatges, una aplicació que integra les imatges a l'arxiu y una aplicació que es comunica amb els clients d’VO, rebent peticions i responen segons s’especifica al protocol SIAP (Simple Image Access Protocol).

Suitability of GRIND-based principal properties for the description of molecular similarity and ligand-based virtual screening

The information provided by the alignment-independent GRid Independent Descriptors (GRIND) can be condensed by the application of principal component analysis, obtaining a small number of principal properties (GRIND-PP), which is more suitable for describing molecular similarity. The objective of the present study is to optimize diverse parameters involved in the obtention of the GRIND-PP and validate their suitability for applications, requiring a biologically relevant description of the molecular similarity. With this aim, GRIND-PP computed with a collection of diverse settings were used to carry out ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS) on standard conditions. The quality of the results obtained was remarkable and comparable with other LBVS methods, and their detailed statistical analysis allowed to identify the method settings more determinant for the quality of the results and their optimum. Remarkably, some of these optimum settings differ significantly from those used in previously published applications, revealing their unexplored potential. Their applicability in large compound database was also explored by comparing the equivalence of the results obtained using either computed or projected principal properties. In general, the results of the study confirm the suitability of the GRIND-PP for practical applications and provide useful hints about how they should be computed for obtaining optimum results.

Proposta educacional virtual sobre atendimento da ressuscitação cardiopulmonar no recém-nascido

O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver uma proposta educacional virtual, utilizando recursos multimídia, visando inovar, dinamizar e diversificar espaços de comunicação e interação, favorecendo o processo de ensino aprendizagem autônomo e reflexivo do enfermeiro. Este trabalho constitui-se de uma pesquisa aplicada, seguindo as fases cíclicas e interativas de concepção e planejamento, desenvolvimento e implementação. A proposta educacional foi desenvolvida na plataforma TelEduc, utilizando ferramentas de organização, de conteúdo, de comunicação, do aluno e do administrador. Os módulos de ensino referiram-se as seguintes temáticas: Módulo 1 - Fundamentos de anatomia e fisiologia cardíacas do recém-nascido; Módulo 2 - Fatores de risco para ocorrência da parada cardiorrespiratória no recém-nascido; Módulo 3 - Planejamento da assistência de enfermagem; Módulo 4 - Medicações empregadas na parada cardiorrespiratória no recém-nascido; e Módulo 5 - Atendimento da parada cardiorrespiratória no recém-nascido. Este projeto pode contribuir com a inovação do ensino em enfermagem a partir de uma proposta educacional virtual sobre um tema de relevância que é o atendimento da ressuscitação cardiopulmonar do recém-nascido.

Monitoring of posture allocations and activities by a shoe-based wearable sensor.

Monitoring of posture allocations and activities enables accurate estimation of energy expenditure and may aid in obesity prevention and treatment. At present, accurate devices rely on multiple sensors distributed on the body and thus may be too obtrusive for everyday use. This paper presents a novel wearable sensor, which is capable of very accurate recognition of common postures and activities. The patterns of heel acceleration and plantar pressure uniquely characterize postures and typical activities while requiring minimal preprocessing and no feature extraction. The shoe sensor was tested in nine adults performing sitting and standing postures and while walking, running, stair ascent/descent and cycling. Support vector machines (SVMs) were used for classification. A fourfold validation of a six-class subject-independent group model showed 95.2% average accuracy of posture/activity classification on full sensor set and over 98% on optimized sensor set. Using a combination of acceleration/pressure also enabled a pronounced reduction of the sampling frequency (25 to 1 Hz) without significant loss of accuracy (98% versus 93%). Subjects had shoe sizes (US) M9.5-11 and W7-9 and body mass index from 18.1 to 39.4 kg/m2 and thus suggesting that the device can be used by individuals with varying anthropometric characteristics.