User-independent accelerometer-based gesture recognition for mobile devices

Many mobile devices embed nowadays inertial sensors. This enables new forms of human-computer interaction through the use of gestures (movements performed with the mobile device) as a way of communication. This paper presents an accelerometer-based gesture recognition system for mobile devices which is able to recognize a collection of 10 different hand gestures. The system was conceived to be light and to operate in a user -independent manner in real time. The recognition system was implemented in a smart phone and evaluated through a collection of user tests, which showed a recognition accuracy similar to other state-of-the art techniques and a lower computational complexity. The system was also used to build a human -robot interface that enables controlling a wheeled robot with the gestures made with the mobile phone.

Using clustering techniques for intelligent camera-based user interfaces

The area of Human-Machine Interface is growing fast due to its high importance in all technological systems. The basic idea behind designing human-machine interfaces is to enrich the communication with the technology in a natural and easy way. Gesture interfaces are a good example of transparent interfaces. Such interfaces must identify properly the action the user wants to perform, so the proper gesture recognition is of the highest importance. However, most of the systems based on gesture recognition use complex methods requiring high-resource devices. In this work, we propose to model gestures capturing their temporal properties, which significantly reduce storage requirements, and use clustering techniques, namely self-organizing maps and unsupervised genetic algorithm, for their classification. We further propose to train a certain number of algorithms with different parameters and combine their decision using majority voting in order to decrease the false positive rate. The main advantage of the approach is its simplicity, which enables the implementation using devices with limited resources, and therefore low cost. The testing results demonstrate its high potential.

End-User-Oriented Telco Mashups: The OMELETTE Approach

With the success of Web 2.0 we are witnessing a growing number of services and APIs exposed by Telecom, IT and content providers. Targeting the Web community and, in particular, Web application developers, service providers expose capabilities of their infrastructures and applications in order to open new markets and to reach new customer groups. However, due to the complexity of the underlying technologies, the last step, i.e., the consumption and integration of the offered services, is a non-trivial and time-consuming task that is still a prerogative of expert developers. Although many approaches to lower the entry barriers for end users exist, little success has been achieved so far. In this paper, we introduce the OMELETTE project and show how it addresses end-user-oriented telco mashup development. We present the goals of the project, describe its contributions, summarize current results, and describe current and future work.

Assessing user bias in affect detection within context-based spoken dialog systems

This paper presents an empirical evidence of user bias within a laboratory-oriented evaluation of a Spoken Dialog System. Specifically, we addressed user bias in their satisfaction judgements. We question the reliability of this data for modeling user emotion, focusing on contentment and frustration in a spoken dialog system. This bias is detected through machine learning experiments that were conducted on two datasets, users and annotators, which were then compared in order to assess the reliability of these datasets. The target used was the satisfaction rating and the predictors were conversational/dialog features. Our results indicated that standard classifiers were significantly more successful in discriminating frustration and contentment and the intensities of these emotions (reflected by user satisfaction ratings) from annotator data than from user data. Indirectly, the results showed that conversational features are reliable predictors of the two abovementioned emotions.

User benefit assessment by a dynamic LUTI model for Madrid

Assessing users’ benefit in a transport policy implementation has been studied by many researchers using theoretical or empirical measures. However, few of them measure users’ benefit in a different way from the consumer surplus. Therefore, this paper aims to assess a new measure of user benefits by weighting consumer surplus in order to include equity assessment for different transport policies simulated in a dynamic middle-term LUTI model adapted to the case study of Madrid. Three different transport policies, including road pricing, parking charge and public transport improvement have been simulated through the Metropolitan Activity Relocation Simulator, MARS, the LUTI calibrated model for Madrid). A social welfare function (WF) is defined using a cost benefit analysis function that includes mainly costs and benefits of users and operators of the transport system. Particularly, the part of welfare function concerning the users, (i.e. consumer surplus), is modified by a compensating weight (CW) which represents the inverse of household income level. Based on the modified social welfare function, the effects on the measure of users benefits are estimated and compared with the old WF ́s results as well. The result of the analysis shows that road pricing leads a negative effect on the users benefits specially on the low income users. Actually, the road pricing and parking charge implementation results like a regressive policy especially at long term. Public transport improvement scenario brings more positive effects on low income user benefits. The integrated (road pricing and increasing public services) policy scenario is the one which receive the most user benefits. The results of this research could be a key issue to understanding the relationship between transport systems policies and user benefits distribution in a metropolitan context.

Distributed primary user identification from imprecise location information

We study a cognitive radio scenario in which the network of sec- ondary users wishes to identify which primary user, if any, is trans- mitting. To achieve this, the nodes will rely on some form of location information. In our previous work we proposed two fully distributed algorithms for this task, with and without a pre-detection step, using propagation parameters as the only source of location information. In a real distributed deployment, each node must estimate its own po- sition and/or propagation parameters. Hence, in this work we study the effect of uncertainty, or error in these estimates on the proposed distributed identification algorithms. We show that the pre-detection step significantly increases robustness against uncertainty in nodes' locations.

Location-aided distributed primary user identification in a cognitive radio scenario

We address a cognitive radio scenario, where a number of secondary users performs identification of which primary user, if any, is trans- mitting, in a distributed way and using limited location information. We propose two fully distributed algorithms: the first is a direct iden- tification scheme, and in the other a distributed sub-optimal detection based on a simplified Neyman-Pearson energy detector precedes the identification scheme. Both algorithms are studied analytically in a realistic transmission scenario, and the advantage obtained by detec- tion pre-processing is also verified via simulation. Finally, we give details of their fully distributed implementation via consensus aver- aging algorithms.

Is there scope for a new project bond market in Europe? A promising opportunity for promoting transnational infrastructure

La Unión Europea acaba de lanzar una iniciativa para fomentar Participaciones Público Privadas (PPPs) mediante bonos de proyecto más atractivos a inversores institucionales para promover proyectos transeuropeos. Esto se logra a través de mecanismos de mejora crediticia como garantías de liquidez o tramos de deuda subordinada facilitados por el Banco Europeo de Inversiones. Esta iniciativa pretende evitar los problemas de liquidez experimentados actualmente por bancos comerciales en Europa para financiar megaproyectos. En este artículo exploramos las ventajas e inconvenientes de esta iniciativa para promover redes de infraestructuras transnacionales en Europa, y analizamos su aplicabilidad a otras áreas como Latino-América. The European Union recently launched an initiative to foster Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for delivering Trans-European projects by making long-term project-bonds more appealing to institutional investors. This is achieved through credit-enhancement mechanisms such as partial stand-by liquidity guarantees, or layers of subordinated debt provided by the European Investment Bank. This initiative intends to circumvent the liquidity problems currently endured by commercial banks in Europe to fund megaprojects. In this paper we explore the advantages and drawbacks of this initiative for promoting transnational infrastructure networks in Europe, and analyse its applicability to other economic areas such as Latin America.

Agile user stories enriched with usability

Usability is a critical quality factor. Therefore, like traditional software teams, agile teams have to address usability to properly catch their users experience. There exists an interesting debate in the agile and usability communities about how to achieve this integration. Our aim is to contribute to this debate by discussing the incorporation of particular usability recommendations into user stories, one of the most popular artifacts for communicating agile requirements. In this paper, we explore the implications of usability for both the structure of and the process for defining user stories. We discuss what changes the incorporation of particular usability issues may introduce in a user story. Although our findings require more empirical validation, we think that they are a good starting point for further research on this line.

HERMES: A user-friendly connectivity analysis software

The analysis of the interdependence between time series has become an important field of research, mainly as a result of advances in the characterization of dynamical systems from the signals they produce, and the introduction of concepts such as Generalized (GS) and Phase synchronization (PS). This increase in the number of approaches to tackle the existence of the so-called functional (FC) and effective connectivity (EC) (Friston 1994) between two, (or among many) neural networks, along with their mathematical complexity, makes it desirable to arrange them into a unified toolbox, thereby allowing neuroscientists, neurophysiologists and researchers from related fields to easily access and make use of them.

Diseño e implementación de un controlador de ratón gestual para Microsoft Windows con Kinect - Touchless Gesture User Interface

El dispositivo Microsoft Kinect for Windows y similares, han introducido en el mundo del PC una nueva forma de interacción denominada “Touchless Gesture User Interface” o TGUI (Interfaz de Usuario por Gestos sin Contacto) [Gentile et al. 2011]. Se trata de una tecnología novedosa en proceso de evolución. La tecnología de Kinect detecta la presencia de un usuario y monitoriza la posición en el espacio de sus articulaciones principales. Esta información permite desarrollar aplicaciones que posibiliten interactuar al usuario con una computadora mediante gestos y sin la necesidad de estar en contacto con periférico alguno. Desde la invención del periférico ratón en los años 60, resulta curioso que con la frenética evolución que ha experimentado el mundo de la informática en todos estos años, este dispositivo no haya sufrido cambios significativos o no haya sido incluso sustituido por otro periférico. En este proyecto se ha abordado el reto de desarrollar un controlador de ratón gestual para Windows utilizando Microsoft Kinect, de tal forma que se sustituya el uso del típico ratón y sea el propio usuario el que actúe como controlador mediante gestos y movimientos de sus manos. El resultado es llamativo y aporta numerosas mejoras y novedades frente a aplicaciones similares, aunque deja en evidencia algunas de las limitaciones de la tecnología implementada por Kinect a día de hoy. Es de esperar que cuando evolucione su tecnología, su uso se convierta en cotidiano.

The strategies associated with the migration of networks to 4G

The networks need to provide higher speeds than those offered today. For it, considering that in the spectrum radio technologies is the scarcest resource in the development of these technologies and the new developments is essential to maximize the performance of bits per hertz transmitted. Long Term Evolution optimize spectral efficiency modulations with new air interface, and more advanced algorithms radius. These capabilities is the fact that LTE is an IPbased technology that enables end-to-end offer high transmission rates per user and very low latency, ie delay in the response times of the network around only 10 milliseconds, so you can offer any realtime application. LTE is the latest standard in mobile network technology and 3GPP ensure competitiveness in the future, may be considered a technology bridge between 3G networks - current 3.5G and future 4G networks, which are expected to reach speeds of up to 1G . LTE operators provide a simplified architecture but both robust, supporting services on IP technology. The objectives to be achieved through its implementation are ambitious, first users have a wide range of added services like capabilities that currently enjoys with residential broadband access at competitive prices, while the operator will have a network fully IP-based environment, reducing the complexity and cost of the same, which will give operators the opportunity to migrate to LTE directly. A major advantage of LTE is its ability to fuse with existing networks, ensuring interconnection with the same, increasing his current coverage and allowing a data connection established by a user in the environment continue when fade the coverage LTE. Moreover, the operator has the advantage of deploying network gradually, starting initially at areas of high demand for broadband services and expand progressively in line with this. RESUMEN. Las redes necesitan proporcionar velocidades mayores a las ofertadas a día de hoy. Para ello, teniendo en cuenta que en tecnologías radio el espectro es el recurso más escaso, en la evolución de estas tecnologías y en los nuevos desarrollos es esencial maximizar el rendimiento de bits por hercio transmitido. Long Term Evolution optimiza la eficiencia espectral con nuevas modulaciones en la interfaz aire, así como los algoritmos radio más avanzado. A estas capacidades se suma el hecho de que LTE es una tecnología basada en IP de extremo a extremo que permite ofrecer altas velocidades de transmisión por usuario y latencias muy bajas, es decir, retardos en los tiempos de respuesta de la red en torno a sólo 10 milisegundos, por lo que permite ofrecer cualquier tipo de aplicación en tiempo real. LTE es el último estándar en tecnología de redes móviles y asegurará la competitividad de 3GPP en el futuro, pudiendo ser considerada una tecnología puente entre las redes 3G – 3.5G actuales y las futuras redes 4G, de las que se esperan alcanzar velocidades de hasta 1G. LTE proporcionará a las operadoras una arquitectura simplificada pero robusta a la vez, soportando servicios sobre tecnología IP. Los objetivos que se persiguen con su implantación son ambiciosos, por una parte los usuarios dispondrá de una amplia oferta de servicios añadidos con capacidades similares a las que disfruta actualmente con accesos a banda ancha residencial y a precios competitivos, mientras que el operador dispondrá de una red basada en entorno totalmente IP, reduciendo la complejidad y el costo de la misma, lo que dará a las operadoras la oportunidad de migrar a LTE directamente. Una gran ventaja de LTE es su capacidad para fusionarse con las redes existentes, asegurando la interconexión con las mismas, aumentando su actual cobertura y permitiendo que una conexión de datos establecida por un usuario en el entorno LTE continúe cuando la cobertura LTE se desvanezca. Por otra parte el operador tiene la ventaja de desplegar la red LTE de forma gradual, comenzando inicialmente por las áreas de gran demanda de servicios de banda ancha y ampliarla progresivamente en función de ésta.

AALUMO: a user model ontology for ambient assisted living services supported in next-generation networks

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) services are emerging as context-awareness solutions to support elderly people?s autonomy. The context-aware paradigm makes applications more user-adaptive. In this way, context and user models expressed in ontologies are employed by applications to describe user and environment characteristics. The rapid advance of technology allows creating context server to relieve applications of context reasoning techniques. Specifically, the Next Generation Networks (NGN) provides by means of the presence service a framework to manage the current user's state as well as the user's profile information extracted from Internet and mobile context. This paper propose a user modeling ontology for AAL services which can be deployed in a NGN environment with the aim at adapting their functionalities to the elderly's context information and state.

The University in the Cloud Computing.

With the advancement of Information and Communication Technology ICT which favors increasingly fast, easy, and accessible communication for all and which can reach large groups of people, there have been changes, in recent years in our society that have modified the way we interact, communicate and transmit information. Access to this, it is possible, not only through computers situated in a fixed location, but new mobile devices make it available, wherever the user happens to be located. Now, information "travels" with the user. These forms of communication, transmission and access to information, have also affected the way to conceive and manage business. To these new forms of business that the Internet has brought, is now added the concept of companies in the Cloud Computing ClC. The ClC technology is based on the supply and consumption of services on demand and pay per use, and it gives a 180 degree turn to the business management concept. Small and large businesses may use the latest developments in ICT, to manage their organizations without the need for expensive investments in them. This will enable enterprises to focus more specifically within the scope of their business, leaving the ICT control to the experts. We believe that education can also and should benefit from these new philosophies. ?Due to the global economic crisis in general and each country in particular, economic cutbacks have come to most universities. These are seen in the need to raise tuition rates, which makes increasingly fewer students have the opportunity to pursue higher education?. In this paper we propose using ClC technologies in universities and we make a dissertation on the advantages that it can provide to both: universities and students. For the universities, we expose two focuses, one: ?to reorganize university ICT structures with the ClC philosophy? and the other one, ?to extend the offer of the university education with education on demand?. Regarding the former we propose to use public or private Clouds, to reuse resources across the education community, to save costs on infrastructure investment, in upgrades and in maintenance of ICT, and paying only for what you use and with the ability to scale according to needs. Regarding the latter, we propose an educational model in the ClC, to increase the current university offerings, using educational units in the form of low-cost services and where students pay only for the units consumed on demand. For the students, they could study at any university in the world (virtually), from anywhere, without travel costs: money and time, and what is most important paying only for what they consume. We think that this proposal of education on demand may represent a great change in the current educational model, because strict registration deadlines disappear, and also the problem of economically disadvantaged students, who will not have to raise large amounts of money for an annual tuition. Also it will decrease the problem of loss of the money invested in an enrollment when the student dropout. In summary we think that this proposal is interesting for both, universities and students, we aim for "Higher education from anywhere, with access from any mobile device, at any time, without requiring large investments for students, and with reuse and optimization of resources by universities. Cost by consumption and consumption by service?. We argue for a Universal University "wisdom and knowledge accessible to all?

Comparison of different MIMO antenna arrays and user's effect on their performances

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems have entailed a great enhancement in wireless communications performances. The use of multiple antennas at each side of the radio link has been included in recent drafts and standards such as WLAN, WIMAX, or DVB-T2. The MIMO performances depend on the antenna array characteristics and thus several aspects have to be taken into account to design MIMO antennas. In the literature, many articles can be found in terms of capacity or antenna design, but in this article, different types of antenna arrays for MIMO systems are measured in a reverberation chamber with and without a phantom as a user's head. As a result, the MIMO performances are degraded by the user in terms of efficiency, diversity gain, and capacity. Omnidirectional antennas such as monopoles with high radiation efficiency offer the highest performance for a rich scattering nonline of sight indoor environment.