Monitoring visual attention on a neurorehabilitation environment based on interactive video

The use of new technologies in neurorehabilitation has led to higher intensity rehabilitation processes, extending therapies in an economically sustainable way. Interactive Video (IV) technology allows therapists to work with virtual environments that reproduce real situations. In this way, patients deal with Activities of the Daily Living (ADL) immersed within enhanced environments [1]. These rehabilitation exercises, which focus in re-learning lost functions, will try to modulate the neural plasticity processes [2]. This research presents a system where a neurorehabilitation IV-based environment has been integrated with an eye-tracker device in order to monitor and to interact using visual attention. While patients are interacting with the neurorehabilitation environment, their visual behavior is closely related with their cognitive state, which in turn mirrors the brain damage condition suffered by them [3] [4]. Patients’ gaze data can provide knowledge on their attention focus and their cognitive state, as well as on the validity of the rehabilitation tasks proposed [5].

AMELIE: Authoring Multimedia-Enhanced Learning Interactive Environment for medical contents

This paper presents the AMELIE Authoring Tool for medical e-learning applications. The tool allows for the creation of enhanced-video based didactic contents, and can be adjusted to any number of platforms and applications. Validation provides preliminary good results on its acceptance and usefulness.

AMELIE: Authoring Multimedia-Enhanced Learning Interactive Environment for e-Health Contents

This paper presents the AMELIE Authoring Tool for e-health applications. AMELIE provides the means for creating video-based contents with a focus on e-learning and telerehabilitation processes. The main core of AMELIE lies in the efficient exploitation of raw multimedia resources, which may be already available at clinical centers or recorded ad hoc for learning purposes by health professionals. Three real use cases scenarios involving different target users are presented: (1) cognitive skills? training of surgeons in minimally invasive surgery (medical professionals), (2) training of informal carers for elderly home assistance and (3) cognitive rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injury. Preliminary validation in the field of surgery hints at the potential of AMELIE; and its versatility in different medical applications is patent from the use cases described. Regardless, new validation studies are planned in the three main application areas identified in this work.

An Interactive Bibliography on Temporal GIS.

This report introduces TimeBliography, a dynamic and online bibliography on temporal GIS. We provide a brief description of the bibliography as well as the components and functionalities of the web application that supports it. The bibliography is fully accessible on the Web at http://spaceandtime.wsiabato.info.

Interactive Atlas of habitability. Urban data management for the improvement of habitability and coexistence

In this paper we approximate to the understanding of the hybrid city as a context of changes, produced in the perception and in the modes of inhabiting and coexisting in cities through new technologies of information and communication.

NFC based remote control of services for interactive spaces

Ubiquitous computing (one person, many computers) is the third era in the history of computing. It follows the mainframe era (many people, one computer) and the PC era (one person, one computer). Ubiquitous computing empowers people to communicate with services by interacting with their surroundings. Most of these so called smart environments contain sensors sensing users’ actions and try to predict the users’ intentions and necessities based on sensor data. The main drawback of this approach is that the system might perform unexpected or unwanted actions, making the user feel out of control. In this master thesis we propose a different procedure based on Interactive Spaces: instead of predicting users’ intentions based on sensor data, the system reacts to users’ explicit predefined actions. To that end, we present REACHeS, a server platform which enables communication among services, resources and users located in the same environment. With REACHeS, a user controls services and resources by interacting with everyday life objects and using a mobile phone as a mediator between himself/herself, the system and the environment. REACHeS’ interfaces with a user are built upon NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. NFC tags are attached to objects in the environment. A tag stores commands that are sent to services when a user touches the tag with his/her NFC enabled device. The prototypes and usability tests presented in this thesis show the great potential of NFC to build such user interfaces.

Web based interactive educational software introducing semiconductor laser dynamics: Sound Of Lasers (SOL)

In this work, educational software for intuitive understanding of the basic dynamic processes of semiconductor lasers is presented. The proposed tool is addressed to the students of optical communication courses, encouraging self consolidation of the subjects learned in lectures. The semiconductor laser model is based on the well known rate equations for the carrier density, photon density and optical phase. The direct modulation of the laser is considered with input parameters which can be selected by the user. Different options for the waveform, amplitude and frequency of thpoint. Simulation results are plotted for carrier density and output power versus time. Instantaneous frequency variations of the laser output are numerically shifted to the audible frequency range and sent to the computer loudspeakers. This results in an intuitive description of the “chirp” phenomenon due to amplitude-phase coupling, typical of directly modulated semiconductor lasers. In this way, the student can actually listen to the time resolved spectral content of the laser output. By changing the laser parameters and/or the modulation parameters,consequent variation of the laser output can be appreciated in intuitive manner. The proposed educational tool has been previously implemented by the same authors with locally executable software. In the present manuscript, we extend our previous work to a web based platform, offering improved distribution and allowing its use to the wide audience of the web.

Low-cost efficient interactive whiteboard

In this paper we present a low-cost efficient Interactive Whiteboard that, by fusing depth and video information provided by a low-cost depth camera, is able to detect and track user movements.

Combining Text and Graphics for Interactive Exploration of Behavior Datasets

Modern sensor technologies and simulators applied to large and complex dynamic systems (such as road traffic networks, sets of river channels, etc.) produce large amounts of behavior data that are difficult for users to interpret and analyze. Software tools that generate presentations combining text and graphics can help users understand this data. In this paper we describe the results of our research on automatic multimedia presentation generation (including text, graphics, maps, images, etc.) for interactive exploration of behavior datasets. We designed a novel user interface that combines automatically generated text and graphical resources. We describe the general knowledge-based design of our presentation generation tool. We also present applications that we developed to validate the method, and a comparison with related work.

AMELIE: Authoring Multimedia-Enhanced Learning Interactive Environment for medical contents

This paper presents the AMELIE Authoring Tool for medical e-learning applications. The tool allows for the creation of enhanced-video based didactic contents, and can be adjusted to any number of platforms and applications. Validation provides preliminary good results on its acceptance and usefulness.

Visualizador de programas Java concurrentes

El presente trabajo fin de grado, que, a partir de ahora, denominaré TFG, consiste en elaborar una monitorización de programas concurrentes en lenguaje Java, para que se visualicen los eventos ocurridos durante la ejecución de los dichos programas. Este trabajo surge en el marco de la asignatura “Concurrencia” de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Informática de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, impartida por D. Julio Mariño y D. Ángel Herranz. El objetivo principal de este proyecto es crear una herramienta para el aprendizaje de la asignatura de concurrencia, facilitando la comprensión de los conceptos teóricos, de modo que puedan corregir los posibles errores que haya en sus prácticas. en este proyecto se expone el desarrollo de una librería de visualización de programas concurrentes programados en Java usando un formalismo gráfico similar al empleado en la asignatura. Además esta librería da soporte a los mecanismos de sincronización usados en las prácticas de la asignatura: la librería Monitor (desarrollada por los profesores de la asignatura, D. Ángel Herranz y D. Julio Mariño) y la librería JCSP (Universidad de Kent). ---ABSTRACT---This Bachelor Thesis addresses the problem of monitoring a Java program in order to trace and visualize a certain set of events produced during the execution of concurrent Java programs. This work originates in the subject "Concurrency" of the Computer Science and Engineering degree of our University. The main goal of this work is to have a tool that helps students learning the subject, so they can better understand the core concepts and correct common mistakes in the course practical work. We have implemented a library for visualizing concurrent Java programsusing a graphical notation similar to the one used in class, which supports the design of concurrent programs whose synchronization mechanisms are either monitors(using the Monitor package) or CSP(as implemented in the JCSP library from Kent University).

Obtención y Uso de Patrones para la Implementación de Funcionalidades de Usabilidad en Aplicaciones Web

La usabilidad es un atributo de calidad de un sistema software que llega a ser crítico en sistemas altamente interactivos. Desde el campo de la Interacción Persona-Ordenador se proponen recomendaciones que permiten alcanzar un nivel adecuado de usabilidad en un sistema. En la disciplina de la Ingeniería de Software se ha establecido que algunas de estas recomendaciones afectan a la funcionalidad principal de los sistemas y no solo a la interfaz de usuario. Este tipo de recomendaciones de usabilidad se deben tener en cuenta desde las primeras actividades y durante todo el proceso de desarrollo, así como se hace con atributos tales como la seguridad, la facilidad de mantenimiento o el rendimiento. Desde la Ingeniería de Software se han hecho estudios y propuestas para abordar la usabilidad en las primeras actividades del desarrollo. En particular en la educción de requisitos y diseño de la arquitectura. Estas propuestas son de un alto nivel de abstracción. En esta investigación se aborda la usabilidad en actividades avanzadas del proceso de desarrollo: el diseño detallado y la programación. El objetivo de este trabajo es obtener, formalizar y validar soluciones reutilizables para la usabilidad en estas actividades. En este estudio se seleccionan tres funcionalidades de usabilidad identificadas como de alto impacto en el diseño: Abortar Operación, Retroalimentación de Progreso y Preferencias. Para la obtención de elementos reutilizables se utiliza un método inductivo. Se parte de la construcción de aplicaciones web particulares y se induce una solución general. Durante la construcción de las aplicaciones se mantiene la trazabilidad de los elementos relacionados con cada funcionalidad de usabilidad. Al finalizar se realiza un análisis de elementos comunes, y los hallazgos se formalizan como patrones de diseño orientados a la implementación y patrones de programación en cada uno de los lenguajes utilizados: PHP, VB .NET y Java. Las soluciones formalizadas como patrones se validan usando la metodología de estudio de casos. Desarrolladores independientes utilizan los patrones para la inclusión de las tres funcionalidades de usabilidad en dos nuevas aplicaciones web. Como resultado, los desarrolladores pueden usar con éxito las soluciones propuestas para dos de las funcionalidades: Abortar Operación y Preferencias. La funcionalidad Retroalimentación de Progreso no puede ser implementada completamente. Se concluye que es posible obtener elementos reutilizables para la implementación de cada funcionalidad de usabilidad. Estos elementos incluyen: escenarios de aplicación, que son la combinación de casuísticas que generan las funcionalidades de usabilidad, responsabilidades comunes necesarias para cubrir los escenarios, componentes comunes para cumplir con las responsabilidades, elementos de diseño asociados a los componentes y el código que implementa el diseño. Formalizar las soluciones como patrones resulta útil para comunicar los hallazgos a otros desarrolladores y los patrones se mejoran a través de su utilización en nuevos desarrollos. La implementación de funcionalidades de usabilidad presenta características que condicionan su reutilización, en particular, el nivel de acoplamiento de la funcionalidad de usabilidad con las funcionalidades de la aplicación, y la complejidad interna de la solución. ABSTRACT Usability is a critical quality attribute of highly interactive software systems. The humancomputer interaction field proposes recommendations for achieving an acceptable system usability level. The discipline of software engineering has established that some of these recommendations affect not only the user interface but also the core system functionality. This type of usability recommendations must be taken into account as of the early activities and throughout the software development process as in the case of attributes like security, ease of maintenance or performance. Software engineering has conducted studies and put forward proposals for tackling usability in the early development activities, particularly requirements elicitation and architecture design. These proposals have a high level of abstraction. This research addresses usability in later activities of the development process: detailed design and programming. The goal of this research is to discover, specify and validate reusable usability solutions for detailed design and programming. Abort Operation, Feedback and Preferences, three usability functionalities identified as having a high impact on design, are selected for the study. An inductive method, whereby a general solution is induced from particular web applications built for the purpose, is used to discover reusable elements. During the construction of the applications, the traceability of the elements related to each usability functionality is maintained. At the end of the process, the common and possibly reusable elements are analysed. The findings are specified as implementation-oriented design patterns and programming patterns for each of the languages used: PHP, VB .NET and Java. The solutions specified as patterns are validated using the case study methodology. Independent developers use the patterns in order to build the three usability functionalities into two new web applications. As a result, the developers successfully use the proposed solutions for two of the functionalities: Abort Operation and Preferences. The Progress Feedback functionality cannot be fully implemented. We conclude that it is possible to discover reusable elements for implementing each usability functionality. These elements include: application scenarios, which are combinations of cases that generate usability functionalities, common responsibilities to cover the scenarios, common components to fulfil the responsibilities, design elements associated with the components and code implementing the design. It is useful to specify solutions as patterns in order to communicate findings to other developers, and patterns improve through further use in other development projects. Reusability depends on the features of usability functionality implementation, particularly the level of coupling of the usability functionality with the application functionalities and the internal complexity of the solution.

Infraestructura para la comunicación entre componentes Java en el estilo arquitectónico C2

En este trabajo se describe el diseñno y la implementación de una infraestructura para la comunicación entre componentes que sigan el estilo arquitectóonico C2 sobre una plataforma Java. Un requisito de esta infraestructura es que componentes y conectores se ejecuten cada uno en su propia máquina virtual (JVM) en el mismo nodo o en nodos diferentes. Se ha diseñado un conjunto de clases que proporcionan mecanismos para la comunicación entre componentes y conectores C2. Como parte del trabajo, se han evaluado las tecnologías disponibles para Java que permiten construir la infraestructura, habiéndose elegido la invocación remota a método (RMI) como la base para la comunicación entre los componentes del sistema

Feasibility assessment of the interactive use of a Monte Carlo algorithm in treatment planning for intraoperative electron radiation therapy

This work analysed the feasibility of using a fast, customized Monte Carlo (MC) method to perform accurate computation of dose distributions during pre- and intraplanning of intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) procedures. The MC method that was implemented, which has been integrated into a specific innovative simulation and planning tool, is able to simulate the fate of thousands of particles per second, and it was the aim of this work to determine the level of interactivity that could be achieved. The planning workflow enabled calibration of the imaging and treatment equipment, as well as manipulation of the surgical frame and insertion of the protection shields around the organs at risk and other beam modifiers. In this way, the multidisciplinary team involved in IOERT has all the tools necessary to perform complex MC dosage simulations adapted to their equipment in an efficient and transparent way. To assess the accuracy and reliability of this MC technique, dose distributions for a monoenergetic source were compared with those obtained using a general-purpose software package used widely in medical physics applications. Once accuracy of the underlying simulator was confirmed, a clinical accelerator was modelled and experimental measurements in water were conducted. A comparison was made with the output from the simulator to identify the conditions under which accurate dose estimations could be obtained in less than 3 min, which is the threshold imposed to allow for interactive use of the tool in treatment planning. Finally, a clinically relevant scenario, namely early-stage breast cancer treatment, was simulated with pre- and intraoperative volumes to verify that it was feasible to use the MC tool intraoperatively and to adjust dose delivery based on the simulation output, without compromising accuracy. The workflow provided a satisfactory model of the treatment head and the imaging system, enabling proper configuration of the treatment planning system and providing good accuracy in the dosage simulation.

Performance and Professional Skills in an Online Java Programming Course for Engineering Students

The main purpose of this work is to describe the case of an online Java Programming course for engineering students to learn computer programming and to practice other non-technicalabilities: online training, self-assessment, teamwork and use of foreign languages. It is important that students develop confidence and competence in these skills, which will be required later in their professional tasks and/or in other engineering courses (life-long learning). Furthermore, this paper presents the pedagogical methodology, the results drawn from this experience and an objective performance comparison with another conventional (face-to-face) Java course.