Integration of a Spanish-to-LSE machine translation system into an e-learning platform

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21657-2_61This paper presents the first results of the integration of a Spanish-to-LSE Machine Translation (MT) system into an e-learning platform. Most e-learning platforms provide speech-based contents, which makes them inaccessible to the Deaf. To solve this issue, we have developed a MT system that translates Spanish speech-based contents into LSE. To test our MT system, we have integrated it into an e-learning tool. The e-learning tool sends the audio to our platform. The platform sends back the subtitles and a video stream with the signed translation to the e-learning tool. Preliminary results, evaluating the sign language synthesis module, show an isolated sign recognition accuracy of 97%. The sentence recognition accuracy was of 93%.Authors would like to acknowledge the FPU-UAM grant program for its financial support. Authors are grateful to the FCNSE linguistic department for sharing their knowledge in LSE and performing the evaluations. Many thanks go to María Chulvi and Benjamín Nogal for providing help during the imple-mentation of this system. This work was partially supported by the Telefónica Móviles España S.A. project number 10-047158-TE-Ed-01-1

Brave New GES World:A Systematic Literature Review of Gestures and Referents in Gesture Elicitation Studies

How to determine highly effective and intuitive gesture sets for interactive systems tailored to end users’ preferences? A substantial body of knowledge is available on this topic, among which gesture elicitation studies stand out distinctively. In these studies, end users are invited to propose gestures for specific referents, which are the functions to control for an interactive system. The vast majority of gesture elicitation studies conclude with a consensus gesture set identified following a process of consensus or agreement analysis. However, the information about specific gesture sets determined for specific applications is scattered across a wide landscape of disconnected scientific publications, which poses challenges to researchers and practitioners to effectively harness this body of knowledge. To address this challenge, we conducted a systematic literature review and examined a corpus of N=267 studies encompassing a total of 187, 265 gestures elicited from 6, 659 participants for 4, 106 referents. To understand similarities in users’ gesture preferences within this extensive dataset, we analyzed a sample of 2, 304 gestures extracted from the studies identified in our literature review. Our approach consisted of (i) identifying the context of use represented by end users, devices, platforms, and gesture sensing technology, (ii) categorizing the referents, (iii) classifying the gestures elicited for those referents, and (iv) cataloging the gestures based on their representation and implementation modalities. Drawing from the findings of this review, we propose guidelines for conducting future end-user gesture elicitation studies

A framework for abstraction and virtualization of sensors in mobile context-aware computing

110 p.[EN] The latest mobile devices available nowadays are leading to the development of a new generation of mobile applications that are able to react to context. Context- awareness requires data from the environment, usually collected by means of sensors embedded in mobile devices or connected to them through wireless networks. Developers of mobile applications are faced with several challenges when it comes to the creation of context-aware applications. Sensor and device heterogeneity stand out among these challenges. In order to assist designers, we propose a layered conceptual framework for sensor abstraction and virtualization, called Igerri. Its main objective is to facilitate the development of context-aware applications independently of the specific sensors available in the user environment. To avoid the need to directly manage physical sensors, a layered structure of virtual and abstract sensors is conceived. Two software components, based on the proposed framework, have been designed in order to test Igerris robustness. The first one processes the information from the successive sensor layers and generates high-level context information. The second is responsible for managing network aspects and real time settings. This implementation has been tested using a representative context-aware application in different scenarios. The results obtained show that the implementation, and therefore the conceptual framework, is suitable for dealing with context information and hiding sensor programming.[EU] Gaur egungo gailu mugikor puntakoenek inguruneari erantzuteko gai diren aplikazio mugikorren garapenean oinarritzen dira. Testuingurua nabaritzeko ingurunearen informazioa behar da, zeina gailu mugikorretan txertatutako sentsoreen edo haririk gabeko sareen bitartez biltzen den. Aplikazio mugikorren garatzaileek erronka askori aurre egin behar izaten diete testuingurua kontuan hartzen duten aplikazioak garatzerakoan. Erronka na- gusien artean, sentsoreen eta gailuen heterogeneotasuna izaten dira. Garatzaileei laguntzeko asmoz, Igerri izeneko sentsoreen abstrakzio eta birtualizaziorako marko kontzeptual bat proposatzen dugu. Bere helburu nagusia, testuinguruaren aplikazio hautemangarrien garapena erraztea da, erabiltzailearen ingurunean dauden sentsore espezifikoak edozein direla ere. Sentsore fisikoak zuzenean ma- nipulatu behar izatea saihesteko, sentsore birtual eta abstraktuen egitura bat asmatu da. Igerri-ren sendotasuna egiaztatzeko, proposatutako markoan oinarritutako bi software osagai diseinatu dira. Lehenak, sentsore geruzen informazio geruzak prozesatu eta maila altuko testuinguru informazioa ematen du. Bigarrenak, sare aukerak kudeatu eta sentsoreen konfigurazioa denbora errealean burutzen ditu. Inplementazio hau testuingurua hautemateko gai eta adierazgarria den aplikazio batekin egoera desberdinetan frogatu da. Lortutako emaitzek erakusten dute inplementazioa, eta ondorioz marko kontzeptuala ere, aproposa dela testuinguruaren informazioa erabiltzeko eta sentsoreen programazioa ezkutatzeko.[ES] Los dispositivos móviles disponibles en la actualidad facilitan el desarrollo de una nueva generación de aplicaciones móviles que son capaces de reaccionar al contexto. La computación sensible al contexto requiere datos del entorno que normalmente se obtienen por medio de sensores embebidos en dispositivos móviles o conectados a ellos a través de redes inalámbricas. Los desarrolladores de aplicaciones móviles se enfrentan a varios retos para crear aplicaciones sensibles al contexto. Entre estos retos destaca la necesidad de tratar la heterogeneidad de los sensores y de los dispositivos móviles. Con el fin de ayudar a los desarrolladores, esta tesis propone un marco conceptual para la abstracción multinivel y la virtualización de sensores, llamado Igerri. Su principal objetivo es facilitar el desarrollo de aplicaciones sensibles al contexto independientemente de los sensores específicos que se encuentren en el entorno. Para evitar la necesidad de manipular directamente los sensores físicos, se ha concebido una estructura multinivel de sensores virtuales y abstractos. Se han diseñado dos componentes software basados en el marco propuesto para comprobar la robustez de Igerri. El primero procesa la información de la estructura multinivel de sensores y genera información de contexto de alto nivel. El segundo es responsable de administrar, en tiempo real, las opciones de red y la configuración de los sensores. Esta implementación ha sido probada en diferentes escenarios usando una aplicación representativa y sensible al contexto. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la implementación, y por tanto el marco conceptual que le da soporte, es adecuada para tratar la información de contexto y ocultar los problemas de programación de los sensores.Borja Gamecho held a PhD scholarship from the Research Staff Training Programme of the Basque Government from 2011 to 2014. This work also has been supported by the Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government under Grant IT395-10, by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Spanish Government and by the European Regional Development Fund (project TIN2014-52665-C2-1)

Políticas de Copyright de Publicações Científicas em Repositórios Institucionais: O Caso do INESC TEC

A progressiva transformação das práticas científicas, impulsionada pelo desenvolvimento das novas Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC), têm possibilitado aumentar o acesso à informação, caminhando gradualmente para uma abertura do ciclo de pesquisa. Isto permitirá resolver a longo prazo uma adversidade que se tem colocado aos investigadores, que passa pela existência de barreiras que limitam as condições de acesso, sejam estas geográficas ou financeiras. Apesar da produção científica ser dominada, maioritariamente, por grandes editoras comerciais, estando sujeita às regras por estas impostas, o Movimento do Acesso Aberto cuja primeira declaração pública, a Declaração de Budapeste (BOAI), é de 2002, vem propor alterações significativas que beneficiam os autores e os leitores. Este Movimento vem a ganhar importância em Portugal desde 2003, com a constituição do primeiro repositório institucional a nível nacional. Os repositórios institucionais surgiram como uma ferramenta de divulgação da produção científica de uma instituição, com o intuito de permitir abrir aos resultados da investigação, quer antes da publicação e do próprio processo de arbitragem (preprint), quer depois (postprint), e, consequentemente, aumentar a visibilidade do trabalho desenvolvido por um investigador e a respetiva instituição. O estudo apresentado, que passou por uma análise das políticas de copyright das publicações científicas mais relevantes do INESC TEC, permitiu não só perceber que as editoras adotam cada vez mais políticas que possibilitam o auto-arquivo das publicações em repositórios institucionais, como também que existe todo um trabalho de sensibilização a percorrer, não só para os investigadores, como para a instituição e toda a sociedade. A produção de um conjunto de recomendações, que passam pela implementação de uma política institucional que incentive o auto-arquivo das publicações desenvolvidas no âmbito institucional no repositório, serve como mote para uma maior valorização da produção científica do INESC TEC.The progressive transformation of scientific practices, driven by the development of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which made it possible to increase access to information, gradually moving towards an opening of the research cycle. This opening makes it possible to resolve, in the long term, the adversity that has been placed on researchers, which involves the existence of barriers that limit access conditions, whether geographical or financial. Although large commercial publishers predominantly dominate scientific production and subject it to the rules imposed by them, the Open Access movement whose first public declaration, the Budapest Declaration (BOAI), was in 2002, proposes significant changes that benefit the authors and the readers. This Movement has gained importance in Portugal since 2003, with the constitution of the first institutional repository at the national level. Institutional repositories have emerged as a tool for disseminating the scientific production of an institution to open the results of the research, both before publication and the preprint process and postprint, increase the visibility of work done by an investigator and his or her institution. The present study, which underwent an analysis of the copyright policies of INESC TEC most relevant scientific publications, allowed not only to realize that publishers are increasingly adopting policies that make it possible to self-archive publications in institutional repositories, all the work of raising awareness, not only for researchers but also for the institution and the whole society. The production of a set of recommendations, which go through the implementation of an institutional policy that encourages the self-archiving of the publications developed in the institutional scope in the repository, serves as a motto for a greater appreciation of the scientific production of INESC TEC

A study of the importance of cultural factors in the user interaction with, and the design of, interactive science and technology exhibits in museums

This research investigates the cultural factors affecting the use of interactive science exhibits including interactive science and technology exhibits (ISTEs) by visitors to science museums worldwide. Visitors bring differing characteristics and experiences to bear upon the task of using these exhibits. These affect the nature and quality of their interaction with the exhibits. This research has focused on the cultural issues, and has defined them using 10 distinct and coherent ‘dimensions’. This has been achieved by extensive review of relevant earlier research work and building on this with experimental studies with visitors and interviews with science museum experts in the UK and Thailand. Interactive science exhibits now take many forms, and therefore for scientific investigation of their use it is essential to classify them in a form which promotes research validity and reliability. This research has developed a new classification of interactive science exhibits into four classes based upon the user’s perception, cognition and the nature of the interaction. The classes are: (1) simple interaction with direct understanding; (2) simple interaction with complex understanding; (3) multiple interactions with direct understanding; and (4) multiple interactions with complex understanding. This classification was used in experimental studies of interaction with exhibits at science museums. The research methods used mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative research through three separate studies. The data collection methods were: interviews, questionnaires, and video recording observation. The findings were that not only language issues and conceptual understanding are important factors, but other cultural factors were also inter-related and affect visitors’ learning through ISTEs

Enhanced Living Environments

This open access book was prepared as a Final Publication of the COST Action IC1303 “Algorithms, Architectures and Platforms for Enhanced Living Environments (AAPELE)”. The concept of Enhanced Living Environments (ELE) refers to the area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) that is more related with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Effective ELE solutions require appropriate ICT algorithms, architectures, platforms, and systems, having in view the advance of science and technology in this area and the development of new and innovative solutions that can provide improvements in the quality of life for people in their homes and can reduce the financial burden on the budgets of the healthcare providers. The aim of this book is to become a state-of-the-art reference, discussing progress made, as well as prompting future directions on theories, practices, standards, and strategies related to the ELE area. The book contains 12 chapters and can serve as a valuable reference for undergraduate students, post-graduate students, educators, faculty members, researchers, engineers, medical doctors, healthcare organizations, insurance companies, and research strategists working in this area

Proceedings of the 10th international conference on disability, virtual reality and associated technologies (ICDVRAT 2014)

The proceedings of the conferenc