Musical peddy-paper: a collaborative learning activity suported by augmented reality

Gaming activities are an integral part of the human learning process, in particular for children. Game-based learning focuses on motivation and children's engagement towards learning. Educational game-based activities are becoming effective strategies to enhance the learning process. This paper presents an educational activity focusing to merge mobile computing devices and Augmented Reality, as a means to engage student in collaborative learning towards the Aesthetical Periods of Music History. The Musical Peddy-paper proposes student to use their mobile computing devices (smartphones/ tablets) to find eight stations scattered in a set location, and then use their music literacy skills to find the correct answer in each station. Collaborative work is required to find the stations and the answers to the clues. The musical Peddy-paper was developed mixing Geo-location and Augmented Reality concepts. Geo-location Points of Interest (POI’s) where set through Hoppala platform. Augmented Reality browsing and QRCode reading is supported by the LAYAR platform. In this paper, we introduce the concept of game-based activities as a tool to promote motivation and engagement towards learning, and fully explain the development process of the activity. We conclude this paper presenting the conclusions contemplating the use of this activity among a group of children from the 2nd Cycle of Basic Education in Basic School Maria Manuela de Sá, Matosinhos – Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ler+saber+desenvolvimento de uma aplicação para o 2º Ciclo do ensino básico

Na atual sociedade da informação, a capacidade de navegar por complexas paisagens digitais é uma competência com repercussões globais na educação, no trabalho e no acesso à cultura. Em contextos de ensino-aprendizagem, as competências leitoras são um elemento-chave para a aquisição, compreensão e aplicação de conhecimento e envolvem a leitura extensa de textos, sejam de natureza literária, de ficção ou manuais escolares. Os jogos são uma parte integral da aprendizagem humana e os alunos mais jovens exploram os jogos e atividades lúdicas como parte integrante das suas vidas, pelo que, caraterísticas dos jogos têm sido implementadas com sucesso como um processo para cativar e motivar os alunos para os processos de ensino-aprendizagem em vários níveis de educação.Neste contexto, esta comunicação, apresenta o protótipo de uma aplicação (app) que se enquadra na categoria quizz-game/educação, denominado Ler+Saber+, cujo objetivo é promover a motivação para a leitura entre alunos do 2.º Ciclo do ensino básico. O artigo introduz a literacia da leitura, os conceitos de serious gamese de mobile learning. Descreve-se ainda, de um modo sucinto, a metodologia de desenvolvimento utilizada, o programa de criação de conteúdos e o storyboard. No final aborda-se a metodologia de investigação a privilegiar e as possibilidades de trabalho futuro.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Vanadium and Melanoma: A systematic review

The application of metals in biological systems has been a rapidly growing branch of science. Vanadium has been investigated and reported as an anticancer agent. Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, the incidence of which has been increasing annually worldwide. It is of paramount importance to identify novel pharmacological agents for melanoma treatment. Herein, a systematic review of publications including “Melanoma and Vanadium” was performed. Nine vanadium articles in several melanoma cells lines such as human A375, human CN-mel and murine B16F10, as well as in vivo studies, are described. Vanadium-based compounds with anticancer activity against melanoma include: (1) oxidovanadium(IV); (2) XMenes; (3) vanadium pentoxide, (4) oxidovanadium(IV) pyridinonate compounds; (5) vanadate; (6) polysaccharides vanadium(IV/V) complexes; (7) mixed-metal binuclear ruthenium(II)–vanadium(IV) complexes; (8) pyridoxal-based oxidovanadium(IV) complexes and (9) functionalized nanoparticles of yttrium vanadate doped with europium. Vanadium compounds and/or vanadium materials show potential anticancer activities that may be used as a useful approach to treat melanoma.UIDB/04326/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Circular economy-based alternatives beyond second-life applications: maximizing the electric vehicle battery first life

Electric vehicle battery second-life applications are gaining attention as a way to minimize the environmental impact and increase economic profits. However, the demand for stationary energy storage is expected to be saturated in the near future with these second-life batteries. This fact, in addition to the several technical and economic challenges of second-life batteries, promotes exploring other alternatives. This work analyses and compares these possible approaches in terms of battery degradation and economic profit. The results show that for large batteries, intensive Vehicle to Grid does not cause an early retirement of the battery and allows reducing the underuse of the battery. In addition, for the same battery size, Vehicle to Grid provides more economic profit than second-life applications. Nevertheless, only in a few cases does this appear to be more profitable than simply utilizing the battery for driving. Importantly, this study has shown how the assessment of the second-life tends to be too optimistic as a consequence of assuming a fixed End of Life threshold for the batteries.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 963580. This funding includes funds to support research work and open-access publications.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Life cycle assessment of Li-Sulfur of batteries for electric vehicles

Postprint (published version

Comparative life cycle assessment of Li-Sulphur and Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles

Nowadays, most of the electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to their high energy density, higher power density and degree of development relative to other battery technologies. As Li-ion technology evolves and the EVs fleet increases, it is important to understand the environmental impacts of mass- producing the battery packs for EVs. However, with 80-150 Wh/kg energy density, current Li-ion batteries are not able to power the EVs for a comparable driving range with conventional vehicles. Lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries have emerged as promising battery technology, with a higher theoretical capacity and energy density than Li-ion batteries used today. Moreover, Li-S batteries presumably present a lower environmental profile due to their chemical composition compared to Li-ion ones. To verify this statement, this study performs a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Li-S battery cells (under industrial development at the moment) that have been scaled up accordingly to estimate their performance as a battery for EVs. This comparison will provide the impact of each battery and the potential benefits in terms of environmental impact indicator values of the Li-S technology. The impacts of the Li-S battery are compared with those of a Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) battery under the same driving distance. The environmental impact assessment results show that Li-S batteries present a most favourable environmental profile compared to NCM batteries, especially in the natural resource depletion categories where the Li-S battery has 70%-90% lower values compared to the Li-ion one.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Video as a new teaching tool to increase student motivation

The main objective of this research is to explore the results of the use of videos as an educational tool which helps increasing students’ motivation in any discipline. The study is based on several streaming videos created as a support material for learning and used by 12 lecturers with 487 students in three different degrees of engineering (Mechanical, Industrial and Management, and Aeronautical) at the School of Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering of Terrassa (ETSEIAT). The paper describes the different areas and ways in which this innovative learning tool has been used and emphasizes the skills developed in each application. Finally, it presents the results of the impact of the use of videos upon students’ motivation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Diseño ergonómico de interfaz gráfica y uso de interfaz de manos libres en simulación de tareas domóticas

Este trabajo muestra las experiencias en el ámbito del diseño de interfaces con el objetivo de acercar la ergonomía cognitiva y la ingeniería de la usabilidad a la interacción mediante webcam, en sustitución del ratón convencional. El trabajo muestra la valoración de funcionalidades de prototipos, así como la valoración de carga mental realizada mediante el método NASA-TLX, la respuesta de los usuarios mediante un cuestionario de satisfacción, y propuestas para la generación de métricas de usabilidad.Preprin

Looking into Foreign Languages and Multimodal Creativity as a Tool for Pedagogical Innovation in Higher Education: The JASM Project - Open Window onto the World

The innovation of pedagogical practices is a challenge currently faced by higher education, in which the student is the main actor in the learning process. The aim of this project is to develop collaborative work, using multimodality in communication, adapted to the professional context, as a strategy to foster the learning of foreign languages. The JASM project ([Janela aberta sobre o mundo].Open Window onto the World: Foreign Languages, Multimodal Creativity and Pedagogical Innovation in Higher Education), developed by a multidisciplinary team, rests upon an active learning dynamic based on projects, through the creation of digital narratives focused on the linguistic and cultural diversity of a city in Beira Alta, Viseu. The use of several action-research approaches allowed students of the undergraduate course in media studies at the School of Education in Viseu to develop a multilingual and multicultural awareness, in a creative, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio