On Using the Cloud to Support Online Courses

The increasing interest of online learning is unquestionable nowadays, with MOOCs being taken by thousands of students. However, for online learning to go mainstream it is necessary that professors perceive that the effort required to prepare and manage an online course is manageable. Today, a myriad of inexpensive tools and services can be used to produce and manage online courses with unprecedented ease and without distressing the professor. For that, this paper proposes an architecture based on Cloud services that simplifies the process of managing an online course, from delivering on-demand fully customized remote laboratories to communication automation for student engagement and feedback gathering. This approach has been applied to produce, distribute and manage an Online Course on Cloud Computing with Amazon Web Services. The paper describes the methodology, tools and results of this experience to point out that it is possible to deliver online courses with automatically provisioned labs, with minimal management overhead, while still providing a high quality learning experience to a worldwide audience.Moltó, G.; Caballer Fernández, M. (2014). On Using the Cloud to Support Online Courses. Frontiers in Education Conference. 2014:330-338. doi:10.1109/FIE.2014.7044041S330338201

Insomnia Symptoms and Associated Factors in Caregivers of Adult Hospitalized Patients

Caregivers experience high levels of emotional stress and must cope with several clinical and hospital-related environmental factors that seriously impact their night’s rest. The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence of insomnia symptoms in a sample of caregivers of adult hospitalized patients and to examine the relationships between insomnia symptoms and patient and caregiver-associated factors. A total of 152 caregivers were enrolled from the two main hospitals in Granada, Spain. Sociodemographic, economic, and care-related data were collected. Insomnia symptoms, burden, anxiety and depression, social support, and resilience were assessed. Information on patients’ hospital admission, dependence, and neuropsychiatric symptoms was also obtained. Most caregivers were middle-aged women caring for their spouses. Self-reported insomnia prevalence was set at 45.4%. Comparison analyses between caregivers suffering from insomnia symptoms and non-insomniacs showed significantly higher burden, anxiety and depression and patients’ neuropsychiatric symptoms (p < 0.05) and lower resilience and social support in the former (p < 0.01). A regression analysis showed that anxiety (ORa = 1.15; p < 0.05) and higher caregiver education level (ORa = 5.50; p < 0.05) were factors significantly associated with insomnia symptoms. Patients’ neuropsychiatric symptoms showed a trend toward statistical significance as well (ORa = 1.09; p = 0.06). There is an acute need to address, prevent and treat insomnia problems in caregivers.Regional Ministry of Health of Andalusia (PI-0259-2017

Coordinación global basada en controladores locales reactivos en la RoboCup

Actas del Primer Workshop Hispano-Luso en Agentes Físicos, Tarragona, 12/13-X-2000El principal problema a que nos enfrentamos al diseñar sistemas multi-agente es cómo coordinar los agentes que pertenecen a este sistema para obtener un comportamiento global eficiente. En algunos trabajos, el comportamiento coordinado de los agentes se obtiene gracias a un conocimiento total del dominio en el que se pueden aplicar planificadores tradicionales. Sin embargo, en muchos dominios esta aproximación no es posible por tratarse de dominios demasiado grandes y la comunicación y capacidad de memoria de los agentes muy limitada. En este trabajo se presenta un diseño multi-agente que permite obtener un comportamiento global coordinado basado en los comportamientos reactivos de los agentes que son controlados o dirigidos por la información local que poseen. En el diseño se ha minimizado la comunicación entre los agentes, ya que el proceso de coordinación se basa en reglas locales reactivas. Esta propuesta tiene una primera aplicación en el dominio de la RoboCup (Robot World Cup Iniciative), proyecto ampliamente utilizado por la comunidad investigadora. Palabras Clave: Inteligencia artificial distribuida, sistemas multi-agente, comportamientos cooperativos, comportamientos reactivos, RoboCupComisión Interministerial de Ciencia y TecnologíaRed Temática EUROBOT-IBEscola Técnica Superior d'Enginyeria (ETSE)Grup de Robótica i Visió Intel•ligents (RIVI)Departament d'Enginyeria Electrónica, Eléctrica i Automática (DEEEA)Departament d'Enginyeria Informática i Matemática (DEIM)Publicad

Cooperación en sistemas distribuidos de robots reactivos minimizando la cantidad de información comunicada

Actas de: Simposio Español de Infomática Distribuida (SEID 2000), Ourense, 25-27 de septiembre de 2000La coordinación emergente pretende obtener comportamientos colaborativos entre diversos agentes sin que eso implique que cada individuo deba tener un conocimiento global del dominio, y sin que ese conocimiento deba estar centralizado. Al no requerir conocimiento global, se minimiza la comunicación entre los agentes de forma que cada uno de ellos puede comportarse de forma reactiva y totalmente autónoma. En este trabajo se presenta una primera aproximación a este modelo de coordinación aplicado al dominio de la RoboCup.Publicad

Razonamiento estadístico en situaciones de muestreo y simulación

Este taller propone una trayectoria de enseñanza que busca promover el razonamiento estadístico, de estudiantes universitarios, alrededor de situaciones de muestreo apoyadas en actividades de simulación. La postura conceptual y metodológica se fundamenta en algunas de las categorías diseñadas, en estudios anteriores, por la línea de investigación en Educación Estadística del Departamento de Matemáticas de la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional. El taller se divide en cuatro partes, entre las que se busca reconocer la necesidad de muestrear en contextos que así lo requieran, valorar diferentes métodos de muestreo y generar discusión sobre la verosimilitud de diferentes métodos de muestreo mediante el cálculo de resúmenes estadísticos y la generación de distribuciones muestrales de medias

Validation of calibrated energy models: Common errors

Nowadays, there is growing interest in all the smart technologies that provide us with information and knowledge about the human environment. In the energy ¿eld, thanks to the amount of data received from smart meters and devices and the progress made in both energy software and computers, the quality of energy models is gradually improving and, hence, also the suitability of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs). For this reason, the measurement of the accuracy of building energy models is an important task, because once the model is validated through a calibration procedure, it can be used, for example, to apply and study different strategies to reduce its energy consumption in maintaining human comfort. There are several agencies that have developed guidelines and methodologies to establish a measure of the accuracy of these models, and the most widely recognized are: ASHRAE Guideline 14-2014, the International Performance Measurement and Veri¿cation Protocol (IPMVP) and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). This article intends to shed light on these validation measurements (uncertainty indices) by focusing on the typical mistakes made, as these errors could produce a false belief that the models used are calibrated

Towards a new generation of building envelope calibration

Building energy performance (BEP) is an ongoing point of reflection among researchers and practitioners. The importance of buildings as one of the largest activators in climate change mitigation was illustrated recently at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21). Continuous technological improvements make it necessary to revise the methodology for energy calculations in buildings, as has recently happened with the new international standard ISO 52016-1 on Energy Performance of Buildings. In this area, there is a growing need for advanced tools like building energy models (BEMs). BEMs should play an important role in this process, but until now there has no been international consensus on how these models should reconcile the gap between measurement and simulated data in order to make them more reliable and affordable. Our proposal is a new generation of models that reconcile the traditional data-driven (inverse) modelling and law-driven (forward) modelling in a single type that we have called law-data-driven models. This achievement has greatly simpli¿ed past methodologies, and is a step forward in the search for a standard in the process of calibrating a building energy model

Effect of recovery on the treatment of delayed onset muscle soreness and muscle performance

La práctica de ejercicio físico intenso requiere de una adecuada recuperación para evitar el síndrome de sobre entrenamiento y la aparición de lesiones deportivas. La recuperación es esencial para ayudar a los atletas a manejar la fatiga mental y física sin comprometer el nivel de rendimiento cuando se reanuda la práctica y el entrenamiento. Se ha demostrado que la elección de una correcta recuperación posterior a un ejercicio intenso no habitual, juega un papel importante en el rendimiento de los deportistas y en la forma en que son capaces de manejar el dolor y otros síntomas relacionados como la inflamación, la disminución del rango de movimiento, de la fuerza, de la velocidad, y de la flexibilidad. La selección de un protocolo de recuperación específico y los correspondientes parámetros (intensidad, duración, frecuencia…) aún no está clara, y su impacto y eficacia en el trastorno muscular, la debilidad, el dolor y el rendimiento siguen siendo controvertidos y no concluyentes. En consecuencia, esta tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo identificar y desarrollar una visión profunda sobre los antecedentes científicos y la validez de los protocolos de recuperación reportados en la literatura y mostrar el efecto de protocolos de recuperación activos y pasivos sobre el dolor y el rendimiento muscular entre individuos jóvenes activos. Para dar respuesta a estos objetivos, se realizó una revisión sistemática, un ensayo de control aleatorizado y un estudio cuasi experimental. En el primer estudio se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura en cinco bases de datos, de acuerdo con las pautas descritas en la declaración de elementos de informes preferidos para revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis (PRISMA). En este trabajo se identifican los beneficios, y limitaciones, proporcionando un enfoque práctico para individuos activos, entrenadores y terapeutas acerca de qué tipo de recuperación activa podría mejorar el nivel de rendimiento después de actividades extenuantes. Adicionalmente, un estudio cuasi-experimental, en el que se examinó una muestra de 35 participantes durante tres días. La metodología del estudio se basó en la comparación intra-sujeto de ambas piernas, que permitiera demostrar la eficacia de una combinación de masaje e inmersión en agua fría sobre la percepción del dolor, la altura del salto, la fuerza isométrica máxima y variables cinemáticas de la marcha. Finalmente se diseñó un ensayo controlado aleatorio con un diseño cruzado incluyó a 31 jóvenes participantes activos. Se llevó a cabo un experimento de cuatro días, en dos sesiones idénticas separadas por un período de tres semanas, para probar un protocolo de recuperación activa que consistía en un ejercicio de intervalos de alta intensidad en pendiente positiva. En este estudio, se evaluaron y analizaron el dolor, la creatina-quinasa, la inflamación muscular, la altura del salto, la velocidad del sprint y la repetición máxima (1RM). Los resultados de esta tesis doctoral mostraron que la recuperación activa en general, incluyendo correr y trotar, ejercicio en el agua, yoga y contracciones musculares aisladas ofrece un manejo limitado del dolor. Además, la inflamación y la rigidez muscular después del ejercicio intensivo se redujeron con la actividad física general y el yoga, respectivamente, y la disminución de la fuerza muscular es menor después del ejercicio en el agua. Además, una combinación de masaje e inmersión en agua fría no parece disminuir significativamente el dolor, aumentar el rendimiento muscular o mejorar los parámetros de la marcha en comparación con ningún tratamiento. Y finalmente, un protocolo de recuperación activa que consiste en ejercicio en intervalos de alta intensidad cuesta arriba no ofrece un beneficio destacable en comparación con el descanso pasivo, sin embargo su implementación no aumenta el dolor ni agrava el rendimiento muscular, por lo que se puede realizar sin ningún daño. The practice of intensive physical exercise requires an appropriate recovery in order to avoid overtraining syndrome and the emergence of sports injuries. Recovery is highly essential in helping athletes to deal with mental and physical fatigue without compromising their performance level when practice and training are resumed. Following any unaccustomed activity, it has been demonstrated that the choice of the proper recovery plays an important role in athletes’ performance, and the management of soreness and other related symptoms such as inflammation, swelling and decrease in range of motion, strength, speed, and flexibility. The selection of a specific recovery protocol and the corresponding subsequent parameters, such as intensity, duration, and frequency, is still unclear, and its impact and efficiency on muscle disorder, weakness, pain, and performance remains controversial and inconclusive. Consequently, this doctoral thesis aims to highlight and to develop a deep insight into the scientific background and validity of recovery protocols reported in the literature. Moreover, the main objective is to demonstrate the effect of active and passive recovery protocols on pain and muscle performance among young active individuals. To respond to these objectives, a systematic review, a randomized controlled trial, and a quasi-experimental study were performed. The first study systematically reviewed the literature from five databases according to the guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The benefits and limitations are identified in this paper, providing a practical approach for active individuals, coaches, and therapists regarding what type of active recovery could enhance performance level following strenuous activities. Moreover, a quasi-experimental study in which a sample of 35 participants was examined for three days. The methodology in this study was based on an intra-subject comparison of both legs, to investigate the effectiveness of a combination of massage and cold water immersion (CWI) on pain, jump height, maximum isometric force, and gait kinematic variables. Finally, a randomized controlled trial with a crossover design included 31 young active participants. A four-day experiment was conducted in two identical sessions separated by a three-week period, to test an active recovery protocol consisting of an uphill high-intensity interval exercise. In this study, pain, creatine kinase (CK), muscle inflammation, jump height, sprint speed, and one repetition maximum (1RM) were assessed and analyzed. The results of this doctoral thesis show that active recovery in general, including running and jogging, exercise in water, yoga, and isolated muscle contractions offers limited management on soreness. Furthermore, inflammation and muscle stiffness following intensive exercise were reduced by general physical activity and yoga, respectively, and the decrease in muscular strength is less following exercise in water. Additionally, a combination of massage and CWI does not seem to significantly decrease soreness, increase muscle performance, or improve gait parameters compared to no treatment. Finally, an active recovery protocol consisting of uphill high-intensity interval exercise does not offer a remarkable benefit in comparison with passive rest, however its implementation does not increase soreness nor aggravate muscle performance, thus it can be performed without any harm.<br /

A framework and a performance assessment for serverless MapReduce on AWS Lambda

[EN] MapReduce is one of the most widely used programming models for analysing large-scale datasets, i.e. Big Data. In recent years, serverless computing and, in particular, Functions as a Service (FaaS) has surged as an execution model in which no explicit management of servers (e.g. virtual machines) is performed by the user. Instead, the Cloud provider dynamically allocates resources to the function invocations and fine-grained billing is introduced depending on the execution time and allocated memory, as exemplified by AWS Lambda. In this article, a high-performant serverless architecture has been created to execute MapReduce jobs on AWS Lambda using Amazon S3 as the storage backend. In addition, a thorough assessment has been carried out to study the suitability of AWS Lambda as a platform for the execution of High Throughput Computing jobs. The results indicate that AWS Lambda provides a convenient computing platform for general-purpose applications that fit within the constraints of the service (15 min of maximum execution time, 3008 MB of RAM and 512 MB of disk space) but it exhibits an inhomogeneous performance behaviour that may jeopardise adoption for tightly coupled computing jobs.This study was supported by the program "Ayudas para la contratacion de personal investigador en formacion de caracter pre-doctoral, programa VALid-d" under grant number ACIF/2018/148 from the Conselleria d'Educacio of the Generalitat Valenciana, Spain. The authors would also like to thank the Spanish "Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad" for the project "BigCLOE" with reference number TIN2016-79951-R.Giménez-Alventosa, V.; Moltó, G.; Caballer Fernández, M. (2019). A framework and a performance assessment for serverless MapReduce on AWS Lambda. Future Generation Computer Systems. 97:259-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2019.02.057S2592749

Utilizando ARMSim y QtARMSim para la docencia de Arquitectura de Computadores

Muchos de los objetivos formativos de las asignaturas de introducción a la Arquitectura de Computadores se centran en aquellos aspectos que conforman la visión que un programador en lenguaje ensamblador tiene de un computador. Por regla general, para definir dichos objetivos se suele utilizar una arquitectura de computador concreta, que normalmente se selecciona con el doble criterio de que sea lo más sencilla posible y, a la vez, motive al estudiantado. La arquitectura ARM es una candidata idónea como vehículo conductor en la docencia de Arquitectura de Computadores. Por un lado, al estar basada en la arquitectura RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer), es relativamente sencilla. Por otro, se trata de una arquitectura actual y ampliamente difundida (especialmente en dispositivos móviles, smartphones y tabletas), lo que motiva al estudiantado. Para poder realizar prácticas sobre ARM es conveniente disponer de un simulador o de una herramienta de desarrollo sobre una máquina ARM. Puesto que dicha materia se explica en los primeros cursos, conviene que la aplicación seleccionada sea sencilla de utilizar y lo suficientemente flexible. Por otro lado, conviene que sea software libre, para poder adaptarla en caso necesario, y también multiplataforma y gratuita, para facilitar que el estudiante que lo desee pueda instalarla en su propio equipo. Tras evaluar distintas opciones, finalmente se optó por desarrollar y liberar un simulador propio de ARM, ARMSim, y una interfaz gráfica para dicho simulador, QtARMSim. El motor de simulación, ARMSim, y su interfaz, QtARMSim, han sido utilizados durante el curso 2014–15. Las críticas recibidas, tanto por los estudiantes como por los profesores de laboratorio, han sido muy positivas.Many of the training objectives of the Introduction to Computer Architecture modules focus on those aspects that conform the vision that an assembly language programmer has about a computer. As a rule, in order to define those objectives a concrete computer architecture is used following the following criteria: simplicity and ability to motivate students. ARM architecture is an ideal candidate for the didactics of Computer Architecture. On the one hand, being based on RISC architecture (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) it is rather simple. On the other, it is widely spread contemporary architecture (especially in mobile phones, smartphones and tablets), something that motivates students. In order to carry out ARM practice it would be convenient to have a simulator or a development tool on an ARM machine. Given the fact that this module is taught during the first academic years, it would also be convenient that the application selected was easy to use and flexible enough. Besides, it would be a good idea that it used freeware in order to be adapted if necessary, besides being free of charge and cross-platform-based so the students may install it in their own computers. After assessing several options, an ARM simulator (ARMSim) as well as a graphic interface for the latter (QtARMSim) were finally developed. The simulation engine, ARMSim, as well as its interface, QtARMSim, were used during the 2014/2015 academic year. The feedback received from both the students and lab lecturers have been remarkably positive