Sistema de respuesta inmediata con clickers para uso educativo: aplicación web

La finalidad de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado es ampliar la funcionalidad de la plataforma web y aplicación móvil de ClickEPS, resultados de un TFG defendido el año pasado, siguiendo las mismas tecnologías que se aplicaron en el momento de su desarrollo: Node.js como entorno Javascript para el servidor principal, el framework AngularJs y la base de datos MySQL. Los cambios realizados en este trabajo han conseguido mejoras en la aplicación Android sin olvidar su función principal: que los profesores puedan elaborar preguntas en el ámbito educativo y que éstas sean contestadas por los estudiantes, aumentando la participación y haciendo más interactivas las clases presenciales. Las mejoras en la plataforma web han estado centradas principalmente en la interfaz de administración incluyendo funcionalidades para la matriculación/anulación de matrícula del estudiante en los distintos grupos de asignaturas, su registro mediante sus datos personales, la creación de nuevas asignaturas, y otras opciones que iremos viendo a lo largo de esta memoria. A su vez, las mejoras que se aplicarán a la plataforma web y aplicación móvil ayudarán a mejorar el feedback entre el profesor y los alumnos (mediante la participación en clase con el uso del Smartphone), el seguimiento del rendimiento de cada alumno en la asignatura (mediante estadísticas por pregunta o por estudiante), la participación presencial en la clase (mediante preguntas que verifican la ubicación del estudiante en la misma) y la comunicación entre los usuarios y los administradores (mediante los F.A.Q de la plataforma, la página de Twitter dedicada al soporte, las encuestas, y las medidas que avisan cuándo la aplicación móvil o la web se encuentra en mantenimiento). Por último, y sirviendo a modo de resumen, se mejorarán las dos aplicaciones que existen actualmente en ClickEPS (web y Android), utilizando el desarrollo en cascada para su implementación. Mediante pruebas, se garantizará el cumplimiento de los requisitos funcionales y no funcionales, y a través de encuestas intermedias se corregirán y mejorarán los aspectos que se vayan desarrollando

Programación reactiva con Spring Boot

El objetivo de este Trabajo Final de Máster es conocer la programación reactiva en el marco de trabajo Spring 5 junto con Spring WebFlux y con ello, desarrollar una aplicación con esta tecnología: una aplicación para comerciales autónomos. La arquitectura de la aplicación está dividida en una base de datos MongoDB NoSQL (no relacional) y dos microservicios, cada uno de ellos con un papel distinto dependiendo de su función: el microservicio sales-api hace de servicio RESTFul reactivo para consultar datos y realizar operaciones en la base de datos, y sales-client, que actúa como frontend de la aplicación. Es quien llama a sales-api dependiendo de las necesidades que tenga en cada momento de interacción con el usuario. Esta aplicación, que en conjunto recibe el nombre de Sales tiene como objetivo servir de herramienta de gestión de facturas, pedidos y clientes para los comerciales autónomos que son representantes de uno o varios proveedores. Sales también contempla un rol de administración que facilita operaciones como la modificación de los datos de un cliente, de un proveedor o asignación de un autónomo como representante de un proveedor. Para contemplar estos roles se ha desarrollado un inicio de sesión o login seguro, haciendo uso del marco java Spring Security, que proporcionará seguridad a cada uno de los microservicios que intervienen en la aplicación. Por último, para el desarrollo de este trabajo se ha utilizado Kanban como técnica de gestión visual de flujos continuos de avance y seguimiento de incidencias, implementaciones y sugerencias de diseño.The objective of this Master's thesis is to learn about reactive programming in the Spring 5 framework together with Spring WebFlux and, with it, to develop an application with this technology. The architecture of the application is divided into a MongoDB NoSQL database (non-relational) and two microservices, each of them with a different role depending on its function: the microservice sales-api acts as a reactive RESTFul service to query data and perform operations on the database, and sales-client, which acts as the frontend of the application. It is the one who calls sales-api depending on the needs it has at each moment of interaction with the user. This application, which is collectively called Sales, is intended to serve as an invoice, order and customer management tool for self-employed salespeople who are representatives of one or more suppliers. Sales also includes an administration role that facilitates operations such as modifying the data of a customer, a supplier or assigning a freelancer as a representative of a supplier. To contemplate these roles, a secure login has been developed, making use of the java Spring Security framework, which will provide security to each of the microservices involved in the application. Finally, for the development of this work, Kanban has been used as a technique for visual management of continuous progress flows and monitoring of incidents, implementations, and design suggestions.Máster Universitario en Ingeniería del Software para la Web (M134

Longitudinal Connectomes as a Candidate Progression Marker for Prodromal Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the Western world. It is estimated that the neuronal loss related to Parkinson’s disease precedes the clinical diagnosis by more than 10 years (prodromal phase) which leads to a subtle decline that translates into non-specific clinical signs and symptoms. By leveraging diffusion magnetic resonance imaging brain (MRI) data evaluated longitudinally, at least at two different time points, we have the opportunity of detecting and measuring brain changes early on in the neurodegenerative process, thereby allowing early detection and monitoring that can enable development and testing of disease modifying therapies. In this study, we were able to define a longitudinal degenerative Parkinson’s disease progression pattern using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging connectivity information. Such pattern was discovered using a de novo early Parkinson’s disease cohort (n = 21), and a cohort of Controls (n = 30). Afterward, it was tested in a cohort at high risk of being in the Parkinson’s disease prodromal phase (n = 16). This progression pattern was numerically quantified with a longitudinal brain connectome progression score. This score is generated by an interpretable machine learning (ML) algorithm trained, with cross-validation, on the longitudinal connectivity information of Parkinson’s disease and Control groups computed on a nigrostriatal pathway-specific parcellation atlas. Experiments indicated that the longitudinal brain connectome progression score was able to discriminate between the progression of Parkinson’s disease and Control groups with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.89 [confidence interval (CI): 0.81–0.96] and discriminate the progression of the High Risk Prodromal and Control groups with an area under the curve of 0.76 [CI: 0.66–0.92]. In these same subjects, common motor and cognitive clinical scores used in Parkinson’s disease research showed little or no discriminative ability when evaluated longitudinally. Results suggest that it is possible to quantify neurodegenerative patterns of progression in the prodromal phase with longitudinal diffusion magnetic resonance imaging connectivity data and use these image-based patterns as progression markers for neurodegeneration

Optimized Diffusion-Weighting Gradient Waveform Design (ODGD) formulation for motion compensation and concomitant gradient nulling

Producción CientíficaPurpose: To present a novel Optimized Diffusion-weighting Gradient waveform Design (ODGD) method for the design of minimum echo time (TE), bulk motion-compensated, and concomitant gradient (CG)-nulling waveforms for diffusion MRI. Methods: ODGD motion-compensated waveforms were designed for various moment-nullings Mn (n=0,1,2), for a range of b-values, and spatial resolutions, both without (ODGD-Mn) and with CG-nulling (ODGD-Mn-CG). Phantom and in-vivo (brain and liver) experiments were conducted with various ODGD waveforms to compare motion robustness, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps with state-of-the-art waveforms. Results:ODGD-Mn and ODGD-Mn-CG waveforms reduced the TE of state-of-the-art waveforms. This TE reduction resulted in significantly higher SNR (P < 0.05) in both phantom and in-vivo experiments. ODGD-M1 improved the SNR of BIPOLAR (42.8+-5.3 versus 32.9+-3.3) in the brain, and ODGD-M2 the SNR of motion-compensated (MOCO) and Convex Optimized Diffusion Encoding-M2 (CODE-M2) (12.3+-3.6 versus 9.7+-2.9 and 10.2+-3.4, respectively) in the liver. Further, ODGD-M2 also showed excellent motion robustness in the liver. ODGD-M2-CG waveforms reduced the CG-related dephasing effects of non CG-nulling waveforms in phantom and in-vivo experiments, resulting in accurate ADC maps. Conclusions: ODGD waveforms enable motion-robust diffusion MRI with reduced TEs, increased SNR, and reduced ADC bias compared to state-of-the-art waveforms in theoretical results, simulations, phantoms and in-vivo experiments.TEC2013-44194-PVA069U1

Inter and intra molecular dynamics in poly(trimethylene 2,5-furanoate) as revealed by infrared and Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopies

9 pags., 9 figs., 2 tabs.Infrared spectroscopy (IR) and Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) experiments have been performed in poly(trimethylene 2,5-furanoate)(PTF) and poly(trimethylene terephthalate)(PTT) below their glass transition temperatures. The BDS experiments reveal a richer inter-molecular dynamic for PTT as characterized by a multimodal β relaxation in contrast with the monomodal one exhibited by PTF. The evolution with temperature of comparable IR absorption bands is very similar for PTF and PTT and shows small shifts in wavenumbers towards lower values, with exception of the band related to the stretching mode of the carbonyl group. In addition, a significant difference appears in the shape of the bands associated with the –C[dbnd]O stretching. While for PTT the absorption feature is comprised of a single component, that for PTF exhibits several components suggesting the presence of hydrogen bonds. This effect may be responsible for the monomodal shape of the β relaxation of PTF since a higher degree of intramolecular coupling between the furan ring and the rest of the monomer is expected. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations support the experimental results revealing that as temperature increases an increment of the syn conformations of the 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) moiety is likely to occur in the amorphous state. The energy gain from more stable anti to less stable syn isomers can be compensated by the formation of hydrogen bonds between interchain FDCA moieties in syn conformations. This effect may cause additional hindrance to the intermolecular dynamics of the dielectric β relaxation. It is conceivable that the hindrance exhibited by PTF in both intra and inter-molecular dynamics may play a role in the reduction of gas diffusion and permeability of PTF in comparison with PTT.Grants PID2019-107514 GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and PID2019-106125 GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ ERDF A way of making Europe”. GS acknowledges grant RYC2020-029810-I funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ ESF Investing in your future”. SP would like to thank for financial support from the National Science Centre within project SONATA no 2018/31/D/ST8/00792.

Is the sub-glass temperature relaxation of furan-based polymers related to their high gas barrier properties?

11th Conference on Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and its Applications (BDS2022), Donostia/San Sebastián, 04.Sep - 09.Sep 2022. -- Presentación con 25 diapositivasPoly(alkylene 2,5-furanoate)s, (PAF)s, are fully biobased homopolyesters based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid that have recently emerged as promising alternative to petroleum based poly(alkylene terephthalate)s. In addition to a lower production carbon footprint poly(alkylene 2,5-furanoate)s have received significant attention due to their outstanding gas barrier properties in comparison to traditional poly aromatic esters [1]. The influence of chain dynamics on barrier properties has also devoted some attention. Dielectric spectroscopy experiments performed in poly(trimethylene 2,5-furanoate) revealed that the subambient relaxation, below its glass transition temperature, exhibited an inhibition of the mode corresponding to the ester oxygen linked to the aliphatic subunit which efficiently relaxes in the poly(trimethylene terephthalate) counterpart [2]. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy can provide precise information of intra-molecular motions at the molecular level [3]. By evaluating the vibrational frequencies and the corresponding oscillator, strength from the IR spectra information about the intra-molecular dynamics can be available. In this study, we present a combined IR spectroscopy and BDS study focused on the sub-glass temperature molecular dynamics of poly(trimethylene 2,5-furanoate) in comparison to that of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) in order to shed light on the influence the dynamics on the barrier properties of Poly(alkylene 2,5-furanoate)s.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) through PID2019-107514GB-I00 / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033