Ball detection for boccia game analysis

The present article proposes the training, testing and comparison of two models for ball detection, taking into account its final implementation in a Boccia game analysis computer-vision algorithm, within the 'iBoccia' framework. The goal is to have a versatile and flexible algorithm towards different game environments. The selected ball detectors were a Histogram-of-Oriented-Gradients feature based Support Vector Machine (HOG-SVM) and a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based on a less complex implementation of the You Only Look Once model (Tiny-YOLO). Both detectors were evaluated offline and in real-time. The subsequent results showed that their performance was similar in both evaluations, however, Tiny-YOLO outperformed HOG-SVM by a small margin in all the used metrics. In real-time, both detectors achieved an accuracy of approximately 90%. Despite the high accuracy values, the detector requires further improvement because a single non-detection can influence the computer-vision algorithm's output, making the system unreliable.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(SFRH/BD/ SFRH/BD/133314/2017)This article is supported by the project Deus ex Machina: NORTE – 01 – 0145 – FEDER - 000026, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Vinicius Silva also thanks FCT for the PhD scholarship SFRH/BD/ SFRH/BD/133314/2017

Towards a virtual coach for boccia: developing a virtual augmented interaction based on a boccia simulator

Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved. Disability can be a factor that leads to social exclusion. Considering that involvement in society is paramount for a person with disability, participation in sports can be a powerful tool for inclusion. Based on this premise, the authors propose an intelligent virtual coach for Boccia to encourage the practice of this sport on persons with disabilities, while promoting social inclusion and shortening the learning curve for individuals new to the sport by learning about game strategy. The envisioned virtual coach will rely on Artificial Intelligence models, thus requiring the creation of large datasets, namely for ball placement and throwing movement recommendations. To answer these problems, this work is focused on the development of a Boccia simulator. With this simulator, it is possible to generate artificial gameplay images and allow the user to control an avatar with body tracking. Gesture recognition was implemented with a state-machine, thus enabling the player to throw the ball, with customizable physics, by performing one of two different throwing movements. This functionality can allow the recording of data describing the body movement associated with the placement of the ball in a certain position within the virtual court, which is essential for the proposed recommendation system.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(690874).This article is supported by the project Deus ex Machina: NORTE – 01 – 0145 – FEDER - 000026, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2019. Vinicius Silva also thanks FCT for the PhD scholarship SFRH/BD/133314/2017

iBoccia: a framework to monitor the Boccia gameplay in elderly

The increase of the elderly population has an enormous effect on the health care system of a country, as the rise of this population sets the mood to an exponential growth in assistance and care. Indeed, the inherent costs of this populational class are higher when comparing to the younger classes. Today paradigm focuses on the reduction of these costs by promoting a healthier lifestyle on all classes of the populations. Thus, the concern of a more active lifestyle is present in the elderly population, which has proven to reduce, for example, the risk of coronary problems. The stimulus on physical activity is now higher and it is possible to get several monitoring devices to keep track on the activity that was performed. Following this trend, the present paper presents a hybrid approach that employs the use of wearable devices, the Mio Fuse band and the pandlet, and a non-wearable device, the Kinect camera, to monitor elderly people during a Boccia game scenario. Preliminary tests were performed in laboratory. The results include data collected concerning a main movement that is used during a Boccia gameplay.This article is a result of the project Deus ex machina: NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000026, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevalence of noncarious cervical lesions among adults:a systematic review

Objectives: This study aims to systematically review the literature on noncarious cervical lesions (NCCLs) and calculate an overall prevalence estimate. Methods: The protocol of this systematic review was prepared according to PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. The MEDLINE-PubMed and Cochrane-CENTRAL databases were searched. Relevant published papers that provided information regarding the prevalence or number of NCCLs among general or specific populations were included. Results: The initial search identified 569 titles and abstracts, 24 of which met the eligibility criteria involving 14,628 participants. The weighted mean prevalence of NCCLs among the whole studied population was 46.7 % (95 % CI: 38.2; 55.3 %), ranging from 9.1%–93%. Based on sub-analyses, studies with populations older than 30 years revealed higher weighted prevalence (53 %) than those with populations younger than 30 years (43 %). Regarding the diagnostic method, when visual or tactile clinical examination was used, the prevalence was lower than when the Smith and Knight tooth wear index was used. When different definitions were used, the weighted mean prevalence varied from 28 % to 62 %. As to the terms used to address the lesions, the prevalence was higher when “noncarious cervical lesion” was used and lower when “root defects,” “abrasion,” or “abfraction” were used. When geographical regions were compared, South America had the highest reported prevalence of NCCLs, while the United States had the lowest. Moreover, general populations presented the highest prevalence, slightly higher than dental populations, whose members frequented dental practices. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of NCCLs was 46.7 % and higher in older populations. Visual and tactile clinical examination underestimate this prevalence compared to the established index. The terms and definitions used also influenced the prevalence data. Distinct geographical differences were observed, and general populations were more inclined to present NCCLs

Effect of concurrent training in unilateral transtibial amputees using Paralympic athletes as a control group

Context: Transtibial Amputation (TA) predisposes to a sedentary lifestyle. Objectives: To evaluate the efficiency of a short-term (8-week) Concurrent Training (CT) program in Unilateral Transtibial Amputees (UTA) and to compare it with the physical condition of a group of Paralympic athletes in preparation for the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics. Design: This was a longitudinal, prospective and controlled trial study. Methods: Thirty-four male subjects with UTA and using prostheses for six months or more were selected for this study. They were divided into two groups: Group 1 (G1) ‒ 17 non-athlete and untrained UTA and Group 2 (G2) ‒ 17 paralympic athletes with active UTA in the training phase. G1 was evaluated before and after eight weeks of CT and G2 made a single evaluation for control. All were submitted to anamnesis, clinical evaluation (blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and heart rate) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a lower limb cycle ergometer, and isokinetic knee dynamometry. The CT of G1 included resistance exercise and aerobic interval training on a stationary bicycle and G2 followed the training of the Paralympic teams. Results: Patients were retested by the same methods after CT. The two most important central dependent variables (maximal oxygen uptake and muscular strength) increased by 22% and knee extensor and flexor strength by 106% and 97%, respectively. Conclusion: After eight weeks of CT, there was an improvement in general functional condition, muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory performance improving protection against chronic diseases and quality of life

iBoccia: monitoring elderly while playing Boccia gameplay

The size of the aging population has been increasing over the last years, leading to a search for solutions that can increase the quality of life of the elderlies. One of the main means of action is focused on their physical activity. A non-sedentary life can help in disease prevention and disability reduction, leading to an independent living with quality. Moreover, the practice of physical exercise can decrease fall risks and its consequences. Furthermore, it is desirable that the solutions can be accessed by anyone, with a low inherent cost. The Boccia game is a good way to promote physical activity to the elderly, due to its simplicity and easy adaptability to the physical limitations of the elderly. Following this trend, this paper presents iBoccia, a novel framework to monitor elderly while playing Boccia game, through wearable sensors, Mio Fuse band and pandlet (inertial sensor), and a non-wearable device, Kinect camera. Several performance metrics are expected to be measured during the gameplay. Using the pandlet we calculate wrist rotation angles and force applied during ball throw, using the Kinect we recognize facial expressions and from the Mio Fuse band we retrieve heart rate.We would like to acknowledge the financial support obtained from North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), Portugal 2020 and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) from European Union through the project Symbiotic technology for societal efficiency gains: Deus ex Machina (DEM), NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000026.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A wearable and non-wearable approach for gesture recognition: initial results

A natural way of communication between humans are gestures. Through this type of non-verbal communication, the human interaction may change since it is possible to send a particular message or capture the attention of the other peer. In the human-computer interaction the capture of such gestures has been a topic of interest where the goal is to classify human gestures in different scenarios. Applying machine learning techniques, one may be able to track and recognize human gestures and use the gathered information to assess the medical condition of a person regarding, for example, motor impairments. According to the type of movement and to the target population one may use different wearable or non-wearable sensors. In this work, we are using a hybrid approach for automatically detecting the ball throwing movement by applying a Microsoft Kinect (non-wearable) and the Pandlet (set of wearable sensors such as accelerometer, gyroscope, among others). After creating a dataset of 10 participants, a SVM model with a DTW kernel is trained and used as a classification tool. The system performance was quantified in terms of confusion matrix, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity, Area Under the Curve, and Mathews Correlation Coefficient metrics. The obtained results point out that the present system is able to recognize the selected throwing gestures and that the overall performance of the Kinect is better compared to the Pandlet.This article is a result of the project Deus Ex Machina: NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000026, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

ANÁLISES PRELIMINARES SOBRE A RESPONSABILIDADE CIVIL NA LEI GERAL DE PROTEÇÃO DE DADOS PESSOAIS – ARTS. 42 A 45 DA LEI FEDERAL Nº. 13.709, DE 14 DE AGOSTO DE 2018

O presente estudo analisa a problemática relativa aos direitos da personalidade, e, mais especificamente, aos defluentes da privacidade e da proteção de dados pessoais, bem como a inviolabilidade destes direitos fundamentais protegidos constitucionalmente diante da nova dinâmica da sociedade do risco e da informação. Em específico, é questionado se se define a responsabilidade civil do agente de tratamento de dados na Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) pelo risco da atividade e, portanto, de forma objetiva, ou por meio de sua intenção (dolo ou culpa), sendo, assim, subjetiva. Investiga-se, de conseguinte, se a teoria do risco, como regra às operações de tratamento de dados pessoais, é inerente às atividades dos agentes com base no brocardo latino ubi emolumentum, ibi onus. Utiliza-se a metodologia jurídico-teórica, por meio do raciocínio dedutivo, mediante a técnica de abordagem subsidiada por material bibliográfico doutrinário, consistente em artigos científicos, dissertações, teses e livros sobre a temática proposta, bem como documental, com apoio nos diplomas legislativos vigentes e a jurisprudência pátria. Como resultado, segundo uma metodologia própria para lidar com a interdisciplinaridade da responsabilidade civil extracontratual na LGPD em relação ao Direito Civil, do Consumidor, Administrativo e Constitucional para a reparação de danos ante a lesiva violação dos dados pessoais por parte dos agentes públicos e privados voltados ao seu tratamento, controle e gestão, verifica-se a existência um microssistema próprio, com interações simultâneas de distintas fontes normativas que, de tal forma, dialogam entre si revelando, a depender de certos fatores, a necessidade de análise ora da culpa, ora do risco. Demonstra-se, assim, que esta lei encerra, em verdade, um critério binário de imputação como fundamento para a reparação civil decorrente dos atos advindos dos agentes de tratamento de dados, maxime ao correlacionar o seu art. 42 ora com o art. 927, caput, do Código Civil, e ora com o parágrafo único deste mesmo art. 927, do Código Civil. A contribuição científica deste estudo, portanto, é o fomento do debate sobre o tema, ao semear novas perspectivas e soluções sobre a discussão da responsabilidade civil dos agentes que atuam no âmbito da LGPD, mormente no caso de violação de direitos fundamentais