Learning ecologies in online students with disabilities

E-Learning environments are enhancing both their functionalities and the quality of the resources provided, thus simplifying the creation of learning ecologies adapted for students with disabilities. The number of students with disabilities enrolled in online courses is so small, and their impairments are so specific that it becomes difficult to quantify and identify which specific actions should be taken to support them. This work contributes to scientific literature with two key aspects: 1) It identifies which barriers these students encounter, and which tools they use to create learning ecologies adapted to their impairments; 2) It also presents the results from a case study in which 161 students with recognised disabilities evaluate the efficiency and ease of use of an online learning environment in higher education studies. The work presented in this paper highlights the need to provide multimedia elements with subtitles, text transcriptions, and the option to be downloadable and editable so that the student can adapt them to their needs and learning style

Learning ecologies in online students with disabilities

E-Learning environments are enhancing both their functionalities and the quality of the resources provided, thus simplifying the creation of learning ecologies adapted for students with disabilities. The number of students with disabilities enrolled in online courses is so small, and their impairments are so specific that it becomes difficult to quantify and identify which specific actions should be taken to support them. This work contributes to scientific literature with two key aspects: 1) It identifies which barriers these students encounter, and which tools they use to create learning ecologies adapted to their impairments; 2) It also presents the results from a case study in which 161 students with recognised disabilities evaluate the efficiency and ease of use of an online learning environment in higher education studies. The work presented in this paper highlights the need to provide multimedia elements with subtitles, text transcriptions, and the option to be downloadable and editable so that the student can adapt them to their needs and learning style

A circular model for song motor control in Serinus canaria

Song production in songbirds is controlled by a network of nuclei distributed across several brain regions, which drives respiratory and vocal motor systems to generate sound. We built a model for birdsong production, whose variables are the average activities of different neural populations within these nuclei of the song system. We focus on the predictions of respiratory patterns of song, because these can be easily measured and therefore provide a validation for the model. We test the hypothesis that it is possible to construct a model in which (1) the activity of an expiratory related (ER) neural population fits the observed pressure patterns used by canaries during singing, and (2) a higher forebrain neural population, HVC, is sparsely active, simultaneously with significant motor instances of the pressure patterns. We show that in order to achieve these two requirements, the ER neural population needs to receive two inputs: a direct one, and its copy after being processed by other areas of the song system. The model is capable of reproducing the measured respiratory patterns and makes specific predictions on the timing of HVC activity during their production. These results suggest that vocal production is controlled by a circular network rather than by a simple top-down architecture.Fil: Alonso, Rodrigo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Sistemas Dinámicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Trevisan, Marcos Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Sistemas Dinámicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Amador, Ana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Sistemas Dinámicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Goller, Franz. University Of Utah. Department Of Biology; Estados UnidosFil: Mindlin, Bernardo Gabriel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Sistemas Dinámicos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

User adoption of mobile insurance APPS

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Information Analysis and ManagementThe insurance sector is a sector that is in constant transformation, lately more oriented towards a more digital and technological path. Although millions have been spent on developing mobile insurance applications, knowledge revealed that users have not yet adopted those. In this research, we present evidence of the adoption and recommendation of mobile insurance applications by using a modified unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, which integrates two extra determinants: word-of-mouth and enjoyment. With a sample of 200 answers collected in Portugal, we demonstrate that social influence, enjoyment, and word-of-mouth were deemed to be significant in the intention to use and recommend mobile insurance applications. The other UTAUT constructs are considered non-significant, which led us to suggest strategies based on those, to help insurers attract and gain users

Knowledge and tasks representation for an industrial robotic application

The paper presents an implementation of knowledge representation and task representation, based on ontologies for an Industrial Robotic Application. The industrial application is to insert up to 56 small pins, e.g., sealants, in a harness box terminal for the automotive industry. The number of sealants and their insertion pattern vary significantly with the production requests. Based on the knowledge representation of the robot and also based on the tasks to be performed, plans are built and then sent to the robot controller based on the seal pattern production order. Moreover, the robotic system is capable to perform re-planning when an insertion error is reported by a machine vision system. The ontology-based approach was used to define the robot, the machine vision system, and the tasks that were needed to be performed by the robotic system. The robotic system was validated experimentally by showing its capability to correct seal insertion errors, while re-planning.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ontological framework to improve motion planning of manipulative agents through semantic knowledge-based reasoning

This paper describes the actions taken in developing a framework that aims to improve the motion planning of a manipulative robotic agent through reasoning based on semantic knowledge. The Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) was employed to draw new insights from the existing information about the robotic system and its environment. Recent ontology-based standards have been developed (IEEE 1872-2015; IEEE 1872.2-2021; IEEE 7007-2021), and others are currently under development (IEEE P1872.1; IEEE P1872.3) to improve robot performance in task execution. Ontological knowledge “semantic map" was generated using a deep neural network trained to detect and classify objects in the environment where the manipulator agent acts. Manipulation constraints were deduced, and the environment corresponding to the agent’s manipulation workspace was created so the planner could interpret it to generate a collision-free path. Several SPARQL queries were used to explore the semantic map and allow ontological reasoning. The proposed framework was implemented and validated in a real experimental setting, using the ROSPlan planning framework to perform the planning tasks. This ontology-based framework proved to be a promising strategy. E.g., it allows the robotic manipulative agent to interact with objects, e.g., to choose a mobile phone or a water bottle, using semantic information from the environment to solve the requested tasks.This work is financed by national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., through IDMEC, under LAETA, project UIDB/50022/2020. The work of Rodrigo Bernardo was supported by the PhD Scholarship BD/6841/2020 from FCT. This work has received funding from: the project 0770_EUROAGE2_4_E (POCTEP Programa Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal), and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme under StandICT.eu 2023 (under Grant Agreement No.: 951972).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tropical Aquaponic Production of Medicinal Plants in Association with Goldfish

Aquaponics is an emerging technology that synergistically combines aquaculture and hydroponic production through nutrient cycling and water recycling. As aquaponics grows exponentially, studies that evaluate the technique by testing different species in these systems make this choice fundamental to result in a high productivity and profitability. Ornamental fish, as well as medicinal plants, are interesting options for a more in-depth analysis of aquaponic systems. In this context, the objective was to analyze the performance of four plant species: boldu chilanum, Peumus boldus; peppermint, Mentha x piperita; Brazilian joyweed, Alternanthera brasiliana; and oregano, Origanum vulgare, as well as the growth of goldfish, Carassius auratus, and physicochemical aspects of water quality in identical aquaponic systems installed in a greenhouse during 91 days of cultivation. The experimental design consisted in four treatments and four replications, using in all treatments a density of 21 fish.310L and four seedlings, in cuttings, of each plant species studied. The vegetable cultivation systems were composed of expanded clay sediments in a 0.25m² planters, using a density of 16 plants.m², repeated, each treatment, in four aquaponic systems, totaling 16 aquaponic systems analyzed. The results showed that, for the parameters of weight and height, of the four plant species studied, only oregano did not develop as expected, while boldu chilanum, peppermint and Brazilian joyweed showed a representative increase in the analyzed parameters. The goldfish also showed representative increase for weight, total and standard length in all treatments. The water quality parameters analyzed did not showed differences between treatments and were within the range recommended by reference authors, as well as for the well-being of the goldfish. The systems have demonstrated efficiency in vegetative and animal growth, and can help to add value to products from aquaponics, corroborating the evolution of technology.A aquaponia é uma tecnologia emergente que alia sinergicamente a produção aquícola e hidropônica, através da ciclagem de nutrientes e reciclagem de água. Como a aquaponia cresce exponencialmente, estudos que avaliam a técnica testando diferentes espécies nesses sistemas torna essa escolha fundamental para resultar em alta produtividade e lucratividade. Os peixes ornamentais, assim como as plantas medicinais são opções interessantes para uma análise mais aprofundada nos sistemas aquapônicos. Objetivou-se, nesse contexto, analisar o desempenho de quatro espécies vegetais: boldo do Chile, Peumus boldus; menta, Mentha x piperita; terramicina, Alternanthera brasiliana; e orégano, Origanum vulgare, assim como o crescimento de exemplares de goldfish, Carassius auratus, e aspectos físico-químicos da qualidade de água em sistemas aquapônicos idênticos instalados em estufa durante 91 dias de cultivo. O delineamento experimental foi composto de quatro tratamentos e quatro repetições, utilizando em todos os tratamentos densidade de 21 peixes.310L e quatro mudas, em estaca, de cada espécie vegetal estudada. Os sistemas de cultivo vegetal foram compostos por sedimentos de argila expandida em jardineiras de 0,25m², utilizando densidade de 16 plantas.m², repetidos, cada tratamento, em quatro sistemas aquapônicos, totalizando 16 sistemas aquapônicos analisados. Os resultados demonstraram que, para os parâmetros de peso e altura, das quatro espécies vegetais estudadas, apenas o orégano não se desenvolveu como o esperado, enquanto o boldo do Chile, menta e terramicina, apresentaram aumento representativo dos parâmetros analisados. O goldfish também demonstrou aumento significativo para o peso, comprimento total e comprimento padrão em todos os tratamentos. Os parâmetros de qualidade de água analisados não demonstraram diferenças estatísticas entre os tratamentos e estiveram dentro da faixa preconizada por autores de referência, assim como para o bem-estar dos goldfish. Os sistemas demonstraram eficiência no crescimento vegetativo e animal, podendo auxiliar a agregação de valor dos produtos oriundos da aquaponia corroborando com a evolução da tecnologia