Using natural user interfaces to support learning environments

[EN] Education is a field of research in which Natural User Interfaces (NUI) have not been exploited. NUI can help in the learning process, specially when using with children. Nowadays, children are growing up playing with computer games, using mobile devices, and other technological devices. New learning methods that use these new technologies can help in the learning process. In this thesis, a new system that uses NUI for learning about a period of history has been developed. This system uses autostereoscopy that lets the children see themselves as a background in the game, and that renders the elements with 3D sensation without the need for special glasses. This system has been developed from scratch. The Microsoft Kinect is used for interaction. A study for comparing the autostereoscopic system with a similar frontal projected system was carried out. This study analyzed different aspects such as engagement, increase of knowledge, or preferences. A total of 162 children from 8 to 11 years old participated in the study. From the results, we observed that the different characteristics of the systems did not influence the children’s acquired knowledge, engagement, or satisfaction; we also observed that the systems are specially suitable for boys and older children (9-11 years old). There were statistically significant differences for depth perception and presence in which the autostereoscopic system was scored higher. However, of the two systems, the children considered the frontal projection to be easier to use. Another comparative study was performed to determine the mode in which the children learn more about the topic of the game. The two modes compared were the collaborative mode, where the children played with the game in couples; and the individual mode, where the children played with the game solo. A total of 46 children from 7 to 10 years old participated in this study. From the results, we observed that there were statistically significant differences between playing with the game in the two modes. The children who played with the game in couples in the collaborative mode got better knowledge scores than the children who played with the game individually. Finally, we would like to highlight that the scores for all the questions were very high. The results from the two studies suggest that games of this kind could be appropriate educational games and that autostereoscopy is a technology to exploit in their development.[ES] La educación es un campo de investigación en el que las Interfaces de Usuario Naturales (NUI) no se han explotado demasiado. Las NUI pueden ser útiles en el proceso de aprendizaje, especialmente cuando se trata de niños. A día de hoy, los niños crecen jugando con juegos de ordenador, utilizando dispositivos móviles y otros dispositivos tecnológicos. Con nuevos métodos que utilicen alguna de estas nuevas tecnologías se podría mejorar el proceso de aprendizaje. En esta tesina se ha desarrollado un nuevo sistema que utiliza la tecnología NUI para aprender sobre un periodo de la historia. Este sistema utiliza la visión autoestereoscópica, la cual permite a los niños verse a ellos mismos en el fondo de pantalla del juego, y que tiene la capacidad de visualizar los elementos del juego con una sensación 3D sin la necesidad de utilizar gafas especiales. Este sistema ha sido desarrollado desde cero como la parte de programación para esta tesina. El dispositivo Microsoft Kinect ha sido utilizado para la interacción. También se ha llevado a cabo un estudio comparativo con un sistema similar basado en proyección frontal. Este estudio ha tenido en cuenta diferentes aspectos como la satisfacción, cuánto han aprendido mientras jugaban o sus preferencias. Un total de 162 niños de 8 a 11 años han participado en este estudio. Por los resultados, observamos que las diferentes características de los sistemas no han influido en el aprendizaje, en la usabilidad o en la satisfacción; también observamos que los sistemas son especialmente apropiados para chicos y niños mayores (de 9 a 11 años). Se han observado diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la percepción de la profundidad, donde el sistema autoesterescópico fue puntuado mejor. Sin embargo, de los dos sistemas, los niños consideraron que el sistema de proyección frontal era más fácil de manejar. También se ha realizado otro estudio para determinar el modo con el que los niños pueden aprender el tema del juego a un mayor nivel. Los dos modos comparados han sido el modo colaborativo, en el que los niños jugaban por parejas; y el modo individual, en el que los niños jugaban solos. Un total de 46 niños de 7 a 10 años han participado en este estudio. Por los resultados, observamos que existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre jugar al juego de un modo o de otro. Los niños que jugaron al juego en parejas en el modo colaborativo obtuvieron un mejor resultado que los niños que jugaron al juego en el modo individual. Finalmente, queremos también señalar que las puntuaciones para todas las preguntas han sido muy altas. Los resultados de estos dos estudios sugieren que los juegos de este tipo pueden ser apropiados para la educación y que la autoestereoscopía es una tecnología a explotar en el desarrollo de juegos educativos.Martín San José, JF. (2012). Using natural user interfaces to support learning environments. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/44852Archivo delegad

Playful interaction for learning collaboratively and individually

Playful interactions facilitate the development of engaging applications for different purposes. This aspect is very important for serious games, and especially when these games are for children. Another aspect to consider is the interaction among children, which could be a great reinforcement in learning environments. Children enjoy playing, and they like playing with other children. This relationship could encourage their motivation and their learning outcomes. In this paper, a playful interaction system for learning about a period of history is presented. The interaction of the system was achieved using natural gestures and the visuali-zation was autostereoscopic. A study was carried out to determine whether their learning outcomes were greater playing collabo-ratively or playing individually. Forty six children from 7 to 10 years old participated in the study. The analysis of the pre-tests and the post-tests indicate that the children increased their knowledge about historical periods after playing with the two modes. Therefore, the game could be used as an effective transmitter of knowledge both collaboratively and individually. When the post-knowledge scores for the two modes were compared, statistically significant differences were found in favor of the collaborative mode. Therefore, the collaborative mode facilitates learning to a greater extent than the individual mode. The rest of the questions indicated that the children had a lot of fun while playing the game; they found the game easy to play; they would recommend the game to their friends; and they scored the game as a mean of 9.57 over 10. Finally, we believe that the combination of playful interaction and autostereoscopy is an option that should be exploited not only for the development of computer-supported learning systems, but also for the development of systems for different purposesThis work was funded by the Spanish APRENDRA project (TIN2009-14319-C02-01).Martín San José, JF.; Juan Lizandra, MC.; Torres, E.; Vicent López, MJ. (2014). Playful interaction for learning collaboratively and individually. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments. 6(3):295-311. https://doi.org/10.3233/AIS-140257S2953116

Flexible learning intinerary vs. linear learning itinerary

The latest video game and entertainment technology and other technologies are facilitating the development of new and powerful e-Learning systems. In this paper, we present a computer-based game for learning about five historical ages. The objective of the game is to reinforce the events that mark the transition from one historical age to another and the order of the historical ages. Our game incorporates natural human-computer interaction based on video game technology, Frontal Projection, and personalized learning. For personalized learning, a Flexible Learning Itinerary has been included, where the children can decide how to direct the flow of their own learning process. For comparison, a Linear Learning Itinerary has also been included, where the children follow a determined learning flow. A study to compare the two different learning itineraries was carried out. Twenty nine children from 8 to 9 years old participated in the study. The analysis of the pre-tests and the post-tests determined that children learned the contents of a game about historical ages. The results show that there were no statistically significant differences between the two learning itineraries. Therefore, our study reveals the potential of computer-based learning games as a tool in the learning process for both flexible and linear itinerariesThis work was funded by the Spanish APRENDRA project (TIN2009-14319-C02-01).Martín San José, JF.; Juan Lizandra, MC.; Gil Gómez, JA.; Rando, N. (2014). Flexible learning intinerary vs. linear learning itinerary. Science of Computer Programming. 88:3-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scico.2013.12.009S3218

Advanced displays and natural user interfaces to support learning

[EN] Advanced displays and Natural User Interfaces (NUI) are a very suitable combination for developing systems to provide an enhanced and richer user experience. This combination can be appropriate in several fields and has not been extensively exploited. One of the fields that this combination is especially suitable for is education. Nowadays, children are growing up playing with computer games, using mobile devices, and other technological devices. New learning methods that use these new technologies can help in the learning process. In this paper, two new methods that use advanced displays and NUI for learning about a period of history are presented. One of the methods is an autostereoscopic system that lets children see themselves as a background in the game and renders the elements in 3D without the need for special glasses; the second method is a frontal projection system that projects the image on a table in 2D and works similarly to a touch table. The Microsoft Kinect© is used in both systems for the interaction. A comparative study to check different aspects was carried out. A total of 128 children from 7 to 11 years old participated in the study. From the results, we observed that the different characteristics of the systems did not influence the children s acquired knowledge, engagement, or satisfaction. There were statistically significant differences for depth perception and presence in which the autostereoscopic system was scored higher. However, of the two systems, the children considered the frontal projection to be easier to use. We would like to highlight that the scores for the two systems and for all the questions were very high. These results suggest that games of this kind (advanced displays and NUI) could be appropriate educational games and that autostereoscopy is a technology to exploit in their development.This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the APRENDRA project (TIN2009-14319-C02-01).Martín San José, JF.; Juan, M.; Mollá Vayá, RP.; Vivó Hernando, RA. (2017). Advanced displays and natural user interfaces to support learning. Interactive Learning Environments. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2015.1090455

The effects of images on multiple-choice questions in computer-based formative assessment

Current learning and assessment are evolving into digital systems that can be used, stored, and processed online. In this paper, three different types of questionnaires for assessment are presented. All the questionnaires were filled out online on a web-based format. A study was carried out to determine whether the use of images related to each question in the questionnaires affected the selection of the correct answer. Three questionnaires were used: two questionnaires with images (images used during learning and images not use during learning) and another questionnaire with no images, text-only. Ninety-four children between seven and eight years old participated in the study. The comparison of the scores obtained on the pre-test and on the post-test indicates that the children increased their knowledge after the training, which demonstrates that the learning method is effective. When the post-test scores for the three types of questionnaires were compared, statistically significant differences were found in favour of the two questionnaires with images versus the text-only questionnaire. No statistically significant differences were found between the two types of questionnaires with images. Therefore, to a great extent, the use of images in the questionnaires helps students to select the correct answer. Since this encourages students, adding images to the questionnaires could be a good strategy for formative assessmentMartín San José, JF.; Juan, M.; Vivó Hernando, RA.; Abad Cerdá, FJ. (2015). The effects of images on multiple-choice questions in computer-based formative assessment. Digital Education Review (antes Interactive Educational Multimedia). (28):123-144. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/73001S1231442

UN REGRESO VIRTUAL: RECREACIÓN DE LA APARIENCIA ORIGINAL DEL CORO DEL CONVENTO DE SANTA CLARA DE TORO (ZAMORA) CON SUS PINTURAS MURALES MEDIEVALES, EN LA ACTUALIDAD ARRANCADAS Y DESPLAZADAS

[EN] The convent of Santa Clara of Toro (Zamora), founded in the mid-13th century and restored in the early 14th century, housed in its choir one of the richest ensembles of Medieval wall paintings ever recorded in Castile and León or even in Spain. However, these wall paintings were detached in 1962 and, after different disgusting circumstances, are now exhibited in another building of the very same city of Toro. The aim of this contribution is demonstrating how virtual rendering techniques can restore the wall paintings to its original location providing a vivid impression of its appearance by the time they were created. Essential for this is not only an accurate art historical analysis of both the building and the wall paintings, but also the use of photogrammetry to generate reliable 3D models.[ES] El convento de Santa Clara de Toro (Zamora), fundado a mediados del siglo XIII y restaurado a principios del siglo XIV, albergaba en su coro uno de los conjuntos de pinturas murales medievales más importantes de Castilla y León e, incluso, de España. Sin embargo, estas pinturas murales fueron arrancadas en 1962 y, después de una serie de vicisitudes incómodas, se exponen actualmente en otro edificio de la ciudad de Toro. El propósito de esta contribución es demostrar cómo las técnicas de recreación virtual pueden devolver las pinturas murales a su lugar de origen proporcionando una vívida impresión de su aspecto en el momento de su creación. Esencial para este propósito es no solo un análisis histórico-artístico preciso del edificio y de sus pinturas murales, sino también el uso de de la fotogrametría para generar modelos 3D precisosMorillo Rodríguez, F.; Gutiérrez Baños, F.; Fernández Martín, JJ.; San José Alonso, J. (2016). UN REGRESO VIRTUAL: RECREACIÓN DE LA APARIENCIA ORIGINAL DEL CORO DEL CONVENTO DE SANTA CLARA DE TORO (ZAMORA) CON SUS PINTURAS MURALES MEDIEVALES, EN LA ACTUALIDAD ARRANCADAS Y DESPLAZADAS. En 8th International congress on archaeology, computer graphics, cultural heritage and innovation. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 305-307. https://doi.org/10.4995/arqueologica8.2015.3494OCS30530

Modeling emergence of sterile oat (Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana) under semiarid conditions

Winter wild oat [Avena sterilisssp. ludoviciana (Durieu) Gillet & Magne; referred to as A. sterilis here] is one of the major weed species of the Avena genus, given its high competitive ability to infest cereal crops worldwide, with special concern in Spain. A nine-location field experiment was established across Spain where a total of 400 A. sterilis seeds per location were sowed in four replicates in autumn 2016 to monitor the emergence during two growing seasons in dryland conditions. The data were used to test the prediction ability of previously published thermal (TT) and hydrothermal time (HTT) models and to develop new models, if required. Overall, the average percentage of emergence was 30% during the first season and 21% during the second season. In both seasons, the main emergence flush occurred between November and February. According to the phenological stage, A. sterilis achieved the tillering earlier in southern sites, between November 25 and the end of December, compared with northern sites, where this stage was reached at the end of January. The newly developed model described the emergence with precision, using three cardinal temperatures to estimate the TT. The three car dinal points were established at −1.0, 5.8, and 18.0 C for base (Tb), optimum (To), and ceiling temperature (Tc), while the base water potential (Ψb) was established at −0.2 MPa for the HTT estimation. This study contributes to improving prediction of the emergence of A. sterilis and provides knowledge for decision support systems (DSS) for the control of this weed.We would like to thank first the funding institutions, Cátedra Adama and the Spanish Weed Science Society (SEMh), with special mention of Cátedra Adama, which financed the article publishing charges. Also, JT acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (grant Ramon y Cajal RYC2018-023866-I). We also want to thank the students and the technicians that have helped with the fieldwork for this experiment in different sites, without whose help data col lection would have been more difficult. No conflicts of interest have been declared

Mini: A New Social Robot for the Elderly

The unceasing aging of the population is leading to new problems in developed countries. Robots represent an opportunity to extend the period of independent living of the elderly as well as to ameliorate their economic burden and social problems. We present a new social robot, Mini, specifically designed to assist and accompany the elderly in their daily life either at home or in a nursing facility. Based on the results of several meetings with experts in this field, we have built a robot able to provide services in the areas of safety, entertainment, personal assistance and stimulation. Mini supports elders and caregivers in cognitive and mental tasks. We present the robot platform and describe the software architecture, particularly focussing on the human–robot interaction. We give in detail how the robot operates and the interrelation of the different modules of the robot in a real use case. In the last part of the paper, we evaluated how users perceive the robot. Participants reported interesting results in terms of usability, appearance, and satisfaction. This paper describes all aspects of the design and development of a new social robot that can be used by other researchers who face the multiple challenges of creating a new robotic platform for older people.The research leading to these results has received funding from the projects: Development of social robots to help seniors with cognitive impairment (ROBSEN), funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; and Robots Sociales para Estimulación Física, Cognitiva y Afectiva de Mayores (ROSES), funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.Publicad

EVALUATION OF TWO ENZYMATIC FIBROLYTIC COMMERCIAL COMPLEXES ON DIGESTIBILITY AND DIGESTION KINETICS OF SUGARCANE BUD (Saccharum officinarum)

Se evaluó el efecto de dos complejos enzimáticos comerciales (Allzyme Vegpro® y RovabioTM Excel) sobre la digestibilidad in situ y la cinética de digestión de la materia seca del cogollo de caña de azúcar (Saccharum officinarum). El sustrato fue secado,molido, pasado por un tamiz de 3 mm y tratado con las enzimas 30 min antes de la incubación. La concentración del complejo enzimático fue del 1% respecto al sustrato. Además, se usó sustrato sin ser tratado como tratamiento control. El diseño experimental fue de bloques al azar con cuatro periodos, tres tratamientos y dos repeticiones por periodo. Las muestras (1.8 g) en bolsas de dacrón fueron colocadas en el primer compartimiento digestivo de una alpaca fistulada empleándose seis tiempos de digestión (6, 12, 24, 48, 72 y 96 h). En la cinética de digestión se evaluó la digestibilidad inicial, fracción degradable, tasa de degradación, digestión potencial y tiempo medio. La digestibilidad in situ de la materia seca (DISMS) no mejoró, encontrándose diferencias estadísticas (p<0.05) a las 6, 12 y 48 horas pero sin significancia biológica. Tampoco se encontraron diferencias para las variables en estudio. Se concluye que las enzimas fibrolíticas comerciales en la dosis utilizada no mejoran la digestibilidad ni la cinética de digestión del cogollo de caña de azúcar.The effect of two commercial enzymes (Allzyme Vegpro® and RovabioTM Excel) onthe in situ digestibility and kinetics of the dry matter of sugarcane bud (Saccharumofficinarum) was evaluated. The substrate was dried, grounded, passed through a 3 mmsieve, and incubated with the enzymes for 30 minutes. The concentration of the enzymeswas 1% of the substrate. In addition, a substrate without treatment was considered ascontrol treatment. A randomized experimental design, with four periods, three treatmentsand two replicates per period was used. The samples (1.8 g) in dracon bags were placedin the first stomach compartment of one fistulated alpaca and six digestion times (6, 12,24, 48, 72 and 96 h) were applied. The parameters evaluated in digestion kinetics wereinitial digestibility, degradable fraction, degradation rate, potential digestion and averagetime. The dry matter (ISDMD) in situ digestibility did not improve; however statisticaldifferences (p<0.05) were found at 6, 12 and 48 hours but without biological significance.There were no differences among treatments for the studied variables. It is concludedthat the dose used of fibrolytic enzymes does not increase digestibility or kinetics ofdigestion of sugarcane bud

Panorámica actual de las especies no indígenas marinas en el mar Cantábrico y Atlántico adyacente (NO-N de la península Ibérica): primera aproximación a la Directiva Marco de Estrategias Marinas en la demarcación noroeste

Simposio Ibérico de Estudios de Biología Marina (18º. 2014. Gijón (España))La introducción de especies invasoras no indígenas es un problema cada vez más común a escala mundial, siendo considerado una de mayores amenazas para la conservación de la biodiversidad de todo el planeta. Estas invasiones biológicas causan graves problemas ecológicos y en muchos casos ocasionan también importantes pérdidas a la economía local. La gravedad y el alcance de los impactos generados por las especies invasoras es tal, que en los últimos años ha trascendido del ámbito científico al político-social, siendo considerado como uno de los descriptores de la calidad ambiental en la Directiva Marco de la Estrategia Marina (MSFD 2008/56/EC). A pesar de la envergadura y repercusión de este problema, el estudio de las especies invasoras en aguas de la península Ibérica no ha sido abordado hasta fechas muy recientes, estando en su mayoría centrado en el ámbito continental de los ecosistemas dulceacuícolas y en el ámbito marino de la cuenca mediterránea de la península. Para las costas noratlánticas españolas(las cuales constituyen la demarcación noroeste de la Directiva Marco de la Estrategia Marina) los datos existentes son bastante escasos y sobre todo dispersos, siendo también en muchos casos de afiliación taxonómica dudosa. En este trabajo se presenta la primera revisión actualizada de las especies marinas reportadas como no indígenas (exóticas, no autóctonas, alóctonas o “alien”) ocriptogénicas para el mar Cantábrico y el Atlántico adyacente (costas de Galicia) hasta la actualidad; incluyendo también nuevas adiciones procedentes de los muestreos realizadosen las costas cantábricas y atlántico-gallegas entre los años 2010 y 2014. El área de estudio fue dividida en cuatro zonas (A-D) de Oeste a Este. En esta revisión no se reconocen como alóctonosy/o criptogénicosalgunos taxones previamente reportados como tales, ya que según nuestro criterio se tratan de especies nativas y/o especies que están extendiendo sus rangos de distribución de forma natural, en muchos casos como consecuencia de los fenómenos de calentamiento global. Se listan un total de 287 taxones considerados como no indígenas y/o criptogénicos para el área de estudio, constituyendo estos últimos aproximadamente un tercio del total (92 taxones). Para las taxones alóctonos(195), se ha seguido la clasificación de Zenetoset al. basada en el grado de invasión de las mismas. Las especies consideradas como “casuales” representaron aproximadamente una quinta parte del total (17%), mientras que las especies “establecidas” constituyeron algo menos de la mitad (41%). Finalmente, alrededor de un 6% de los taxones recogidos (17) se categorizaron como “invasores” para las aguas objeto de estudio. En función de las zonas geográficas en las que fue dividida el área de estudio, la gran mayoría de las especies (78%) fueron detectadas para una sola zona; un 21% lo fueron para al menos dos zonas; un 11% para tres y sólo un 6% de las especies fueron detectadas en las cuatro zonas (formando parte de éstas, 10 de las especies consideradas “invasoras”). Taxonómicamente, los filos con un mayor número de especies introducidas son los moluscos y los anélidos, agrupando, cada uno de ellos, un 21% del total de especies; seguidos del grupo de las algas rojas (16%) y de los artrópodos (14%). Otros filos que representan porcentajes mucho menores son los cnidarios (7%), los briozoos (5%), las algas pardas (4%), las ascidias (4%), los poríferos (3%), las algasverdes (2%), los gusanos nemertinos (<1%) y los equinodermos (<1%). El filo con mayor número de especies consideradas como “invasoras” es el grupo las algas rojas con 7 especies