Dispersion kernels for water wave simulation

We propose a method to simulate the rich, scale-dependent dynamics of water waves. Our method preserves the dispersion properties of real waves, yet it supports interactions with obstacles and is computationally efficient. Fundamentally, it computes wave accelerations by way of applying a dispersion kernel as a spatially variant filter, which we are able to compute efficiently using two core technical contributions. First, we design novel, accurate, and compact pyramid kernels which compensate for low-frequency truncation errors. Second, we design a shadowed convolution operation that efficiently accounts for obstacle interactions by modulating the application of the dispersion kernel. We demonstrate a wide range of behaviors, which include capillary waves, gravity waves, and interactions with static and dynamic obstacles, all from within a single simulation.Funding Sources: European Research Council; Spanish Ministry of EconomyPeer Reviewe

Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Ultrasound Scanning

Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation (Project MIA.2021.M02.0005 TARTAGLIA, from the Recovery, Resilience, and Transformation Plan financed by the European Union through Next Generation EU funds). TARTAGLIA takes place under the R&D Missions in Artificial Intelligence program, which is part of the Spain Digital 2025 Agenda and the Spanish National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.Ultrasound (US) is a flexible imaging modality used globally as a first-line medical exam procedure in many different clinical cases. It benefits from the continued evolution of ultrasonic technologies and a well-established US-based digital health system. Nevertheless, its diagnostic performance still presents challenges due to the inherent characteristics of US imaging, such as manual operation and significant operator dependence. Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven to recognize complicated scan patterns and provide quantitative assessments for imaging data. Therefore, AI technology has the potential to help physicians get more accurate and repeatable outcomes in the US. In this article, we review the recent advances in AI-assisted US scanning. We have identified the main areas where AI is being used to facilitate US scanning, such as standard plane recognition and organ identification, the extraction of standard clinical planes from 3D US volumes, and the scanning guidance of US acquisitions performed by humans or robots. In general, the lack of standardization and reference datasets in this field makes it difficult to perform comparative studies among the different proposed methods. More open-access repositories of large US datasets with detailed information about the acquisition are needed to facilitate the development of this very active research field, which is expected to have a very positive impact on US imaging.Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y ElectrónicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEMinistry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation from the Recovery, Resilience, and Transformation PlanNext Generation EU fundspu

Efficient shift-variant image restoration using deformable filtering (Part I)

In this study, we propose using the least squares optimal deformable filtering approximation as an efficient tool for linear shift variant (SV) filtering, in the context of restoring SV-degraded images. Based on this technique we propose a new formalism for linear SV operators, from which an efficient way to implement the transposed SV-filtering is derived. We also provide a method for implementing an approximation of the regularized inversion of a SV-matrix, under the assumption of having smoothly spatially varying kernels, and enough regularization. Finally, we applied these techniques to implement a SV-version of a recent successful sparsity-based image deconvolution method. A high performance (high speed, high visual quality and low mean squared error, MSE) is demonstrated through several simulation experiments (one of them based on the Hubble telescope PSFs), by comparison to two state-of-the-art methods. © 2012 SpringerThis study was partially supported by the computing facilities of Extremadura Research Center for Advances Technologies (CETA-CIEMAT). The CETA-CIEMAT belongs to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. We also thank the EURASIP anonymous reviewers for their comments. DM had been funded by grant CICYT TIN2010-21289-C02-01. JP had been funded by grants CICYT TEC2009- 13696 and CSIC PIE201050E021.Peer Reviewe

Efficient shift-variant image restoration using deformable filtering (Part II): PSF field estimation

We present a two-step technique for estimating the point spread function (PSF) field from a single star field image affected by shift-variant (SV) blur. The first step estimates the best-fitting PSF for each block of an overlapping block grid. We propose a local image model consisting of a pattern (the PSF) being replicated at arbitrary locations and with arbitrary weights. We follow an efficient alternate marginal optimization approach for estimating (1) the most likely pattern, and (2) the locations where it appears in the block, with sub-pixel accuracy. The second step uses linear dimensionality reduction and nonlinear spatial filtering for estimating the entire PSF field from the grid of local PSF estimates. We simulate SV blur on realistic synthetic star fields to assess the accuracy of the method for this kind of images, for different blurs, star densities, and Poisson counts. The results indicate a moderately low error and very robust behavior against noise and artifacts. We also apply our method to real astronomical images, and demonstrate that the method provides relevant information about the underlying structure of the actual telescope and atmosphere PSF fields. We use a variant of the method proposed in Part I to compensate for the observed blur. © 2012 SpringerWe also thank the anonymous reviewers, for their meaningful comments and constructive suggestions. David Miraut has been funded by grant CICYT TIN2010-21289-C02-01. Javier Portilla has been funded by grants CICYT TEC2009-13696 and CSIC PIE201050E021.Peer Reviewe

The Strength of Connection: The Virtual Adaptation of Twelve-Step Programs’ Meetings

The global crisis engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic brought about profound changes in various aspects of daily life, one of which pertains to how group therapies and support meetings are conducted. Of particular interest in this paper is the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program, a globally recognized initiative known for its efficacy in helping individuals cope with alcoholism through mutual, peer support in group meetings. The advent of the pandemic, however, challenged this very structure of the program, enforcing a radical transition from in-person meetings to virtual environments, which has posed several hurdles for both organizers and participants. Notably, these changes triggered by restrictive mobility measures have called for innovative adaptations to continue to provide the support needed for recovery and to reduce relapses fuelled by pandemic-induced loneliness and isolation

EL SUEÑO DE ISAAC Y LA TRANSFORMACIÓN DE LOS SISTEMAS EDUCATIVOS EN LA SOCIEDAD DE LA INFORMACIÓN

Internet como herramienta educativa y fuente de información ha sido el sueño de muchas generaciones. Ahora que está al alcance de nuestras manos, apenas un porcentaje muy reducido de la población aprovecha su potencial para mejorar su formación. Los Gobiernos de numerosos Estados están haciendo un notable esfuerzo por tratar de adiestrar a las nuevas generaciones en estas tecnologías. Si bien la intención es buena, no siempre se logran los objetivos. En este artículo se analiza y discute la evolución de la implantación de los sistemas educativos que utilizan la Red como recurso de información en la educación y la adquisición de las competencias que nos permitan aprovecharlo a lo largo de la formación necesariamente continua en el mundo digital.</p

ISAAC’S DREAM AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Internet como herramienta educativa y fuente de información ha sido el sueño de muchas generaciones. Ahora que está al alcance de nuestras manos, apenas un porcentaje muy reducido de la población aprovecha su potencial para mejorar su formación. Los Gobiernos de numerosos Estados están haciendo un notable esfuerzo por tratar de adiestrar a las nuevas generaciones en estas tecnologías. Si bien la intención es buena, no siempre se logran los objetivos. En este artículo se analiza y discute la evolución de la implantación de los sistemas educativos que utilizan la Red como recurso de información en la educación y la adquisición de las competencias que nos permitan aprovecharlo a lo largo de la formación necesariamente continua en el mundo digital.Internet, as an educational tool and information source, has been the dream of many generations. Now it is at our fingertips, but only a very small percentage of the population uses its potential to improve their training. Governments of many countries are investing large sums of money to train new generations of these technologies. While the intention is good, goals are not always achieved. This work analyzes and discusses the evolution of the implementation of educational systems that use the Internet as an information resource in education, and the acquisition of skills that allow us to use it throughout a life-long training in the digital world

ISAAC’S DREAM AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY EL SUEÑO DE ISAAC Y LA TRANSFORMACIÓN DE LOS SISTEMAS EDUCATIVOS EN LA SOCIEDAD DE LA INFORMACIÓN

<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" lang="en-US" align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Internet, as an educational tool and information source, has been the dream of many generations. Now it is at our fingertips, but only a very small percentage of the population uses its potential to improve their training. Governments of many countries are investing large sums of money to train new generations of these technologies. While the intention is good, goals are not always achieved. This work analyzes and discusses the evolution of the implementation of educational systems that use the Internet as an information resource in education, and the acquisition of skills that allow us to use it throughout a life-long training in the digital world.</span></span></p><br><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="JUSTIFY"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Internet como herramienta educativa y fuente de información ha sido el sueño de muchas generaciones. Ahora que está al alcance de nuestras manos, apenas un porcentaje muy reducido de la población aprovecha su potencial para mejorar su formación. Los Gobiernos de numerosos Estados están haciendo un notable esfuerzo por tratar de adiestrar a las nuevas generaciones en estas tecnologías. Si bien la intención es buena, no siempre se logran los objetivos. En este artículo se analiza y discute la evolución de la implantación de los sistemas educativos que utilizan la Red como recurso de información en la educación y la adquisición de las competencias que nos permitan aprovecharlo a lo largo de la formación necesariamente continua en el mundo digital.</span></span></p

Teoría de la educación : educación y cultura en la sociedad de la información

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónInternet como herramienta educativa y fuente de información ha sido el sueño de muchas generaciones. Ahora que está al alcance de muchas sociedades, apenas un porcentaje muy reducido de la población aprovecha su potencial para mejorar su formación. Los gobiernos de numerosos estados están haciendo un notable esfuerzo por tratar de adiestrar a las nuevas generaciones en estas tecnologías. Si bien la intención es buena, no siempre se logran los objetivos. Por ello se analiza y discute la evolución de la implantación de los sistemas educativos que utilizan la Red como recurso de información en la educación y la adquisición de las competencias que nos permitan aprovecharlo a lo largo de la formación necesariamente continua en el mundo digital.Castilla y LeónES

Educational initiatives for a sustainable information society

El número de matriculaciones en grados relacionados con las Tecnologías de la Información, especialmente Informática y Telecomunicaciones, han sufrido un continuo descenso en la última década, aún más profundo si cabe en el colectivo femenino. Esta situación preocupa a empresas, gobiernos y universidades, ya que si la tendencia persiste no habrá suficientes profesionales de las Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (TIC) que puedan mantener el ritmo de innovación y mejora competitiva en los países occidentales en un futuro cercano. En este artículo se pretenden analizar las razones que han llevado a esta situación desde el punto de vista de los jóvenes y los centros de educación superior, con especial atención en los factores que afectan a las mujeres. Y se da una perspectiva de las distintas iniciativas innovadoras que se están llevando a cabo por parte de las Universidades y Administraciones públicas para acercar la realidad de la profesión informática a toda la sociedad y contrarrestar esta tendencia.Enrollment in degrees related to Information Technology (Computer Science and Telecommunications) has suffered a steady decline in the last decade, especially in the case of women. Industry, Government and Academia are concern. In a near future, we can reach to a point where there will be not enough professionals to cover Information Technology and Communications (ICT) positions, if this situation does not change. So, the pace of innovation and competitiveness could not be maintained in Western countries. This paper analyzes some of the reasons why this increasing demand for ICT engineers is not tuned to the present trend of career choices among young people. And it provides an overview of the various innovative initiatives that are being carried out by all agents to show how ICT profession actually is to society in order to counteract this trend