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The Eleventh International Conference on ICDS 2017 |
| Tutorials |
T1. Principles of a self-administered cognitive assessment and training video game and implications in health, education, and wellbeing
Martina Ratto, MyCognition Ltd, UK
T2. CT Scanner and Applications in Soil Science: Fundamentals, X-ray Sensors and Detectors, Architectures and Algorithms for Image Reconstruction and Scientific Visualization
Dr. Paulo E. Cruvinel, Embrapa Instrumentation, Brazil
T3. Cities Being Smart – Public Services Delivery and Citizen Centricity
Prof. Dr. Lasse Berntzen, University College of Southeast, Norway
Detailed description
T1. Principles of a self-administered cognitive assessment and training video game and implications in health, education, and wellbeing
Martina Ratto, MyCognition Ltd, UK
INTRODUCTION
- The topic of cognitive health will be introduced, together with the need of developing cost- and time-effective tools to monitor it in different settings, such as clinics, schools, businesses, local communities, or home-use.
- Main features that such tools should implement will be outlined: self-administration, user-friendliness, digital access, real-time scoring system, automated reporting, adaptive challenge, and engagement.
BACKGROUND
- Principles of cognitive assessment will be introduced, comparing traditional paper & pencil methods with computerised solutions.
- Foundations and potential of cognitive training will be evaluated, based on the brain’s plasticity properties.
- Different approaches to cognitive training will be compared, focusing on gamification approaches and their features.
METHODS
- The MyCognition approach to cognitive assessment and training will be introduced, showing the automated links between the assessment and training engines.
- A detailed explanation of the assessment and reporting system will be provided, together with an in-depth description of the training game’s structure and features.
- Participants will be given access to the app in order to experience themselves the program’s features.
- Further developments of the programs’ features will be discussed.
STUDIES AND RESULTS
- The topic of scientifically evaluating the validity and the effectiveness of an assessment and training program will be addressed and discussed.
- A standard study protocol for cognitive assessment and training will be presented.
- Pilot validation trials with psychiatric populations will be shown.
- Main outcomes obtained in education settings will be introduced.
IMPLICATIONS IN E-LEARNING
- Links between cognitive function, education, and academic achievement will be presented.
- The topic of special education will be addressed in a cognitive perspective.
- The adoption of a cognitive assessment and training program as a part of an e-learning platform will be evaluated and discussed.
OTHER PERSPECTIVES
- Other implementations suitable with the program presented will be appraised, such as a part of corporate wellbeing programs, elderly support, and smart communities.
CONCLUSION
- The overall potential of cognitive assessment and training will be evaluated.
- Relevant features of assessment and training programs design will be summarised.
T2. CT Scanner and Applications in Soil Science: Fundamentals, X-ray Sensors and Detectors, Architectures and Algorithms for Image Reconstruction and Scientific Visualization
Dr. Paulo E. Cruvinel, Embrapa Instrumentation, Brazil
Computerized X-ray tomography (CT) has been a powerful and useful tool for diagnostics, prognostics, and research purposes. Today, it is not only used in medicine but also in other areas, such as industry and the agriculture. The agricultural productivity is quite related to soil quality, and some of the factors that determine quality can be obtained by X-ray tomography. This tutorial presents fundamental concepts related to the use of CT and its metering processes in soil science.
CT is a nondestructive technique for visualizing interior features within solid objects, and helps for obtaining digital information on their 2-D, or even 3-D geometries and properties. A CT image is typically called a slice, and it has the correspondence with an object being scanned and opened along a plane. Despite a typical digital image is composed of pixels (area elements), a CT image can also be composed of voxels (volume elements). The gray levels or pseudo-colors in a CT slice image correspond to X-ray attenuation, which reflects the proportion of X-rays scattered or absorbed as they pass through the object under analysis.
X-ray attenuation is primarily a function of X-ray energy and the density and composition of the material being imaged, i.e., when one is working with methods based on the X-ray direct transmission. However, also the use of Compton scattering tomograph can be useful in soil physics analysis. The incoherent scattering process of photons in soil analysis can be obtained based on advanced nuclear instrumentation, which take into account knowledge related to transducers, sensors and detectors, as well as the signals processing concepts.
Additionally, algorithms for image reconstruction and processing for scientific visualization are considered, i.e., making possible to hold a map of linear attenuation coefficients, which can be useful for physical interpretation of important agricultural soil indicators and analysis, i.e., like soil bulk density, porosity, soil compaction, among other.
Finally, in this tutorial, the use of parallel processing technique will also be taking into account, i.e., since the increasing in spatial resolution requires the processing of a large amount of data, as well as the use of advanced filtering based on the filter of Wiener or even Kalman, among others to improve the tomographic image quality and its interpretation by users.
T3. Cities Being Smart – Public Services Delivery and Citizen Centricity
Prof. Dr. Lasse Berntzen, University College of Southeast, Norway
The public sector experiences increasing demand for delivering efficient and citizen-centric services. Information technology has an important role in service delivery. Even if human beings provide services, information technology makes services more efficient and reliable.
The concept “smart city” is explained as an umbrella for projects focusing on better quality of life and reduced environmental footprint. A “smart city” relies on technology to complete its goals. The “smart city” is also focused on building good relations with its citizens, employees and businesses.
In this tutorial, Professor Berntzen will discuss how public sector service delivery has been transformed and how it will continue to change in the near future. He will discuss the “smart city” concept, and provide examples of how cities have embraced “being smart”. Data collection from sensors and humans, analytics and visualization can contribute to better decisions and satisfied citizens.
He will present some of the projects he has been involved in: Digital Planning Dialog – a solution to make municipal planning more efficient and more participative, SafetyNet – a self-support network for relatives of patients living at home, and an ongoing project to measure air quality using mobile monitoring units, and place these projects within the context of “smart cities”.
