Articles (Departament de Tecnologies de la Informació i les Comunicacions)
http://hdl.handle.net/10230/5923
2024-03-19T01:20:50ZGender-based learning and behavioural differences in an educational social media platform
http://hdl.handle.net/10230/59446
Gender-based learning and behavioural differences in an educational social media platform
Theophilou, Emily; Hernández Leo, Davinia; Gómez, Vicenç
Background:Gender differences in the use of educational environments and socialmedia platforms have been a topic of interest in research. Several studies have exam-ined the disparities between female and male participants in terms of participation,engagement, and motivations in either educational or social media platforms. On thisend, this study proceeds to explore gender disparities in an innovative educationalenvironment that sees the incorporation of an educational component within a simu-lated social media environment.Objectives:Driven by a dual objective, this study aims to first investigate the impactof gender on skills development in an educational social media platform, and second,to explore the behavioural differences between female and male adolescents socialinteractions within the platform.Methods:The study involved 142 high school students in Barcelona and utilised anad-hoc questionnaire to assess students' skills. To explore students' behaviour withinthe platform, actions such as likes, comments, publishing, visiting profiles, and view-ing images, were recorded using the Experience API.Results and Conclusions:Our study's findings indicate that both female and male stu-dents benefited from the intervention implemented within the educational social mediaplatform. Moreover, the results revealed distinct interaction patterns between femaleand male participants. These findings provide valuable insights into how adolescents ofdifferent genders interact within an educational social media platform. Additionally, thedesign principles outlined in this study can inform the development of future educationalsocial media interventions that effectively engage the preferences of both genders.
Data de publicació electrònica: 19 de desembre del 2023
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAttention mechanisms and the mosaic evolution of speech
http://hdl.handle.net/10230/59254
Attention mechanisms and the mosaic evolution of speech
Martins, Pedro; Boeckx, Cedric
There is still no categorical answer as to why humans, and no other species, have speech, or why speech is the way it is. Several purely anatomical arguments have been put forward, but they have been shown to be false, biologically implausible, or of limited scope. This perspective paper supports the idea that evolutionary theories of speech could benefit from a focus on the cognitive mechanisms that make speech possible, for which antecedents in evolutionary history and brain correlates can be found. This type of approach is part of a very recent but rapidly growing trend that has already provided crucial insights on the nature of human speech by focusing on the biological bases of vocal learning. Here we contend that a general mechanism of attention, which manifests itself not only in the visual but also in the auditory modality, might be one of the key ingredients of human speech, in addition to the mechanisms underlying vocal learning, and the pairing of facial gestures with vocalic units.
2014-01-01T00:00:00ZIntra-aneurysmal pressure and flow changes induced by flow diverters: relation to aneurysm size and shape
http://hdl.handle.net/10230/59145
Intra-aneurysmal pressure and flow changes induced by flow diverters: relation to aneurysm size and shape
Larrabide, Ignacio, 1978-; Aguilar, María Laura; Morales, Hernán G.; Geers, Adrianus Johannes; Kulcsár, Zsolt; Rüfenacht, Daniel; Frangi Caregnato, Alejandro
Background and purpose: Effects of blood flow modification by flow diverters are observed to lead often to aneurysm thrombosis and reverse remodeling. For this process, to further understand the potential roles of intra-aneurysmal blood pressure changes and aneurysm morphologies, 23 patients were studied by numeric simulation. Materials and methods: 3D imaging of aneurysms of different sizes and shapes, all located at the supraclinoid segment of the ICA (n = 23), was prepared for CFD simulations. Hemodynamic variables were calculated for conditions before and after virtual FD implantation, reconstituting a vessel wall scaffold across the aneurysm neck. WSS, velocity, residence time, turnover time, and intra-aneurysmal pressure were assessed statistically. Results: After placement of FDs, significant reductions inside the aneurysm were observed for most hemodynamic variables (P < .01) except mean intra-aneurysmal pressures. For minimum/maximum intra-aneurysmal pressure values, small but significant changes were found; however, they were considered too small to be of relevance. Conclusions: Calculations in 23 cases did not reveal significant intra-aneurysmal mean or peak pressure changes, indicating a minor role of pressure changes in the rare event of secondary ruptures after FD use. Other hemodynamic variables (WSS and velocity) exhibited more significant changes, indicating their role in intra-aneurysmal thrombus formation. Size-dependent, significantly higher reduction in WSS (P = .069) and velocity (P = .013) was observed in small aneurysms compared with larger ones. When it came to shape, there were significantly higher reductions in WSS (P = .055) and velocity (P = .065) and a significantly higher increase in turnover time in fusiform aneurysms compared with saccular aneurysms.
2013-01-01T00:00:00ZProtective role of false tendon in subjects with left bundle branch block: a virtual population study
http://hdl.handle.net/10230/59144
Protective role of false tendon in subjects with left bundle branch block: a virtual population study
Lange, Matthias; Di Marco, LY; Lekadir, Karim, 1977-; Lassila, Toni; Frangi Caregnato, Alejandro
False tendons (FTs) are fibrous or fibromuscular bands that can be found in both the normal and abnormal human heart in various anatomical forms depending on their attachment points, tissue types, and geometrical properties. While FTs are widely considered to affect the function of the heart, their specific roles remain largely unclear and unexplored. In this paper, we present an in silico study of the ventricular activation time of the human heart in the presence of FTs. This study presents the first computational model of the human heart that includes a FT, Purkinje network, and papillary muscles. Based on this model, we perform simulations to investigate the effect of different types of FTs on hearts with the electrical conduction abnormality of a left bundle branch block (LBBB). We employ a virtual population of 70 human hearts derived from a statistical atlas, and run a total of 560 simulations to assess ventricular activation time with different FT configurations. The obtained results indicate that, in the presence of a LBBB, the FT reduces the total activation time that is abnormally augmented due to a branch block, to such an extent that surgical implant of cardiac resynchronisation devices might not be recommended by international guidelines. Specifically, the simulation results show that FTs reduce the QRS duration at least 10 ms in 80% of hearts, and up to 45 ms for FTs connecting to the ventricular free wall, suggesting a significant reduction of cardiovascular mortality risk. In further simulation studies we show the reduction in the QRS duration is more sensitive to the shape of the heart then the size of the heart or the exact location of the FT. Finally, the model suggests that FTs may contribute to reducing the activation time difference between the left and right ventricles from 12 ms to 4 ms. We conclude that FTs may provide an alternative conduction pathway that compensates for the propagation delay caused by the LBBB. Further investigation is needed to quantify the clinical impact of FTs on cardiovascular mortality risk.
2016-01-01T00:00:00Z