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- Emerging advancements for virtual and augmented reality in healthcarePublication . Coelho, Luis; Queirós, Ricardo; Reis, Sara SeabraWithin the last few years, devices that are increasingly capable of offering an immersive experience close to reality have emerged. As devices decrease in size, the interest and application possibilities for them increase. In the healthcare sector, there is an enormous potential for virtual reality development, as this technology allows, on the one hand, the execution of operations or processes at a distance, decoupling realities; and on the other hand, it offers the possibility of simulation for training purposes, whenever there are contexts of risk to the patient or to the health professional. However, virtual reality devices and immersion in virtual environments still requires some improvement as complaints such as headaches and nausea are still common among users, and so continuous research and development is critical to progress the technology. Emerging Advancements for Virtual and Augmented Reality in Healthcare synthesizes the trends, best practices, methodologies, languages, and tools used to implement virtual reality and create a positive user experience while also discussing how to implement virtual reality into day-to-day work with a focus on healthcare professionals and related areas. The application possibilities and their impact are transversal to all areas of health and fields such as education, training, surgery, pain management, physical rehabilitation, stroke rehabilitation, phobia therapy, and telemedicine. Covering topics such as mental health treatment and virtual simulations, it is ideal for medical professionals, engineers, computer scientists, researchers, practitioners, managers, academicians, teachers, and students.
- The importance of ethical reasoning in next generation tech educationPublication . Reis, Sara; Coelho, Luis; Sarmet, Max; Araújo, Joana; Corchado, Juan M.Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a profound impact on human life, with both benefits and drawbacks in the societal, environmental, and technological realms. However, the ethical implications of AI are often not addressed in technology education, leaving future professionals with a lack of awareness in this area. This is concerning, as AI has the potential to greatly information delivery and affect human thinking, interaction, decision-making, and communication. To address these issues, there is a need for a framework to guide and help future AI developers make ethically responsible decisions. In this paper we propose a framework to foster ethical awareness and promote respect for human dignity and well-being, while also preventing harm. It is designed to be incorporated into technology education, ensuring that future professionals are equipped to navigate the ethical implications of AI. By prioritizing ethical reasoning in technology education, we can build a better and more responsible AI industry, ensuring that AI can provide benefits for society and does not cause harm. Additionally, a tech industry that values ethics and social responsibility will be better equipped to build technology that serves the public interest, rather than solely maximizing profits. Teaching ethical reasoning in technology education is a crucial step in preparing future professionals to make informed and ethical decisions in the development and use of AI systems. It will lead to a better and more responsible AI industry that benefits all of society.
- A low resource skeleton maturation estimation system for automatic hand X-Ray assessment in pediatric applicationsPublication . Campos, Ana; Silva, Maria; Azeredo, Ricardo; Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara; Abreu, SílviaThe assessment of differences between skeletal age and chronological age in childhood is often based on the comparison of the patient's left hand x-ray with a reference atlas, performed by a experienced professional. This procedure involves a manual image analysis, that can be subject to inter rater variability posing several problems for clinical applications. In this paper a new methodology for skeleton maturation estimation based on automatic hand X-ray assessment for pediatric applications on a low resource devices (e.g. mobile device) is proposed. The pipeline covers hand-area estimation and bone-area estimation to achieve maturation scores which are then indexed with references images, separately for male and female. The proposed approach is based on simple image processing functions always bearing in mind the application on a mobile context. The involved steps are thoroughly presented and all the used functions are explained. The performance of the system was then evaluated using the complete pipeline. The obtained results pointed to an average error rate of 15,38±3,31%, which is subject to improvements. In particular, contrast enhancement in some lower quality images still offers some challenges.
- Smart computer-assisted teaching: an innovative approach to personalized educationPublication . Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara SeabraSmart Computer-Assisted Teaching (SCAT) has emerged as a response to the challenges of traditional classroom teaching, which can often be rigid, one-size-fits-all, and unable to accommodate the unique needs and learning styles of individual students. With the rapid advancements in technology, especially in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), educators and researchers have recognized the potential of using intelligent computer systems to augment and enhance traditional teaching methods. SCAT leverages these technological innovations to provide students with personalized and adaptive learning experiences. The key benefits of smart computer-assisted teaching are the possibility of personalization, fast feedback and assessment, and enhanced collaboration. AI and ML algorithms can be used to analyze student data, identify their individual learning needs, and provide targeted feedback and support. These systems are designed to adapt to the pace and style of learning of each student and provide them with personalized learning pathways that are tailored to their needs and abilities. SCAT has the potential to transform the way we educate students, providing them with more personalized and effective learning experiences that can help them to achieve their full potential and can better prepare students for the demands of the 21st century.
- Preferences for Teaching Materials: A Survey on a Multimodal WorldPublication . Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dos; Coelho, Maria de FátimaIn an age of mass teaching, student-teacher contact time is not always enough to ensure an effective teaching-learning process. For the assimilation of concepts it is necessary that, outside the classroom, without the presence and support of the teacher, the student uses materials that allow to remember and eventually complement the learning during the class and simultaneously facilitate and guide, leading to the achievement of the defined objectives. As technology evolves, study materials and support platforms are increasingly diverse and it is important for the teacher to know which means students use and their motivations. A survey was conducted with a group of students from an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from a Portuguese higher education institution in order to understand their study habits and the materials they use when out of the classroom. From the analysis of the answers it was possible to infer that the students show preference for studying in a family environment, alone and using as materials the class notes provided by the teachers. Despite the growing use of videos and other multimodal media, the written, personalized notes and orientations set by the teacher are still the most preferred.
- Success Factors in the Application of Lean and Six-Sigma Methodologies to Healthcare: A Literature ReviewPublication . Queijo, Ana Rita; Reis, Sara Seabra dos; Coelho, Luis; Pinto Ferreira, Luís; Silva, FranciscoTo provide a safe and fair-value health service that ensures quality, hospitals must provide efficient processes, trained and committed personnel, appropriate technology and a strategic platform which integrates these aspects effectively. At present, a broad set of tools and methodologies are available, associated to the reconfiguration of processes for enhancing efficiency and enabling excellence and sustainability. Of these, the most noteworthy are Lean and Six-Sigma methodologies. A literature review was performed covering the implementation of these methodologies in health services over the last 5 years. The aim was to determine the current approach in this sector and propose guidelines aligned with the future challenges and the needs of healthcare managers. The influence of team management strategies in the final project outcomes has also been addressed representing a novelty.
- Preferences For Studying Materials: What Has COVID-19 ChangedPublication . Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dos; Coelho, Maria de FátimaIn a multimodal world the contact time between the teacher and the students is not always sufficient to ensure the effectiveness of the learning process. For the assimilation of concepts, students often endeavor on a search for the materials that best suit their learning needs. With the application of new technologies in teaching, study materials and support platforms are increasingly abundant and diverse. Additionally, recommendation algorithms overwhelm students with several options, sometimes hard to resist and select, especially after the COVID-19 restrictions, where the amount of connected time as increased. In this context, it is important for the teacher, to know which methods and materials the students use when they are autonomously developing their knowledge and skills. A survey was conducted within a group of engineering students at a Portuguese higher education institution with the main goal of characterizing the study habits and the materials that students. The obtained results are here reported and analyzed and compared with previous results from pre-pandemic study.
- Speech- and Language-Based Classification of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic ReviewPublication . Vigo, Inês; Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dosBackground: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has paramount importance due to its rising prevalence, the impact on the patient and society, and the related healthcare costs. However, current diagnostic techniques are not designed for frequent mass screening, delaying therapeutic intervention and worsening prognoses. To be able to detect AD at an early stage, ideally at a pre-clinical stage, speech analysis emerges as a simple low-cost non-invasive procedure. Objectives: In this work it is our objective to do a systematic review about speech-based detection and classification of Alzheimer’s Disease with the purpose of identifying the most effective algorithms and best practices. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed from Jan 2015 up to May 2020 using ScienceDirect, PubMed and DBLP. Articles were screened by title, abstract and full text as needed. A manual complementary search among the references of the included papers was also performed. Inclusion criteria and search strategies were defined a priori. Results: We were able: to identify the main resources that can support the development of decision support systems for AD, to list speech features that are correlated with the linguistic and acoustic footprint of the disease, to recognize the data models that can provide robust results and to observe the performance indicators that were reported. Discussion: A computational system with the adequate elements combination, based on the identified best-practices, can point to a whole new diagnostic approach, leading to better insights about AD symptoms and its disease patterns, creating conditions to promote a longer life span as well as an improvement in patient quality of life. The clinically relevant results that were identified can be used to establish a reference system and help to define research guidelines for future developments.
- Natural language processing and cloud computing in disease prevention and managementPublication . Ferreira, Ricardo; Gregório, Pedro; Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara SeabraRecent studies show the high prevalence of the use of messaging platform and its growth trend, especially in younger populations (Figueroa Jacinto and Arndt 2018). Messaging apps are used not only to communicate and stay in touch with family and friends, but also to access services. Interactions with commercial purposes, such as making purchases, seeking out assistance and customer support, providing feedback or making reservations are already widely used, but legal and healthcare related areas also present prominent growth (Eeuwen 2017). In this chapter it is our objective to explore how technologies such as natural language processing, speech recognition, text-to-speech, machine learning, and cloud computing can be integrated to develop high quality chatbots for healthcare purposes. Additionally, we will cover an application case based on COVID-19 prevention and management.
- Ethical Issues of Gamification in Healthcaree: The Need to be InvolvedPublication . Coelho, Luis; Reis, Sara Seabra dosGamification techniques have proven to be very effective in improving motivation and commitment, providing increased performance in both qualitative and quantitative terms. For this reason, it has been applied in more and more areas, with health and healthcare being no exception. The potential of this type of approach is enormous, and, on the one hand, it can motivate positive feelings; it can also foster deviant behaviors that fail to contribute to the individual and common good. This chapter aims to explore the relationship between the development of gamification systems and the ethical and moral aspects that are crucial elements when the target of the process becomes the human mind. The main questions and ethical dimensions that will allow us to constitute a reference framework for the development of gamification systems will be presented. Timely reflection and the inclusion of security mechanisms will allow us to develop better experiences for users, always combining improved motivation with the search for the good.