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The T1DCoach mobile application is designed to educate patients—children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their caregivers and diabetes educators. The idea behind the mobile application is that its users perform actions that the patient needs to perform in real life. These include measuring blood glucose levels, operating the insulin pump, meal calculation, bolus administration, etc. These in-application activities are performed on the patient's digital twin. To increase user engagement, gamification elements have been implemented in the application. An important element of the T1DCoach mobile application is its interface, which should be adapted to very different groups of users: children, their caregivers and educators. In addition to presenting the T1DCoach application, the paper presents the stage examining the quality of the interface using three research groups: children, their caregivers and educators. The research was conducted using the scenario method, using eye-tracking, recording activities and thinking aloud. After the application testing sessions, surveys were carried out using the System Usability Scale method and focus group interviews were conducted. The research results are presented in the article along with the most important recommendations for improving the application interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a method and technology for processing natural language texts and extracting data from the text that correspond to the semantics of an ontological model. The proposed method is distinguished by the use of a Large Language Model algorithm for text analysis. The extracted data are stored in an intermediate format, after which individuals and properties that reflect the specified semantics are programmatically created in the ontology. The proposed technology is implemented using the example of an ontological model that describes the geographical configuration and administrative–territorial division of Kazakhstan. The proposed method and technology can be applied in any subject areas for which ontological models have been developed. The results of the study can significantly improve the efficiency of using knowledge bases based on semantic networks by converting texts in natural languages into semantically linked data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text discusses the concept of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and the use of information technologies (IT) in documenting, protecting, reconstructing, restoring, conserving, disseminating, and popularizing cultural heritage. It highlights the relatively low dissemination of IT applications in the area of intangible cultural heritage and the need for more research in this field. The text also provides an overview of published works in a special issue on 3D information technologies for cultural heritage, with a focus on tangible cultural heritage. It concludes by mentioning the development of new methods and devices in 3D IT and the upcoming special issue on challenges and current applications of 3D information technologies for cultural heritage. [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) digitization methodology for documenting the appearance and geometry of cultural heritage buildings using modern tools for data acquisition and processing. This work presents a method combining laser scanning of building dimensions with photographic texture acquisition techniques in order to develop accurate, photo-realistic 3D models. This work also presents a method for digital reconstruction of the elements of interiors. This case study presents the process and result of scanning the church of St Adalbert in Chicago along with its inner finishing elements, achieved during the interventional 3D scanning of a historical building interior. The obtained colorized point cloud has 3.5 billion points and a volume of 65 GB. Its creation took nearly 3.5 h on a high-end computer. The generated textured mesh model has 1.6 billion triangles and a volume of 60 GB. The analysis of the results showed that the elements of the church furnishings were reproduced with very high accuracy. The developed 3D model of the interior, appearance and dimensions of the church is its perpetual documentation. It can be used for various purposes, such as popularizing the appearance on the Internet, scientific research on interior artefacts, creating files for VR and shooting high-resolution films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the many problems in machine learning, the most critical ones involve improving the categorical response prediction rate based on extracted features. In spite of this, it is noted that most of the time from the entire cycle of multi-class machine modeling for sign language recognition tasks is spent on data preparation, including collection, filtering, analysis, and visualization of data. To find the optimal solution for the above-mentioned problem, this paper proposes a methodology for automatically collecting the spatiotemporal features of gestures by calculating the coordinates of the found area of the pose and hand, normalizing them, and constructing an optimal multilayer perceptron for multiclass classification. By extracting and analyzing spatiotemporal data, the proposed method makes it possible to identify not only static features, but also the spatial (for gestures that touch the face and head) and dynamic features of gestures, which leads to an increase in the accuracy of gesture recognition. This classification was also carried out according to the form of the gesture demonstration to optimally extract the characteristics of gestures (display ability of all connection points), which also led to an increase in the accuracy of gesture recognition for certain classes to the value of 0.96. This method was tested using the well-known Ankara University Turkish Sign Language Dataset and the Dataset for Argentinian Sign Language to validate the experiment, which proved effective with a recognition accuracy of 0.98. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to solving the problem of converting sign language into a consistent text with intonation markup for subsequent voice synthesis of sign phrases by speech with intonation. The paper proposes an improved method of continuous recognition of sign language, the results of which are transmitted to a natural language processor based on analyzers of morphology, syntax, and semantics of the Kazakh language, including morphological inflection and the construction of an intonation model of simple sentences. This approach has significant practical and social significance, as it can lead to the development of technologies that will help people with disabilities to communicate and improve their quality of life. As a result of the cross-validation of the model, we obtained an average test accuracy of 0.97 and an average val_accuracy of 0.90 for model evaluation. We also identified 20 sentence structures of the Kazakh language with their intonational model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of the application of an ontological approach to the description of the structure and content of the educational programme, and its subsequent analysis for the consistency of prerequisites and learning outcomes of courses. The practical result of the work is an ontology approach implemented in the Protégé 5.5.0 editor, which reflects the studied disciplines in terms of the skills they form and the entrance requirements (prerequisites) for the qualification of the student. The curriculum model includes sequences of semesters and courses of study (academic year) related by time relationships. The developed ontology approach is filled with data from the educational programme "Software Engineering". The authors have earned queries in DL Query and SPARQL languages, which, using logical inference procedures, make it possible to analyse an educational programme for consistency of disciplines in terms of input requirements and the skills of the learner formed during the training period. The developed ontology and rules of logical inference can be used as a part of the educational process management information systems and educational programme designers, for the intellectual analysis of programme integrity and the consistency of learning prerequisites and outcomes in disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the following IT technologies are mainly used to obtain data on historical heritage cultural objects [[1]]: (a) Photogrammetry; (b) Scanning using structured light; (c) Laser scanning. Elements of cultural heritage preservation and popularization are defined in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which came into force in 1975 and obliges United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) member states to protect cultural and natural heritage [[1]]. Techniques for documenting the appearance of cultural heritage objects are currently being rapidly developed thanks to information technology (IT). [Extracted from the article]

One of the greatest problems in the field of cultural heritage is the process of material destruction of monuments. In most cases, the cause is operational or random wear. Such processes can be slowed down or eliminated thanks to the maintenance process. The most dangerous processes of monument wear and tear are those in which historical objects are exposed to environmental impact. Cycles of weather changes have a particularly negative impact on objects of this type. These types of objects are significantly damaged and are the most difficult to scan. The research work included the scanning of such an object and attempts were made to digitise the point cloud. The monument selected for the model laser scanning was a rock petroglyph located on the slope of the Chatkal mountain near the town of Tashkent in Uzbekistan. The article describes the process of digitally recording a historic object with the use of the Artec Eva scanner. The process of data acquisition from points in space and the processes of highlighting petroglyphs are described. The highlighted model was obtained using proprietary software created for this purpose by the authors of the article. As a result, data were saved which would be difficult to save and read using the previously used 3D scanning techniques. The obtained data can be made available to recipients in the form of exhibits in virtual museums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional dance is one of the key elements of Intangible Culture Heritage (ICH). Many scientific papers concern analysis of dance sequences, classification and recognition of movements, making ICH data public, creating and visualising 3D models or software solutions for learning folklore dances. These works make it possible to preserve this disappearing art. The aim of this article is to propose a methodology for scanning folklore dances. The methodology was developed on the basis of capturing 3D data via an optical motion capture system with a full body Plug-in Gait model that allows for kinematic and kinetic analysis of motion sequences. An additional element of this research was the development of a hand model with which it is possible to precisely analyse the fingers, which play a significant role in many dances. The present methodology was verified on the basis of the Lazgi dance, included in the UNESCO ICH list. The obtained results of movement biomechanics for the dance sequence and the angles of the fingers indicate that it is universal and can be applied to dances that involve the upper and lower body parts, including hand movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wooden churches from Transylvania, Romania, are a unique and representative cultural heritage asset for rural communities, both in terms of architecture and the style of painting that defines them as monuments of national heritage. These churches are in danger of degradation because rural communities are beginning to abandon them for various motives (e.g., they are too small, are expensive to maintain, or are being replaced by modern churches, built of stone and modern materials). The reason behind their accelerated degradation is that they are covered with shingles that need to be periodically changed and repaired to prevent water from reaching the inner painting layer, a process that is, in many cases, ignored. Imperial gates are the symbol of these churches and separate the nave from the narthex. They are made entirely out of wood and were sculpted and painted manually by skilled craftsmen and still represent the central element of these churches, in terms of art and aesthetics. The digital preservation of these heritage assets is an interdisciplinary undertaking, which begins with the physico-chemical analysis of the pigments in the painting layer, continues with three-dimensional (3D) digitization of the monument and of the objects of interest (such as the imperial gates), and finishes with a digital restoration of these monuments and artefacts. This paper presents a working methodology, successfully applied in digitizing and digitally restoring imperial gates from wooden churches in Transylvania, namely from the wooden church of Voivodeni, Sălaj County, Romania (Transylvania region). X-ray fluorescence and FTIR spectroscopy were used to determine the pigments in the painting layer of these artefacts, and after they were identified, they were synthesized in laboratory conditions. The resulting color was digitized and used for digitally restoring the artefact(s) to its (their) pristine condition. To popularize these cultural heritage assets, the authors make use of virtual reality to mediate the interaction between the general public and heritage objects in their current state of preservation, in a digital environment. Moreover, to showcase how these heritage objects were degraded over time, a digitally restored version of the artefact in pristine condition is presented alongside a version in its current state (as is, digitized, but not yet digitally restored). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the exploration of potential design opportunities for social media and technology to identify issues and challenges in involving people in generating content within a cultural heritage context. The work is divided into two parts. In the first part, arguments are informed by findings from 22 in-depth semi-structured interviews with representatives of cultural institutions and with people from a general audience who recently participated in a cultural activity. The key findings show that social media could be used more extensively to achieve a deeper understanding of cultural diversity, with opportunities in redefining the expert, extending the experience space, and decentralising collaboration. To further support these findings, a case study was set up evaluating the experience of a mini audio tour with user-generated (i.e., personal stories from a local audience) vs. non user-generated (i.e., professional stories including facts) narratives. These were delivered using text and 3D sound on a mobile device. The narratives were related to a built environment in central London near world-renown museums, cultural buildings, and a royal park. Observations, a standardised spatial presence questionnaire, and a short open interview at the end of the tour were used to gain insights about participants preferences and overall experience. Thematic analysis and triangulation were used as a means for understanding and articulating opportunities for social media to better involve and engage people using user-generated narratives presented through 3D sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When it concerns dissemination, the relationship between cultural heritage and technology has not always been easy. On the one hand, the emotions involved in knowing, enjoying, and feeling a real heritage remain should not be eclipsed by the technological experience. On the other hand, technology cannot be relegated to the point where its use is so superficial as to make it irrelevant. Hence, in the search of good practices in the dissemination of cultural heritage, it is essential that interdisciplinary work teams, composed of humanists and technicians, design new experiences that try to achieve a balance between what must be shown and the way in which it is done. This paper aims to show the potential of augmented reality (AR) for the dissemination of cultural heritage, since it allows the perceiving of real remains while offering virtual reconstructions and complementary information, sounds, images, etc. A bibliometric analysis focusing on its use for the preservation of the memory of vernacular architecture is made. Then, from the understanding and interpretation of the ideas exposed in literature, a decalogue of good practices in the use of AR for architectural heritage is established considering the holistic perspectives that any dissemination initiative must have. These initiatives can attract people to rural areas and contribute to the improvement of their social and economic situation. As an example, a proof of concept of an AR experience is presented at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PlugSonic is a suite of web- and mobile-based applications for the curation and experience of 3D interactive soundscapes and sonic narratives in the cultural heritage context. It was developed as part of the PLUGGY EU project (Pluggable Social Platform for Heritage Awareness and Participation) and consists of two main applications: PlugSonic Sample, to edit and apply audio effects, and PlugSonic Soundscape, to create and experience 3D soundscapes for headphones playback. The audio processing within PlugSonic is based on the Web Audio API and the 3D Tune-In Toolkit, while the mobile exploration of soundscapes in a physical space is obtained using Apple's ARKit. The main goal of PlugSonic is technology democratisation; PlugSonic users—whether cultural institutions or citizens—are all given the instruments needed to create, process and experience 3D soundscapes and sonic narratives; without the need for specific devices, external tools (software and/or hardware), specialised knowledge or custom development. The aims of this paper are to present the design and development choices, the user involvement processes as well as a final evaluation conducted with inexperienced users on three tasks (creation, curation and experience), demonstrating how PlugSonic is indeed a simple, effective, yet powerful tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innovative Eye Movement Modelling Examples (EMMEs) method can be used in medicine as an educational training tool for the assessment and verification of students and professionals. Our work was intended to analyse the possibility of using eye tracking tools to verify the skills and training of people engaged in laboratory medicine on the example of parasitological diagnostics. Professionally active laboratory diagnosticians working in a multi-profile laboratory (non-parasitological) (n = 16), laboratory diagnosticians no longer working in this profession (n = 10), and medical analyst students (n = 56), participated in the study. The studied group analysed microscopic images of parasitological preparations made with the cellSens Dimension Software (Olympus) system. Eye activity parameters were obtained using a stationary, video-based eye tracker Tobii TX300 which has a 3-ms temporal resolution. Eye movement activity parameters were analysed along with time parameters. The results of our studies have shown that the eye tracking method is a valuable tool for the analysis of parasitological preparations. Detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis confirmed that the EMMEs method may facilitate learning of the correct microscopic image scanning path. The analysis of the results of our studies allows us to conclude that the EMMEs method may be a valuable tool in the preparation of teaching materials in virtual microscopy. These teaching materials generated with the use of eye tracking, prepared by experienced professionals in the field of laboratory medicine, can be used during various training, simulations and courses in medical parasitology and contribute to the verification of education results, professional skills, and elimination of errors in parasitological diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]