176 research outputs found

    Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion. Collected Works, Volume 5

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    This fifth volume on Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different fields of applications and in mathematics, and is available in open-access. The collected contributions of this volume have either been published or presented after disseminating the fourth volume in 2015 in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals, or they are new. The contributions of each part of this volume are chronologically ordered. First Part of this book presents some theoretical advances on DSmT, dealing mainly with modified Proportional Conflict Redistribution Rules (PCR) of combination with degree of intersection, coarsening techniques, interval calculus for PCR thanks to set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA), rough set classifiers, canonical decomposition of dichotomous belief functions, fast PCR fusion, fast inter-criteria analysis with PCR, and improved PCR5 and PCR6 rules preserving the (quasi-)neutrality of (quasi-)vacuous belief assignment in the fusion of sources of evidence with their Matlab codes. Because more applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the fourth book of DSmT in 2015, the second part of this volume is about selected applications of DSmT mainly in building change detection, object recognition, quality of data association in tracking, perception in robotics, risk assessment for torrent protection and multi-criteria decision-making, multi-modal image fusion, coarsening techniques, recommender system, levee characterization and assessment, human heading perception, trust assessment, robotics, biometrics, failure detection, GPS systems, inter-criteria analysis, group decision, human activity recognition, storm prediction, data association for autonomous vehicles, identification of maritime vessels, fusion of support vector machines (SVM), Silx-Furtif RUST code library for information fusion including PCR rules, and network for ship classification. Finally, the third part presents interesting contributions related to belief functions in general published or presented along the years since 2015. These contributions are related with decision-making under uncertainty, belief approximations, probability transformations, new distances between belief functions, non-classical multi-criteria decision-making problems with belief functions, generalization of Bayes theorem, image processing, data association, entropy and cross-entropy measures, fuzzy evidence numbers, negator of belief mass, human activity recognition, information fusion for breast cancer therapy, imbalanced data classification, and hybrid techniques mixing deep learning with belief functions as well

    Central and Eastern European Literary Theory and the West

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    The twentieth century saw intensive intellectual exchange between Eastern and Central Europe and the West. Yet political and linguistic obstacles meant that many important trends in East and Central European thought and knowledge hardly registered in Western Europe and the US. This book uncovers the hidden westward movements of Eastern European literary theory and its influence on Western scholarship

    El microdesgaste dental como indicador de la dieta en grupos de la Prehistoria Reciente en la Península Ibérica: Una aproximación metodológica a través de diferentes técnicas microscópicas

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    El microdesgast dental és una eina que permet determinar les propietats físiques i mecàniques dels aliments consumits, oferint evidències de les pràctiques de preparació de l’aliment. Els orígens i la posterior intensificació de les economies productores van contribuir a àmplies transformacions culturals, socials i econòmiques durant la Prehistòria Recent. La caracterització de diferents patrons de microdesgast dental ofereix, per tant, la possibilitat de interpretar les diverses pràctiques dietètiques de les societats del passat. El principal objectiu d’aquesta Tesi Doctoral és la caracterització de la dieta, mitjançant l’anàlisi del microdesgast dental, d’un conjunt de grups bioarqueològics holocens de la Península ibèrica, amb la finalitat d’aprofundir en les diferents estratègies de subsistència. Des d’una perspectiva més metodològica, un segon objectiu ha estat l’avaluació de les diferents tècniques microscòpiques aplicades a l’estudi del microdesgast dental i, així, plantejar els avantatges i els inconvenients de cadascuna d’elles. Els resultats obtinguts han mostrat l’existència d’un ventall d’especialitzacions multicausals dins d’un patró general de dieta mixta dels grups de la Prehistòria Recent estudiats. D’altra banda, des d’un punt de vista metodològic, s’ha constatat que totes les tècniques microscòpiques que s’han seguit per a l’anàlisi del microdesgast dental són vàlides per a discriminar entre una gran varietat de dietes. A més d’això, en aquest treball s’ha desenvolupat una alternativa per a establir els patrons de microdesgast mitjançant microscòpia òptica a augments elevats de manera eficaç i amb un cost econòmic reduït En síntesi, el present treball mostra que el microdesgast dental és una bona eina d’anàlisi per a interpretar les estratègies de subsistència dels grups humans del passat, oferint evidències de les pràctiques de processament previ dels aliments i de les propietats de l’aliment en sí mateix.El microdesgaste dental es una herramienta que permite determinar las propiedades físicas y mecánicas de los alimentos consumidos, ofreciendo evidencias de las prácticas de preparación del alimento. Los orígenes y la posterior intensificación de las economías productoras contribuyeron a amplias transformaciones culturales, sociales y económicas durante la Prehistoria Reciente. La caracterización de diferentes patrones de microdesgaste dental ofrece, por tanto, la posibilidad de interpretar las diversas prácticas dietéticas de las sociedades del pasado. El principal objetivo de esta Tesis Doctoral es la caracterización de la dieta, mediante el análisis del microdesgaste dental, de un conjunto de grupos bioarqueológicos holocenos de la Península Ibérica, con el fin de profundizar en las diferentes estrategias de subsistencia. Desde una perspectiva más metodológica, un segundo objetivo ha consistido en la evaluación de las distintas técnicas microscópicas aplicadas al estudio del microdesgaste dental y de este modo discutir las ventajas e inconvenientes de cada una de ellas. Los resultados obtenidos han mostrado la existencia de diferentes especializaciones multicausales dentro de un patrón general de dieta mixta de los grupos de la Prehistoria Reciente estudiados. Por otro lado, desde un punto de vista metodológico, se ha constatado que todas las técnicas microscópicas que hemos empleado para analizar el microdesgaste dental son válidas para discriminar entre diversos tipos de dietas. Asimismo, en el presente trabajo se ha desarrollado una alternativa eficaz y de menor coste económico para establecer patrones de microdesgaste dental con microscopía óptica a altos aumentos. En síntesis, el presente trabajo muestra como el microdesgaste dental es una buena herramienta para interpretar las estrategias de subsistencia de los grupos humanos del pasado, ofreciendo evidencias de las prácticas de procesamiento previo del alimento y de las propiedades del alimento en sí.Dental microwear allows to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the consumed foods, providing evidence of the preparation practices of the foodstuff. The origin and later intensification of farming economies contributed to major cultural, social, and economic transformations during the Recent Prehistory. The characterization of different dental microwear patterns provides, therefore, the possibility of interpreting different dietary practices of the societies of the past. The main objective of this Doctoral dissertation focuses on the characterization of the diet, through the analysis of dental microwear, of a set of Holocene bioarchaeological groups from the Iberian Peninsula, with the aim of deepening on the knowledge about the different subsistence strategies. From a methodological perspective, a second aim is the evaluation of the different methodologies applied to the study of dental microwear. The advantages and inconveniences of each of them will be discussed. The results obtained show the existence of different multi-causal specialisations within a general pattern of mixed diet of the Recent Prehistoric groups studied. Besides that, it has been noted that all the microscopic techniques employed here to analyze dental microwear are valid to characterize differing microwear patterns, and, thus, to discriminate between different types of diets. Furthermore, in this work we have developed an efficient and cost-effective alternative to document dental microwear patterns with the optical microscopy at high magnifications. In summary, the present work evidences that dental microwear is a reliable proxy for reconstructing the subsistence practices of past human groups, providing information about the techniques of previous processing of the foodstuff and the properties of the foodstuff itself. In addition, its complementation with other types of dietary approaches provides a wider perspective about the variability of the dietary practices of past human groups

    Monitoring of anatomical changes during adaptive brain radiotherapy in glioma patients

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    Purpose: We investigated the extent of changes in the anatomical position, shape and volume of lateral ventricles (LVs) and subventricular zones (SVZs). We included other critical organs at risk (OARs) to examine their contribution to the dose delivered to these regions. Additionally, the correlation between the SVZ radiation dose and clinical outcome was analyzed using the median SVZ dose as a cut-off value for both of the structures defined on the first planning CT and the data on the changed ipsi- and contralateral SVZs on the repeated CT during the course of irradiation. Methods: We examined changes in the ipsilateral/contralateral LV and SVZ, as well as in the relevant OARs. We evaluated the volumetric and dosimetric changes on both planning CT scans (primary CT1 and secondary CT2). The survival of the GBM patients was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method; the multivariate Cox regression was also performed. Results: LV and SVZ structures exhibited significant volumetric changes on CT2, resulting in an increase of dose coverage. At a cut-off point of 58 Gy, a significant correlation was detected between the iSVZ2 mean dose and OS (27.8 vs 15.6 months, p=0.048). In a multivariate analysis, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients with a shorter time to postoperative chemoradiotherapy (<3.8 weeks), with good performance status (≥70%) and higher mean dose (≥58 Gy) to the iSVZ2 had significantly better overall survival (OS). We observed that the average of all investigated dose parameters to other OARs was lower at each volume dose level than on CT1 and replanning caused significant differences on most of them. Conclusions: Significant anatomical and dose distribution changes to the brain structures were observed, which have a relevant impact on the dose-effect relationship for GBM; therefore, involving the iSVZ in the target volume should be considered and adapted to the changes

    Abstract Book: Scales of Social, Environmental & Cultural Change in Past Societies

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    The interplay of environment, social relations, material culture, population dynamics, and human perception are the key factors of socio-environmental changes. The exploration of processes and parameters of societal change enable further exploration of transformations of human-environmental interactions. These processes and parameters are detectable in the development of, for example, settlement systems, material culture, or ritual sites, which link different socio-environmental components. Humans and environments deeply shaped each other, creating diverse social, environmental, and cultural constellations. On the one hand, examining the roots of social, environmental, and cultural phenomena and processes, which substantially marked past human development, can lead to a deeper understanding of the development of societies. On the other hand, a focus on transformation patterns within momentous developments of past societies opens up the possibility of identifying substantial and enduring re-organisation of socio-environmental interaction patterns

    Ultra-low losses SiC based shunt active power filter for harmonics mitigation and harmonics power recovery in industrial power systems

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    The classical method to suppress resonances in power systems is by installing passive dampers in parallel to the loads. However, observations indicate significant power losses due to harmonic currents flowing over passive dampers. Certainly, passive dampers absorb harmonic active power and dissipate this power as heat on their resistive elements leading to energy waste. On the other hand, the passive damper counterpart is the active damper. The latter is also known in technical literature as Voltage driven shunt active power filter (VSAPF). The active damper is a power-electronics-based system that emulates a virtual resistance at harmonic frequencies. Truly, very little was known about the harmonic power absorption on active dampers. Therefore, this dissertation delves into a profound analysis of the capability of an ultra-low losses active damper based on SiC semiconductor technology to process the harmonic power intake and perform harmonic power recovery. Harmonic power recovery in this context is understood as the process of transforming the harmonic active power absorbed into fundamental power that is injected back into the power system. The next topic that is addressed is the reduction in the fundamental power demanded by an industrial facility due to the recovery of harmonic active power. To this end, this dissertation analyzes the power balance flow of a distribution power system (e.g., industrial grid) that includes an ultra-low losses active damper. Arising out of the power balance flow analysis, it was found that the active damper with harmonic recovery function achieves a 1.4% reduction on the fundamental power demanded compared to a passive damper. Naturally, the lower the active damper´s power losses, the higher will be the amount of harmonic active power\ud that can be recovered from the power system. Therefore, during this research work, various power electronics converters topologies are analysed to find the best possible design for the active damper with harmonic power recovery functionality. Arising out of this investigation, it was found that the conventional three-level neutral point piloted converter (3L-TNPC) and the asymmetrical three-level converter (3L-ASYM) are the most suitable power circuit topologies for the ultra-low losses active damper. The former topology, the 3L-TNPC, exhibits the lowest power losses for switching frequencies up to 60 kHz. And then, the 3L-ASYM topology presents the lowest losses among all the studied power circuits for switching frequencies beyond 70 kHz. Furthermore, as an active damper forms a closed loop between harmonic voltages and compensating currents, its stability must be ensured. Thus, a careful design of the VSAPF control system and its inner current controllers is essential. On account of this, this dissertation proposes using the Ragazzini method to design the VSAPF’s inner current controllers. Furthermore, the direct design of the inner current controllers on the discrete domain using the Ragazzini method increases the current controllers’ bandwidth by a factor of three compared to the controllers’ design with conventional methods. Consequently, the increased current controller’s bandwidth achieved through the Ragazzini method pushes the stability limit of the active damper forward compared with traditional current controller designs

    Forever Young: Celebrating 50 Years of the World Heritage Convention

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    This open access publication gathers young and senior scholars of the Una Europa Universities to celebrate the first fifty years of the UNESCO 1972 World Heritage Convention (WHC). Financed as a Seed Funding grant of the Una Europa Alliance, the WHC@50 project offers an interdisciplinary analysis of the WHC, the jewel of the UNESCO Conventions. By introducing the (r)evolutionary concept of World Heritage, involving the International Community as a whole in the preservation, valorization and transmission to future generations of cultural and natural sites and landscapes of outstanding universal value, the WHC is indeed one of the major treaty instruments of our age. The editors therefore hope, through the final results of the WHC@50 research cooperation activity, to contribute to the dissemination of the WHC knowledge, attracting the attention of academics, politicians, experts, officials and civil society, and contributing to the debate for strengthening the 1972 UNESCO Convention, suggesting solutions to overcome the problematic aspects of its implementation and activities

    Réflexions pour recadrer les tabous des collections

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    peer reviewedThe concept of collection and the idea of collecting open some problematic challenges. In this contribution, we move from Mathilde Bellaigue's notions of institutional collection and operational collection, applied in the Creusot Ecomuseum, and subsequently spread among Brazilian ecomuseums and community museums, even beyond Brazil. Breaking taboos and boundaries, we argue that there are not museums without collections, but museums that work with a broader notion of collection. The contribution aims also to problematize the dispute around the new definition of museums. We argue that the focus should not be on the words that are used (such as collection or acquisition) but on their different meanings in different international contexts.Open Technologies for local development. Democratic practices for enhancing and preserving cultural heritage: Urban and Regional PlanningLes sens, les temps et les destins des chosesLes muséologies insurgées: échanges transnationaux12. Responsible consumption and productio

    New Trends and Applications in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining

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    This book contains the scientific contributions to the Special Issue entitled: "New Trends and Applications in Femtosecond Laser Micromachining". It covers an array of subjects, from the basics of femtosecond laser micromachining to specific applications in a broad spectra of fields such biology, photonics and medicine
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