Human activity recognition from object interaction in domestic scenarios

This paper presents a real time approach to the recognition of human activity based on the interaction between people and objects in domestic settings, specifically in a kitchen. Regarding the procedure, it is based on capturing partial images where the activity takes place using a colour camera, and processing the images to recognize the present objects and their location. For object description and recognition, a histogram on rg chromaticity space has been selected. The interaction with the objects is classified into four types of possible actions; (unchanged, add, remove or move). Activities are defined as recipes, where objects play the role of ingredients, tools or substitutes. Sensed objects and actions are then used to analyze in real time the probability of the human activity performed at a particular moment in a continuous activity sequence.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Christendom and Christian faith: two evangelization projects

En este artículo comparo la aplicación de la perspectiva evangelizadora denominada «Cristiandad» en el Nuevo Mundo, por un lado (I), y la labor misionera del jesuita Matteo Ricci en China, por el otro (II), enfatizando los fundamentos teológico-metafísicos que sustentaron cada empresa. Asimismo, propongo que la idea de «unidad a través de la diferencia» de Charles Taylor, así como la epistemología «posconciliar» de Joseph Ratzinger, ofrecen un marco interpretativo de la transición desde un catolicismo autoritario a uno basado en la conciencia y la responsabilidad (III).In this article I compare the enforcement of the evangelizing perspective called «Christendom» in the New World, on one side (I), and Matteo Ricci’s mission in China, on the other (II), emphasizing the theological and metaphysical justifications of each project. I also propose that Charles Taylor’s idea of «unity-through-difference», as well as Joseph Ratzinger’s «postconciliar» epistemology, offer an interpretative framework for the translation from an «authoritarian» Catholicism to one based on conscience and responsibility (III)

Suitable task allocation in intelligent systems for assistive environments

The growing need of technological assistance to provide support to people with special needs demands for systems more and more efficient and with better performances. With this aim, this work tries to advance in a multirobot platform that allows the coordinated control of different agents and other elements in the environment to achieve an autonomous behavior based on the user’s needs or will. Therefore, this environment is structured according to the potentiality of each agent and elements of this environment and of the dynamic context, to generate the adequate actuation plans and the coordination of their execution.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

The expansion of the religious orders at the Andalousian territories surrounding the Guadalquivir during the Seventeenth century_ The Discalced movement

A lo largo de los siglos XVI y XVII, las órdenes religiosas masculinas protagonizaron una fuerte expansión en territorio andaluz, tal y como podemos observar en el elevado número de fundaciones que tuvieron lugar. Este fenómeno vino propiciado por el nacimiento y propagación de los mínimos de san Francisco de Paula, jesuitas y capuchinos, entre otros, así como de las nuevas ramas descalzas y recoletas surgidas en el seno de los franciscanos, carmelitas, trinitarios, mercedarios o agustinos, entre otros. Sin duda, la protección que otorgaron Felipe III y algunos nobles, entre ellos el duque de Lerma, a estos movimientos, fue determinante, aunque hubo otros que, por diversas razones, no consiguieron expandirse con tanto éxito. El presente artículo pretende estudiar el fenómeno a lo largo de la Andalucía del Guadalquivir durante el siglo XVII, analizando las causas del notable éxito de algunas de estas ramas, al tiempo que se indica el motivo de la falta de éxito de otrasThroughout the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries, the male religious orders staged a strong expansion in Andalusian territory, as can be seen looking at the high number of foundations which took place. This phenomenon was fostered by the foundation and spread of the minimum of San Francisco de Paula, Jesuits and Capuchins, among others, as well as the new discalced and recollect branches arising in the bosom of the Franciscans, Carmelites, Trinitarians, Mercedarios or Augustinian, among others. Without a doubt, the protection that Philip III and some nobles, including the Duke of Lerma, gave to these movements was decisive, Librosdelacorte.es Monográfico 3, año 7 (2015) ISSN 1989-6425 although there were others who, for various reasons, failed to expand so successfully. This article aims to study the phenomenon along the Guadalquivir in Andalusia during the Seventeenth Century, analyzing the causes of the remarkable success of some of these branches, as weel as it indicates the reasons for the lack of success of other

Aceleración de algoritmos para el cálculo de distribuciones de probabilidad alfa-estables mediante programación paralela

Las distribuciones de probabilidad alfa-estables son una familia especial de distribuciones de probabilidad cuyo estudio puede resultar en sistemas predictivos avanzados de diversos tipos, como análisis de tráfico de red, procesamiento de imágenes médicas o cotizaciones bursátiles. Surgen a partir del Teorema del Límite Central Generalizado, que establece que aquella suma de variables aleatorias cuya varianza no es finita converge a distribuciones alfa-estables. Desafortunadamente, la mayoría de herramientas existentes en la actualidad no son capaces de realizar los cálculos necesarios para el procesamiento de las distribuciones con la suficiente velocidad para poder llegar a obtener herramientas verdaderamente útiles que trabajen a tiempo real con un sistema predictivo. Esto se debe principalmente a la gran complejidad computacional que supone realizar las operaciones de integración numérica necesarias para obtener una distribución alfa-estable con un nivel de precisión aceptable para su uso en un sistema predictivo. En el presente Trabajo Fin de Grado se estudia la posibilidad de conseguir acelerar un algoritmo para el cálculo de distribuciones alfa-estables mediante el uso de computación paralela, más concretamente en GPUs con el uso de la tecnología CUDA. Para ello se propone la utilización de un algoritmo de integración numérica adaptativo, diseñado para su uso en entornos paralelos CUDA como método primario de integración para el algoritmo encargado de calcular las distribuciones de probabilidad alfa-estables. De esta forma se consigue incrementar el rendimiento en la obtención de estas distribuciones, pudiendo lograr una aceleración relativa de hasta varias veces el rendimiento de la versión serie del programa, manteniendo la precisión necesaria para lograr que los resultados permanezcan igual de correctos.Alpha-stable distributions are a special subset of probability distributions whose research can result in advanced predictive systems of diverse types, such as network traffic analysis, medic images processing or stock-market prices. They emerge because of the Central Limit Theorem, which establishes that the addition of random variables with infinite variance converges into an alpha-stable distribution. Unfortunately, most currently used tools are not capable of calculating fast enough the processing of these distributions with the necessary speed in order to obtain actually useful tools capable to work within real time in a predictive system. This is mainly due to the great computational complexity required to solve all of the numeric integration operations needed in order to calculate an alpha-stable distribution with an acceptable level of precision for its usage in a predictive system. The following End-of-Degree Project studies the possibility of accelerating an algorithm to calculate alpha-stable distributions by means of parallel computing, more specifically in GPUs equipped with CUDA technology. In order to do so, we propose the usage of a multi-dimensional adaptive numeric integration algorithm designed for CUDA environments as the primary integration method for the algorithm that calculates alpha-stables. By doing so, we manage to increase the performance in the calculation of these distributions, being capable of reaching an acceleration of multiple times the performance of the serial version while maintaining the necessary precision in order for the results to remain equally correct

An MS-CASPT2 Study of the Photodecomposition of 4- Methoxyphenyl Azide. Role of Internal Conversion and Intersystem Crossing

Aryl azides photochemistry is strongly dependent on the substituent relative position, as has been studied by time resolved resonant Raman (TR3) spectroscopy for 4-methoxyphenyl azide and its isomer 3-methoxyphenyl azide. When irradiated at 266 nm, the former results in 4,4’-dimethoxyazobenzene whereas the latter forms 1,2-didehydroazepine. It is proposed that the key step of the reactions is the formation of a nitrene derivative. Recently, it has been proposed by us that nitrenes might have a relevant role in the Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) of p-aminothiophenol, however, the molecular mechanism is not well known in neither of these cases. Therefore, we studied the photodecomposition of 4-methoxyphenyl azide using multiconfigurational self-consistent field methods (MC-SCF) with the CAS-SCF and MS-CASPT2 approximations and calculated the resonant Raman spectra of the relevant species using a multi-state version of Albrecht’s vibronic theory. The results propose that the reaction follows a two steps sequence after irradiation at 266 nm: an intersystem crossing 21A’/23A’’ which decays through a 21A’/21A’’ conical intersection producing molecular nitrogen and triplet 4-methoxyphenyl nitrene in its ground state.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Frequency shift on the potential-dependent surface-enhanced Raman scattering of pyridine: simplified models for metal and solvent effects

The electronic structure of adsorbates is altered when it interacts with a surface, modifying the properties of both entities and giving rise to interesting phenomena related to heterogeneous catalysis or molecular electronics. If such surface is a metallic substrate, the electrode potential can be used to tune this interaction. Potential-dependent Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) is a particularly useful technique to study the induced effects on the molecule when the metal-adsorbate surface complex is formed, as the observed frequency shifts of the vibrational modes can provide information about it. However, from the computational point of view, these systems are difficult to model, because the macroscopic metal cannot be modelled easily using quantum mechanics. As an approach, we propose a simple model using silver atomic wires with different size and charge bonded to the molecule (AgnPyq, n = 2,3,5,7 and q = 0 and ±1 for n even and odd, respectively) which has been developed by the group and provides a good description of the effect of the electrode potential on the chemical enhancement mechanism of SERS.1-3 Electronic calculations were performed using Density Functional Theory (DFT). In order to study the frequency shifts, solvent effects have been taken into account by using the Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM). We have used three different functionals (B3LYP, PW91 and M06HF) and two basis sets (LANL2DZ for all atoms and LANL2DZ for Ag and 6-31G(d) for C,N,H) and, in all cases, a good agreement is achieved in terms of amplitude and trend of the frequency shift for most of the vibrational modes, especially when solvent interactions are included. The method was extended to other metals and solvents giving results in agreement with the available experimental data.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech