Real-world deployment of low-cost indoor positioning systems for industrial applications

The deployment of an Indoor Position System (IPS) in the real-world raised many challenges, such as installation of infrastructure, the calibration process or modelling of the building's floor plan. For Wi-Fi-based IPSs, deployments often require a laborious and time-consuming site survey to build a Radio Map (RM), which tends to become outdated over time due to several factors. In this paper, we evaluate different deployment methods of a Wi-Fi-based IPS in an industrial environment. The proposed solution works in scenarios with different space restrictions and automatically builds a RM using industrial vehicles in operation. Localization and tracking of industrial vehicles, equipped with low-cost sensors, is achieved with a particle filter, which combines Wi-Fi measurements with heading and displacement data. This allows to automatically annotate and add new samples to a RM, named vehicle Radio Map (vRM), without human intervention. In industrial environments, vRMs can be used with Wi-Fi fingerprinting to locate human operators, industrial vehicles, or other assets, allowing to improve logistics, monitoring of operations, and safety of operators. Experiments in an industrial building show that the proposed solution is capable of automatically building a high-quality vRM in different scenarios, i.e., considering a complete floor plan, a partial floor plan or without a floor plan. Obtained results revealed that vRMs can be used in Wi-Fi fingerprinting with better accuracy than a traditional RM. Sub-meter accuracies were obtained for an industrial vehicle prototype after deployment in a real building.This work was supported in part by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia-FCT through the Research and Development Units Project Scope under Grant UIDB/00319/2020 and in part by the Ph.D. Fellowship under Grant PD/BD/137401/2018. The associate editor coordinating the review of this article and approving it for publication was Prof. Masanori Sugimoto

Challenges in characterization of GNSS precise positioning systems for automotive

Autonomous driving is currently one of the main focuses of attention in the automotive industry. A requirement for efficient and safe driving of autonomous vehicles is the ability to precisely pinpoint the location of the vehicle, in the decimeter- to centimeter-level on a global scale. GNSS is expected to play a major role in providing accurate absolute and global positioning, yet many challenges arise in dense urban environments due to lack of line-of-sight to satellites and multi-path, decreasing availability and accuracy. Also, the position accuracy announced by GNSS receiver manufacturers is rather optimistic, typically obtained in best-case scenarios. However, this is rarely encountered in real-world driving conditions, especially in urban areas, leading to a mismatch between receiver specification and real world performance. This paper provides a systematic study regarding the requirements, methods, and solutions available for the characterization/evaluation of a GNSS po- sitioning system in real world driving conditions. An architecture for a precise Automotive Global Reference System (centimeter-level), able to characterize a decimeter-level accuracy GNSS position- ing system in dynamic conditions, is proposed. To the best of authors’ knowledge, such a study is not available in the literature.This work has been supported by: European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER component, through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) [Project no 037902; Funding Reference: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-037902]

Dioptra - A Data Generation Application for Indoor Positioning Systems

Indoor Positioning Systems (IPSs) based on different approaches and technologies have been proposed to support localization and navigation applications in indoor environments. The fair benchmarking and comparison of these IPSs is a difficult task since each IPS is usually evaluated in very specific and controlled conditions and using private data sets, not allowing reproducibility and direct comparison between the reported results and other competing solutions. In addition, testing and evaluating an IPS in the real world is difficult and time-consuming, especially when considering evaluation in multiple environments and conditions. To enhance IPS assessment, we propose Dioptra, an open access and user-friendly application to support research, development and evaluation of IPSs through simulation. To the best of our knowledge, Dioptra is the first application specially developed to generate synthetic datasets to promote reproducibility and fair benchmarking between IPSs.This work has been supported by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020 and the PhD fellowship PD/BD/137401/2018. J. Torres-Sospedra acknowledges funding from Programa Torres Quevedo (PTQ2018-009981)

O platô do VO2max não está associado à capacidade anaeróbia em indivíduos fisicamente ativos

The present study aimed to verify if the incidence of plateau is associated with anaerobic capacity. Therefore, nine physically active male (age: 23 ± 4 yr; body mass: 72.4 ± 8.2 kg; height: 176.4 ± 6.8 cm; VO2max: 41.3 ± 5.7 ml.kg-1.min-1) participated in the present study. The subjects in a cycle ergometer the following tests: a) maximum incremental test to determination of VO2max; b) six submaximal tests for determination of supra maximum demand of O2; c) supra maximum test for maximum accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) determination. The plateau was identified when the difference in the VO2 in the last two stages of incremental test was ≤ 2.1 ml.kg-1.min-1. It was observed an inverse correlation, although no significant, between MAOD and VO2 plateau (r = -0,61; p >; 0,05). Thus, it appears that anaerobic capacity is not a decisive factor for determining the incidence of VO2 plateau in physically active individuals.O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar se a incidência do platô está relacionada com a capacidade anaeróbia. Para tanto, nove indivíduos fisicamente ativos (idade: 23 ± 4 anos; massa corporal: 72,4 ± 8,2 kg; estatura: 176,4 ± 6,8 cm; VO2max: 41,3 ± 5,7 ml.kg-1.min-1) participaram do presente estudo. Eles foram submetidos aos seguintes testes, realizados em cicloergômetro: a) um teste incremental máximo para a determinação do VO2max; b) seis testes submáximos para determinar a demanda supramáxima de O2; c) um teste supramáximo para a determinação do déficit máximo acumulado de oxigênio (MAOD). O platô foi caracterizado quando a diferença do VO2 entre os dois últimos estágios do teste incremental foi ≤ 2,1 ml.kg-1.min-1. Foi observada uma correlação inversa, porém não significante, entre e o MAOD e o platô do VO2 (r = -0,61; p >; 0,05). Dessa forma, parece que a capacidade anaeróbia não é fator decisivo para determinar a incidência de platô no VO2 em indivíduos fisicamente ativos

Floor plan-free particle filter for indoor positioning of industrial vehicles

Industry 4.0 is triggering the rapid development of solutions for indoor localization of industrial ve- hicles in the factories of the future. Either to support indoor navigation or to improve the operations of the factory, the localization of industrial vehicles imposes demanding requirements such as high accuracy, coverage of the entire operating area, low convergence time and high reliability. Industrial vehicles can be located using Wi-Fi fingerprinting, although with large positioning errors. In addition, these vehicles may be tracked with motion sensors, however an initial position is necessary and these sensors often suffer from cumulative errors (e.g. drift in the heading). To overcome these problems, we propose an indoor positioning system (IPS) based on a particle filter that combines Wi-Fi fingerprinting with data from motion sensors (displacement and heading). Wi-Fi position estimates are obtained using a novel approach, which explores signal strength measurements from multiple Wi-Fi interfaces. This IPS is capable of locating a vehicle prototype without prior knowledge of the starting position and heading, without depending on the building’s floor plan. An average positioning error of 0.74 m was achieved in performed tests in a factory-like building.FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020, the PhD fellowship PD/BD/137401/2018 and the Technological Development in the scope of the projects in co-promotion no 002814/2015 (iFACTORY 2015-2018

Quantifying the degradation of radio maps in Wi-Fi fingerprinting

One of the most common assumptions regarding indoor positioning systems based on Wi-Fi fingerprinting is that the Radio Map (RM) becomes outdated and has to be updated to maintain the positioning performance. It is known that propagation effects, the addition/removal of Access Points (APs), changes in the indoor layout, among others, cause RMs to become outdated. However, there is a lack of studies that show how the RM degrades over time. In this paper, we describe an empirical study, based on real-world experiments, to evaluate how and why RMs degrade over time. We conducted site surveys and deployed monitoring devices to analyse the radio environment of one building over 2+ years, which allowed us to identify significant changes/events that caused the degradation of RMs. To quantify the RM degradation, we use the positioning error and propose the RM degradation ratio, a metric to directly compare two RMs and measure how different they are. Obtained results show that the positioning performance is much better when RMs are collected on the same day as the test data, and although RM degradation tends to increase over time, it only leads to large positioning errors when significant changes occur in the Wi-Fi infrastructure, making previous RMs outdated.This work has been supported by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020 and the PhD fellowship PD/BD/137401/2018. J. Torres-Sospedra acknowledges funding from Torres Quevedo programme (PTQ2018-009981)

Do ethos retórico ao ethos discursivo: o idoso e a persuasão na campanha política presidencial brasileira em 2014

Em um ano eleitoral, vários são os recursos linguístico-discursivos utilizados pelos enunciadores, a fim de ganhar a confiança do público-alvo, no caso, o eleitor. A proposta fundamental deste artigo é explorar, sob a égide da Análise de Discurso, a maneira como se coloca a questão do ethos discursivo em gêneros discursivos que busquem essencialmente a persuasão. Articulando o campo linguístico com o âmbito da argumentação, analisa-se uma propaganda eleitoral, cuja figura central é um idoso, evidenciando os laços de maior ou menor comprometimento mantido com o discurso político com a função do ethos. A propaganda foi veiculada em televisão aberta durante a campanha eleitoral para presidência da república no Brasil em 2014. O estudo está pautado em Maingueneau (2008, 2010, 2014 e 2015), Perelman (1997) e Amossy (2005). Em relação à figura do idoso, pautamos nosso olhar em Debert (1999, 2001, 2006). Pela análise apresentada, é possível concluir que a credibilidade do enunciador (um idoso) e seu poder de persuasão recaem exatamente no efeito discursivo de seu ethos manifestado no discurso

Variação na composição química da solução extraída de um Latossolo fertirrigado com vinhaça

The aim of this work was to evaluate the change in electrical conductivity and pH of a soil solution and its composition, with regard to the levels of nitrate and potassium, in a Latosol cultivated with pineapple and subjected to applications of different levels of vinasse. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Department of Biosystems Engineering of ESALQ/USP. The treatments comprised the application of five levels of vinasse: T1 - 0 m3 ha-1, T2 - 231 m3 ha-1, T3 - 347 m3 ha-1, T4 - 462 m3 ha-1, and T5 - 578 m3 ha-1. Application was every 20 days, using a localised irrigation system with emitters having a nominal flow rate of 4 L h-1 and spaced 0.40 m apart. The applied doses of vinasse were calculated by following the recommendations of CETESB standard P4.231, so that treatment T4 would supply the demand of the pineapple plant for potassium. The solution was collected by means of porous capsule extractors at 30, 120 and 210 days from the start of vinasse application. It was found that increases in the volume of the applied levels resulted in greater values for the electrical conductivity of the soil (ECs) and in the concentration of potassium (K) and nitrate (NO3), with higher values being obtained in the 0.20 m layer. The results demonstrated that pH decreased with increases in the vinasse being applied.Objetivou-se avaliar a variação na condutividade elétrica e pH da solução do solo e sua composição no que se refere aos teores de nitrato e potássio em um Latossolo sob cultivo da cultura do abacaxi e submetido a aplicações de diferentes níveis de vinhaça. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação no Departamento de Engenharia de Biossistemas da ESALQ/USP. Os tratamentos foram compostos pela aplicação de cinco níveis de vinhaça, a saber: T1 - 0 m3 ha-1; T2 - 231 m3 ha-1; T3 - 347 m3 ha-1; T4 - 462 m3 ha-1; T5 - 578 m3 ha-1. As aplicações ocorreram em intervalos de 20 dias utilizando-se um sistema de irrigação localizada com gotejadores de vazão nominal de 4 L h-1 espaçados em 0,40 m. As doses de vinhaça aplicadas foram calculadas, seguindo recomendações da norma CETESB P4.231, de modo que o tratamento T4 suprisse a demanda por potássio do abacaxizeiro. A coleta da solução foi realizada por meio de extratores de cápsulas porosas após 30; 120 e 210 dias do início da aplicação da vinhaça e verificou-se que o aumento dos volumes de níveis aplicados resultou em maiores valores de Condutividade elétrica do solo (CEs) e concentrações de potássio (K) e nitrato (NO3-), com maiores valores obtidos na camada de 0,20 m. Os resultados revelaram que o pH diminuiu à medida em que se aumentavam os volumes de vinhaça aplicados

FRUIT AND SEED MORFOMETRY, SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING VIGOR of Parkia gigantocarpa

The objectives of this work were to characterize fruits and seeds and evaluate seed germination and seedling vigor from fifteen parent plants of Parkia gigantocarpa Ducke. The fresh weight, length, width, and thickness of fruits and seeds were determined. The germination was tested in a sand substrate, with four replications of 25 seeds per treatment (parent plants). The number of days for emergence, emergence percentage, emergence speed index, germination percentage, and seedling dry weight were evaluated. The fruits presented means for fresh weight, length, width, and thickness of 115.0 g; 621.3 mm; 60.8 mm, and 9.8 mm, respectively. The seeds presented means for fresh weight, length, width, and thickness of 1.1 g, 22.8 mm, 11.2 mm, and 7.0 mm, respectively. The emergence was fast and uniform, which occurred from the fifth to the sixth day after seeding, reaching 91% germination for the parent HB9, but not differing from the parents HB2, HB3, and HB6. The seedlings from the parents HB2, HB3, HB6, and HB9 were more vigorous due to their higher dry matter accumulation. The results found showed that, even belonging to the same species, P. gigantocarpa seeds from different parent plants present variability in biometric characteristics of fruits and seeds. The seed collected from different parent plants showed differences in germination capacity and seedling vigor

REGIÃO E REGIONALIDADE NA EDUCAÇÃO ESCOLAR QUILOMBOLA: CONTRIBUIÇÃO PARA UMA EDUCAÇÃO CONTEXTUALIZADA

Este artigo aponta a importância de articulação entre as práticas pedagógicas e a realidade sociocultural dos sujeitos quilombolas como mecanismo para garantir uma educação escolar situada nas vivências ancestrais da comunidade como marco de uma educação escolar quilombola. Nesse aspectos, utilizaremos a Regionalidade na sua forma existencial como meio de articulação entre teoria e prática/vivência-de-mundo para pensar outros sentidos de região e identidade a partir dos aspectos simbólicos, temporais e existencial da questão negra quilombola como potência que eclode e ao mesmo tempo nos convida a (re)pensar os regionalismos balizados pelos princípios teóricos da Geografia. Se propõe evidenciar a importância de uma educação contextualizada para promoção do conhecimento, da ética, valorizando a pluralidade do pensamento e as diferentes formas de ser-no-mundo. Soma-se aos esforços e ao enfrentamento do racismo estrutural que segrega e dificulta o acesso da população negra à educação formal, evidenciando a necessidade de uma modalidade pautada nos princípios democráticos e diversos que regem a educação básica partindo de um movimento de “dentro para fora” em redes de afetos e formação híbrida. Pensar a regionalidade para além de modelos clássicos e gnosiológicos, historicamente legitimados no mundo ocidentalizado, pressupõe transgredir o sentido de Região e Regionalidade a partir de análises radicalmente plurais, diversas em co-criação