Coordinated control of networked vehicles: An autonomous underwater system

The specification and design of coordinated control strategies for networked vehicle systems are discussed. The discussion is illustrated with an example of the coordinated operation of two teams of autonomous underwater vehicles collecting data to find the local minimum of a given oceanographic scalar field

Risk management in landfills. A public health perspective

Currently, sanitary landfill is an appropriate option for disposal of waste, mainly because it is a technology with little aggressive environmental impact and associated to low costs and simple operation. However, the deficit in best practices in solid waste management is recognized in scientific literature as the cause of adverse effects on the environment and public health. Since landfill has a relevant social, economic and environmental impact as a sanitary urban infrastructure, new control approach based on public health and environmental integrity should be developed in order to prevent diseases propagation and negative environmental impacts. This research work presents a novel concept of landfill safety plan, using similar approach as the well established water safety plan methodology, structured on risk assessment and risk management throughout the waste collection and disposal system.CAPES scholarship and Science Without Borders program Bex Process 12993-13-

The LSTS open-source communication and autonomy software: enabling networked vehicle systems to find track, and sample dynamic features of the ocean

Peer Reviewe

Detection of new eruptions in the Magellanic Clouds LBVs R 40 and R 110

We performed a spectroscopic and photometric analysis to study new eruptions in two luminous blue variables (LBVs) in the Magellanic Clouds. We detected a strong new eruption in the LBV R40 that reached $V \sim 9.2$ in 2016, which is around $1.3$ mag brighter than the minimum registered in 1985. During this new eruption, the star changed from an A-type to a late F-type spectrum. Based on photometric and spectroscopic empirical calibrations and synthetic spectral modeling, we determine that R\,40 reached $T_{\mathrm{eff}} = 5800-6300$~K during this new eruption. This object is thereby probably one of the coolest identified LBVs. We could also identify an enrichment of nitrogen and r- and s-process elements. We detected a weak eruption in the LBV R 110 with a maximum of $V \sim 9.9$ mag in 2011, that is, around $1.0$ mag brighter than in the quiescent phase. On the other hand, this new eruption is about $0.2$ mag fainter than the first eruption detected in 1990, but the temperature did not decrease below 8500 K. Spitzer spectra show indications of cool dust in the circumstellar environment of both stars, but no hot or warm dust was present, except by the probable presence of PAHs in R\,110. We also discuss a possible post-red supergiant nature for both stars

Where the fields have no name: urban-rural transitions in the Lisbon Region planning history

This paper discusses the existing urban-rural dichotomy in Portuguese urban planning, assuming its importance on food-provision, a basic human need. Our analysis stems from an historical overview at two scales, regional and municipal, within the Lisbon Region. Specifically, we identify key changes between two time-periods: the midtwentieth century, when design-based planning was established in Portugal for larger settlements, and nowadays, when it covers the totality of the national territory, based on land-use. We review these strategies, assessing what approaches would best encompass a sustainable transition of the food system. We start with the scheme of regional radial axis by architect Étienne de Gröer in contrast with the 2002 Lisbon Regional Plan. We furthermore expose two urbanization plans from 1940s: that of Vila Franca de Xira (1946) by Miguel Jacobetty and Faria da Costa and that of Palmela (1948) by João António Aguiar. Such plans, highly representative of the planning practices of that era, are then compared with their contemporary counterparts and subsequently with samples of their physical impacts on the ground, based on a morphological analysis of settlements and productive spaces in urban and rural contexts. Finally, we identify key changes for better use of productive soils within the Lisbon Region, considering challenges posed by international and national agendas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A control framework for a remotely operated vehicle

A control framework enabling the automated maneuvering of a Remotely Operate Vehicle (ROV) is presented. The control architecture is structured according to the principle of composition of vehicle motions from a minimal set of elemental maneuvers that are designed and verified independently. The principled approach is based on distributed hybrid systems techniques, and spans integrated design, simulation and implementation as the same model is used throughout. Hybrid systems control techniques are used to synthesize the elemental maneuvers and to design protocols, which coordinate the execution of elemental maneuvers within a complex maneuver. This work is part of the Inspection of Underwater Structures (IES) project whose main objective is the implementation of a ROV-based system for the inspection of underwater structures

Polymorphism‐aware estimation of species trees and evolutionary forces from genomic sequences with RevBayes

Funding: Funding information Austrian Science Fund, Grant/Award Number: P34524-B; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Grant/Award Number: BB/W000768/1; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grant/Award Number: HO 6201/1-1; Vienna Science and Technology Fund, Grant/Award Number: MA016-061.1. The availability of population genomic data through new sequencing technologies gives unprecedented opportunities for estimating important evolutionary forces such as genetic drift, selection and mutation biases across organisms. Yet, analytical methods that can handle polymorphisms jointly with sequence divergence across species are rare and not easily accessible to empiricists. 2. We implemented polymorphism-aware phylogenetic models (PoMos), an alternative approach for species tree estimation, in the Bayesian phylogenetic software RevBayes. PoMos naturally account for incomplete lineage sorting, which is known to cause difficulties for phylogenetic inference in species radiations, and scale well with genome-wide data. Simultaneously, PoMos can estimate mutation and selection biases. 3. We have applied our methods to resolve the complex phylogenetic relationships of a young radiation of Chorthippus grasshoppers, based on coding sequences. In addition to establishing a well-supported species tree, we found a mutation bias favouring AT alleles and selection bias promoting the fixation of GC alleles, the latter consistent with GC-biased gene conversion. The selection bias is two orders of magnitude lower than genetic drift, validating the critical role of nearly neutral evolutionary processes in species radiation. 4. PoMos offer a wide range of models to reconstruct phylogenies and can be easily combined with existing models in RevBayes—for example, relaxed clock and divergence time estimation—offering new insights into the evolutionary processes underlying molecular evolution and, ultimately, species diversification.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Child with Choledochal Cyst Presenting with Episodes of Vomitting and Jaundice

A 2 year old girl presented to the emergency department with frequent episodes of vomiting and jaundice. Analytically, there was leucocytosis with normal neutrophil count, RCP of 5, 66 mg/dL and GGT 87 U/L. Colluria was also found