The MARES AUV, a Modular Autonomous Robot for Environment Sampling

In this paper, we discuss the design aspects and the development of the MARES AUV, a 1.5m long vehicle, weighting 32kg, designed and built at the University of Porto, Portugal. This vehicle is highly maneuverable, with the ability to move in the vertical plane, controlling pitch and vertical velocity; forward velocity can also be determined, anywhere between 0 and 2 m/s. MARES can easily integrate any new payload within reason, finding applications in a wide range or areas, such as pollution monitoring, scientific data collection, sonar mapping, underwater video or mine countermeasures

An application of a multicriteria model to assess the quality of local governance

This article presents a method to assess the quality of local governance practices. The multicriteria decision analysis modeling approach is illustrated through a real application (Portuguese municipalities). To define the criteria, performance descriptors, and reference levels in each dimension of local governance, and to account for the differences in preference of scoring in each criterion, the judgments of legitimate stakeholders were considered through decision conferencing. The constructed “Municipal Governance Indicator” is calculated for the case of Lisbon to show the outputs of the model and its potential usefulness

Um sistema computacional reconfigurável embarcado num veleiro autónomo

Este artigo apresenta um sistema computacional implementadoem FPGA para controlo de um veleiro autónomonão tripulado. Este veleiro foi desenvolvido na FEUP paraintegrar a competição Microtransat que tem como objectivopromover o desenvolvimento de embarcações à velanão tripuladas capazes de oferecer grande autonomia deoperação, com elevado potencial para realizar missões autónomasde longa duração em alto mar. O sistema computacionalfoi desenvolvido em torno de um computadorembutido correndo uCLinux num processador MicroBlazeimplementado numa FPGA Spartan3E, acrescido de vá-rios sistemas dedicados para interface, processamento econtrolo. A adopção de um sistema operativo baseado emLinux permitiu dispor de variados serviços (sistema de fi-cheiros, multi-processamento, TCP/IP) convenientes parao processo de desenvolvimento das componentes de hardwaree de software. A flexibilidade da arquitectura do sistemahardware/software desenvolvido facilita a migraçãode tarefas entre software e hardware dedicado com o objectivode se avaliar o impacto no consumo global de energia,para diferentes configurações dos processos de controloenvolvidos

Local mixed companies: the theory and practice in an international perspective

Several factors have been contributing to the growing use of public private-partnership (PPP) arrangements by local governments, such as, the need for new investments on infrastructure (e.g. decentralization of responsibilities, regulatory requirements demanding better quality and environmental protection, renovation of the networks), imposition of strict debt limits to the localities, and local government reform policies/programs. Whereas contractual PPP arrangements, such as concession contracts, can be seen as an extension of traditional public procurement (with additional complexities in contract design and management) and are currently better handled by contracting authorities, institutionalized PPPs (mixed companies) are still quite puzzling for both practitioners and academics. In fact, the following questions deserve further investigation: When are mixed companies expected to depict a higher performance than other options? What are the risks involved and how should they be allocated and mitigated? How should mixed companies be monitored and evaluated? The articles in this Special Issue provide insightful answers to these and many other relevant questions to policy makers

Ocean sampling and surveillance using autonomous sailboats

In this paper, we discuss some of the potential applications of small scale autonomous sailboats. The use of autonomous sailboats for ocean sampling has been tentatively proposed before, but there have been minor efforts towards the development and deployment of actual prototypes, due to a number of technical limitations and significant risks of operation. We show that, currently, most of the limitations have been surpassed, with the existing availability of extremely low power electronics, flexible computational systems and high performance renewable power sources. At the same time, some of the major risks have been mitigated, allowing this emerging technology to become an effective tool for a wide range of applications in real scenarios. We illustrate some of these scenarios and we describe the status of the current efforts being made to develop operational prototypes, with some promising results already being achieved

FASt - An autonomous sailing platform for oceanographic missions

Sailing has been for long times the only means of ship propulsion at sea. Although the performance of a sailing vessel is well below the present power driven ships, either in terms of navigation speed and predictability, wind energy is absolutely renewable, clean and free. Unmanned autonomous sailing boats may exhibit a virtually unlimited autonomy and be able to perform unassisted missions at sea for long periods of time. Promising applications include oceanographic and weather data collecting, surveillance and even military applications. The Microtransat competition, launched in Europe in 2006, has been a key initiative to promote the development of robotic unmanned sailing boats. Various regattas have taken place across Europe and the ultimate challenge will be a transatlantic race. This paper presents an autonomous sailing boat developed at the University of Porto, Portugal, with emphasis on the hardware and software computing infrastructure. This platform is capable of carrying a few kilograms of sensing equipment that can be hooked to the boat's main computer, also providing support for short and long range data communications

The costs and benefits of packaging waste management systems in Europe: the perspective of local authorities

Local authorities are generally in charge of household packaging waste management operations, particularly in countries with Green Dot schemes or similar extended producer responsibility systems. This leads to the need of establishing a system of financial transfers between the packaging industry and the local authorities (regarding the costs involved in selective collection and sorting). In the present study, the costs and benefits of recycling from the perspective of local authorities are compared for Portugal, Belgium and Italy (in Lombardia region), adopting the same economic-financial methodology. The results show that the industry is not paying the net cost of packaging waste management. If the savings attained by diverting packaging waste from other treatment operations are not considered, it seems that the industry should increase the financial support to local authorities. However, if the avoided costs with other treatment are considered as a benefit for local authorities, the costs are generally outweighed by the benefits and the financial support could, therefore, be reduced

A recongurable computing system for an autonomous sailboat

This paper presents the computing infrastructureused in an autonomous unmanned smallscalesailboat. The system is build on a reconfigurableFPGA and includes custom designed interfacesfor the various sensors and actuators usedin the sailboat. The central processing unit isa 32-bit RISC microprocessor (Microblaze fromXILINX) implemented as a soft IP (IntellectualProperty) core, running at a maximum frequencyof 50 MHz. The computing system runs uClinux,a simplified version of the popular Linux operatingsystem. The usage of a reconfigurable platformenables the possibility to reconfigure completelythe processing and control hardware system.This facilitates enormously the developmentof the control system and allows the selection ofdifferent hardware control systems, according tothe navigation requirements and environmentalconditions

Determination of parathion in biological fluids by means of direct Solid Phase Microextraction.

A new and simple procedure for the determination of parathion in human whole blood and urine using direct immersion (DI) solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is presented. This technique was developed using only 100 ìL of sample, and ethion was used as internal standard (IS). A 65-ìm Carbowax/divinylbenzene (CW/DVB) SPME fibre was selected for sampling, and the main parameters affecting the SPME process such as extraction temperature, adsorption and desorption time, salt addition, agitation and pH effect were optimized to enhance the sensitivity of the method. This optimization was also performed to allow the qualitative determination of parathion’s main metabolite, paraoxon, in blood. The limits of detection and quantitation for parathion were 3 and 10 ng/mL for urine and 25 and 50 ng/mL for blood, respectively. For paraoxon, the limit of detection was 50 ng/mL in blood. The method showed linearity between the LOQ and 50 ìg/mL for both matrices, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9954 to 0.9999. Precision and accuracy were in conformity with the criteria normally accepted in bioanalytical method validation. The mean absolute recoveries were 35.1% for urine and 6.7% for blood. Other parameters such as dilution of sample and stability were also validated. Its simplicity and the fact that only 100 ìL of sample is required to accomplish the analysis make this method useful in forensic toxicology laboratories to determine this compound in intoxications, and it can be considered an alternative to other methods normally used for the determination of this compound in biological media

Life cycle assessment and valuation of the packaging waste recycling system in Belgium

This study analyses the packaging waste management system in Belgium. Waste management operations involve a significant number of processes associated with energy consumption and emission of pollutants in air and water. To assess the impact on the environment of the several waste management operations, a life cycle assessment was developed. The operations of selective and refuse collection, sorting, recycling and incineration of packaging waste were considered. A comparison between two scenarios was developed. The first scenario comprised the packaging waste management system in operation in 2010. This system comprises the waste management operations envisaging the recycling of the packaging materials. The second scenario was developed based on the hypothesis that there was no recycling system and all packaging waste would be collected in the refuse collection system. An environmental valuation was performed to convert the environmental results into a common unit (EUR). To accomplish this valuation, three methods were used: Ecocost, Ecovalue and Stepwise. These methods were developed in Europe and follow different methodologies. The environmental results were compared using the three methods and they were consistent with the conclusion that the recycling scenario (i.e. the actual situation in 2010) is more environmentally sound