Portuguese 16th to Early 18th Century tin Glazed Ceramics Found at the Tagus Estuary Saltpans

UID/NAN/50024/2019 M-ERA-MNT/0002/2015 UIDB/04209/2020 UIDP/04209/2020Salt was extracted from saltpans, in the South shore of Tagus River by evaporation of the salted sea water which penetrates into the estuary. The walls and the bottom of those saltpans were made of local clays to retain the sea water, and ceramic sherds have been used to endure those walls and also to allow people to walk on the saltpans’ walls. Those sherds constitute an example of the ceramics production in Lisbon workshops, starting in the mid-16th century and reaching high levels of quality in the 17th and 18th century. A detailed archaeometric study of 14 selected sherds dated from the 16th to the early 18th century has been made and the conjugation of the information provided by the micro-Raman, XRD and XRF experiments for those sherds and clays collected locally, allowed us the characterisation of the Lisbon ceramics in that period. Three main groups could be identified in the ceramic bodies; all made with locally collected clays of Miocene origin. In the first group, the potters used raw materials from the clay sources located at Santa Catarina area in Lisbon, most probably mixed with Lapa clays, which were fired at a high temperatures, ranging from 850ºC to 950ºC. Gehlenite and quartz are the dominant minerals of these ceramic bodies. In the second and third groups of Lisbon ceramic bodies, made with Prazeres clays, diopside was also detected but with variable amounts of gehlenite. Clay formations mineralogy mainly include kaolinite, muscovite/illite, quartz, calcite, and feldspars (albite and microcline).publishersversionpublishe

Texture segmentation based on fuzzy grammar for cork parquet quality control

This paper presents an approach for image texture segmentation based on the wavelets transform and on a fuzzy grammar inference system. It was developed for the Portuguese cork industry, specifically for the quality control in the cork parquet sector. The main purpose was to deal with major quality issues related with texture features. The segmentation procedure reveals a good performance indicated by high classification rates. This approach was integrated in a vision system leading to an industrial prototype that has already been tested, revealing good perspectives of full industrialization

Texture cue based tracking system using wavelet transform and a fuzzy grammar

This paper addresses a system for fast object tracking based on texture cues, by using the wavelet transform and a fuzzy grammar classifier. The method is based on wavelet type features. The feature vector consists of 6 characteristics extracted from the wavelet detail images for each colour component. These texture characteristics automatically generate a fuzzy rule using a fuzzy inference classifier based on a fuzzy grammar. A learning phase is required for each texture but only uses one sample. This 2D tracking system of textured objects in image sequences is demonstrated on a robotic application using the platform developed by Sony – AIBO robot. The application ensures a real time tracking approach and can be parameterized in order to be flexible in face of different types of textures

Cork parquet quality control vision system based on texture segmentation and fuzzy grammar

This paper presents a quality control vision system developed for the inspection of cork parquets that is already applied in the Portuguese cork industry. It is devoted specifically to the most critical quality issues: visibility of the lowest layer (BASE) on the noble layer (UPPER) and the homogeneity of this noble layer. Since these aspects are related with the texture of the raw material, the system was based on texture segmentation techniques. Features used were extracted from detail images of the wavelet transform. The classifier consists of a fuzzy grammar inference system. The segmentation procedure revealed a good performance indicated by high classification rates. Behavior in the industrial environment has been demonstrating high performance, revealing good perspectives for full spread industrialization

Quadruped robot locomotion using a global optimization stochastic algorithm

The problem of tuning nonlinear dynamical systems parameters, such that the attained results are considered good ones, is a relevant one. This article describes the development of a gait optimization system that allows a fast but stable robot quadruped crawl gait. We combine bio-inspired Central Patterns Generators (CPGs) and Genetic Algorithms (GA). CPGs are modelled as autonomous differential equations, that generate the necessar y limb movement to perform the required walking gait. The GA finds parameterizations of the CPGs parameters which attain good gaits in terms of speed, vibration and stability. Moreover, two constraint handling techniques based on tournament selection and repairing mechanism are embedded in the GA to solve the proposed constrained optimization problem and make the search more efficient. The experimental results, performed on a simulated Aibo robot, demonstrate that our approach allows low vibration with a high velocity and wide stability margin for a quadruped slow crawl gait.This work is funded by FEDER Funding supported by the Operational Program Competitive Factors .U COMPETE and National Funding supported by the FCT Portuguese Science Foundation through project PTDC/EEACRO/100655/200

Interfaces for renewable energy sources with electric power systems

This paper presents technological solutions that intend to contribute both for the efficient production of electric energy from renewable non-pollutant sources (namely Wind and Sun) and to the improvement of power quality in the electrical systems. It proposes the development of low-cost and high-efficiency power controllers that optimize energy extraction from hybrid systems, constituted by photovoltaic solar panels and wind power turbines, in small renewable energy power plants. Main innovations are the use of a single microcontroller for both sources’ power control and the development of an interface between the DC link and the AC electrical system. This interface uses a control system based in the p-q theory that takes into account power quality issues. The paper also presents a cost study regarding products for renewable systems available in the market.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - POCTI/ESE/41170/2001

Conceptualizing a credits trading approach towards corporate social responsibility credits

Life Cycles of both products and services significantly consume renewable and non-renewable resources across a worldwide scale. Thus, eliciting an enormous environmental impact, that is known to disproportionately instigate crises into the socio-economic and political domains of our civilization. Therefore, Creation of Shared Value and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have been considered by Policy makers, Public and Private Institutions. In addition to Corporate Philanthropy, CSR practices also encompass a wide spectrum of activities, including Stakeholder safety/welfare, designing sustainable products and ecological restoration to name a few which are ascertained to capital and knowledge intensive in nature. Therefore, this paper primarily structures the scope of CSR and proposes a mechanism for trading Corporate Social Responsibility credits in order to incentivize stakeholder centered business practices. Furthermore, the CSR credits trading methodology would entail similar mechanisms used by its remotely successful predecessors namely, tax incentives, tradable credits/certificates and flexible mechanisms for implementing sustainable projects. The CSR credits trading methodology is envisioned to entail a more holistic approach towards overall Sustainability when compared to Carbon Offsets/Renewable Energy Certificates which are more focused towards reducing the environmental footprint.The author acknowledges the contribution of MIT Portugal Program, University of Minho and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal (Foundation Of Science and Technology, Portugal) for the scholarship grant SFRH / BD / 33794 / 2009

A novel methodology for the concurrent test of partial and dynamically reconfigurable SRAM-based FPGAs

This poster presents the first truly non-intrusive structural concurrent test approach, with the objective of testing partially and dynamically reconfigurable SRAM-based FPGAs without disturbing their operation. This is accomplished by using a new methodology to carry out the replication of active Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs), i.e. CLBs that are part of an implemented function that is actually being used by the system, releasing it to be tested in a way that is completely transparent to the system

Run-time management of logic resources on reconfigurable systems

Dynamically reconfigurable systems based on partialand dynamically reconfigurable FPGAs may have theirfunctionality partially modified at run-time withoutstopping the operation of the whole system.The efficient management of the logic space availableis one of the biggest problems faced by these systems.When the sequence of reconfigurations to be performed isnot predictable, resource allocation decisions have to bemade on-line. A rearrangement may be necessary to getenough contiguous space to implement incomingfunctions, avoiding the spreading of their components andthe resulting degradation of system performance.A new software tool that helps to handle the problemsposed by the consecutive reconfiguration of the same logicspace is presented in this paper. This tool uses a novel on--line rearrangement procedure to solve fragmentationproblems and to rearrange the logic space in a waycompletely transparent to the applications currentlyrunnin

Multi-objective parameter CPG optimization for gait generation of a quadruped robot considering behavioral diversity

This paper presents a gait multi-objective optimization system that combines bio-inspired Central Patterns Generators (CPGs) and a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. CPGs are modeled as autonomous differential equations, that generate the necessary limb movement to perform the required walking gait. In order to optimize the walking gait, four conflicting objectives are considered, simultaneously: minimize the body vibration, maximize the velocity, maximize the wide stability margin and maximize the behavioral diversity. The results of NSGA-II for this multi-objective problem are discussed. The effect of the inclusion of a behavioral diversity objective in the system is also studied in terms of the walking gait achieved. The experimental results show the effectiveness of this multi-objective approach. The several walking gait solutions obtained correspond to different trade-off between the objectives.This work is funded by FEDER Funding supported by the Operational Program Competitive Factors - COMPETE and National Funding supported by the FCT - Portuguese Science Foundation through project PTDC/EEACRO/ 100655/2008. Thanks to Dr. St ? ephane Doncieux from the Institut des Systmes Intelligents et de Robotique (ISIR) of the Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC