Fast Fight Detection

Action recognition has become a hot topic within computer vision. However, the action recognition community has focused mainly on relatively simple actions like clapping, walking, jogging, etc. The detection of specific events with direct practical use such as fights or in general aggressive behavior has been comparatively less studied. Such capability may be extremely useful in some video surveillance scenarios like prisons, psychiatric centers or even embedded in camera phones. As a consequence, there is growing interest in developing violence detection algorithms. Recent work considered the well-known Bag-of-Words framework for the specific problem of fight detection. Under this framework, spatio-temporal features are extracted from the video sequences and used for classification. Despite encouraging results in which high accuracy rates were achieved, the computational cost of extracting such features is prohibitive for practical applications. This work proposes a novel method to detect violence sequences. Features extracted from motion blobs are used to discriminate fight and non-fight sequences. Although the method is outperformed in accuracy by state of the art, it has a significantly faster computation time thus making it amenable for real-time applications

Active oxygen by Ce–Pr mixed oxide nanoparticles outperform diesel soot combustion Pt catalysts

A Ce0.5Pr0.5O2 mixed oxide has been prepared with the highest surface area and smallest particle size ever reported (125 m2/g and 7 nm, respectively), also being the most active diesel soot combustion catalyst ever tested under realistic conditions if catalysts forming highly volatile species are ruled out. This Ce–Pr mixed oxide is even more active than a reference platinum-based commercial catalyst. This study provides an example of the efficient participation of oxygen species released by a ceria catalyst in a heterogeneous catalysis reaction where both the catalyst and one of the reactants (soot) are solids. It has been concluded that both the ceria-based catalyst composition (nature and amount of dopant) and the particle size play key roles in the combustion of soot through the active oxygen-based mechanism. The composition determines the production of active oxygen and the particle size the transfer of such active oxygen species from catalyst to soot.The authors thank the financial support of Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEOII/2014/010), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CTQ2012-30703), and the UE (FEDER funding)

Technology use in nursery and primary education in two different settings

This article studies which and how Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) are used by nursery and primary education inservice teachers as reported by their pre-service teacher trainees after observations in their practicum in two provinces in Spain, Alcalá de HenaresGuadalajara and Navarre. Results indicate that in-service teachers tend to use traditional technological tools (audio f?iles, video f?iles, multimedia, games, Microsoft Word, interactive whiteboards) more than social networking (Facebook, blogs or wikis) both for teaching and for organisational purposes. Thus, more training in recent applications seems necessary to get ICT social applications into education

Soybean response to different injury levels at early developmental stages.

This study evaluated the effects of different soybean injury levels at early growth stages of the plants. The experiments were carried out in two different growing seasons, using a randomized complete block design, with 11 treatments in the first and 10 treatments in the second season, and four replications. The 'BRS 133' soybean cultivar was used, and the injury levels tested were: 1-Control; 2-Removal of 1 cotyledon; 3-Removal of both cotyledons; 4-Removal of both cotyledons + 1 unifoliate leaf; 5-Removal of both cotyledons + both unifoliate leaves; 6-Removal of 1 unifoliate leaf; 7-removal of both unifoliate leaves; 8-Cut below unifoliate leaves; 9-Removal of trifoliate leaf sprouts; 10-Total defoliation; 11-Total defoliation + removal of apical bud (only in the first trial). Injury was manually imposed, and insecticides were applied weekly to prevent injury by insects. The results showed that the soybean yield was reduced only when the injury was severe enough to cause plant stand reductions as a consequence of plant death. This occurred for treatments 5, 10 and 11. Under the other treatments, the soybean plants were able to recover. These findings show that the recommended economic threshold of 30% defoliation to initiate pest control is safe, and should be accepted by growers. Resposta da cultura da soja a diferentes intensidades de injúria nos estágios iniciais de desenvolvimento. Este estudo avaliou os efeitos de diferentes níveis de injúria nos estádios iniciais de desenvolvimento das plantas de soja. Os experimentos foram realizados em duas diferentes safras agrícolas em delineamento de blocos completos casualizados, com 11 tratamentos na primeira e 10 tratamentos na segunda safra, e quatro repetições. A cultivar utilizada foi a 'BRS 133' e os níveis de injúria foram: 1-Testemunha; 2-Remoção de 1 cotilédone; 3-Remoção de ambos os cotilédones; 4-Remoção de ambos os cotilédones + 1 folha unifoliolada; 5-Remoção de ambos cotilédones + ambas as folhas unifolioladas; 6-Remoção de 1 folha unifoliolada; 7-Remoção de ambas as folhas unifolioladas; 8-Corte abaixo das folhas unifoliadas; 9-Remoção do broto das folhas trifolioladas; 10-Desfolha total; 11-Desfolha total + remoção da gema apical (apenas no primeiro ensaio). A injúria foi realizada manualmente e inseticidas foram aplicados semanalmente para impedir injúria por insetos. Os resultados evidenciaram que a produção de soja foi reduzida somente quando a injúria foi severa o suficiente para provocar a redução do estande em consequência da morte de plantas. Isso ocorreu nos tratamentos 5, 10 e 11. Nos demais tratamentos, as plantas foram capazes de se recuperar, o que comprova que o nível de ação de 30% de desfolha que é recomendado para iniciar o controle é seguro e deve ser respeitado pelos sojicultores

The interface between bioethics and physiotherapy in brazilian indexed papers

Introdução: Apesar de ainda muito incipiente a aproximação entre fisioterapia e bioética no Brasil, tem sido crescente a preocupação com o seu desenvolvimento devido à variedade de conflitos éticos que podem envolver os fisioterapeutas. O objetivo deste artigo foi fazer um estudo sobre as temáticas e a fundamentação teórica dos artigos indexados que pretendiam discutir a interface entre fisioterapia e bioética. Materiais e métodos: Trata-se de estudo de análise de conteúdo pelo método de Bardin em todos os artigos publicados em revistas indexadas, encontrados nas fontes BIREME e SciELO entre 2000 e 2011, utilizando os descritores: fisioterapia e bioética e seus derivados. Resultados: Confirmou-se o nível primário do desenvolvimento da reflexão bioética em fisioterapia, mostrando deficiências conceituais, distanciamento das teorias mais modernas e dos modelos desenvolvidos no Brasil e falta de consideração dos contextos socioculturais e econômicos como elementos que influenciam a geração de conflitos. Considerações finais: Apontou-se a necessidade de desenvolver projetos de capacitação em bioética para professores e pesquisadores da área de fisioterapia, com vistas ao desenvolvimento de conteúdos nos programas de graduação e pós-graduação.Introduction: Although still incipient rapprochement between Physical Therapy and Bioethics in Brazil has been growing concern about its development due to the variety of ethical conflicts that may involve physiotherapists. This paper was a study on the themes and the theoretical foundation of the articles indexed wishing to discuss the interface between Physical Therapy and Bioethics. Materials and methods: This study was conducted by content analysis method Bardin in all papers published in refereed journals, found in the sources BIREME and SciELO between 2000 and 2011 using the keywords: physiotherapy and bioethics and its derivatives. Results: We confirmed the primary level of development of bioethical reflection in physical therapy, showing conceptual deficiencies, distance of more modern theories and models developed in Brazil and lack of consideration of sociocultural and economic factors as influencing the generation of conflict. Final thoughts: It was pointed out the need to develop training projects in bioethics for teachers and researchers in the field of physical therapy in order to develop content in undergraduate programs and graduate

Behavior of different soot combustion catalysts under NOx/O2. Importance of the catalyst–soot contact

Four different catalysts (Pt/Al2O3, Ce0.8Zr0.2O2, PrO2−x and SrTiCuO3) have been investigated on a laboratory scale to evaluate their potential as diesel soot combustion catalysts under different experimental conditions, which simulate the situation found in a continuous regeneration technology trap (dual-bed configuration of catalyst and soot) or a catalyst-coated filter system (single-bed configuration, both catalyst and soot particles mixed under loose-contact mode). Under dual-bed configuration, the behavior of the catalysts towards soot combustion are very similar, despite the differences observed in the NO2 production profiles. However, under single-bed configuration, there are important differences in the soot combustion activities and in the NO2 slip profiles. The configurations chosen have an enormous impact on CO/(CO + CO2) ratios of combustion products as well. The most active catalyst under NOx + O2 is PrO2−x combining a high contribution of active oxygen-assisted soot combustion as well as high NO2 production activity along the catalytic bed.Financial support of Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo/2009/047 project) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project CTQ2012-30703, which is co-funded by FEDER resources). N. G. H. wishes to thank Generalitat Valenciana her Ph.D. grant within VAL i+d Program

AIAA Design, Build, Fly: Aerodynamics

As part of the Santa Clara University Senior Design Project, the AIAA Design, Build, Fly: Aerodynamics team was responsible for designing and testing the wings, tail, and control surfaces of an aircraft designed to participate in future AIAA Design, Build, Fly competitions. Named Evergreen in honor of professor John J. Montgomery, the unmanned aerial vehicle was designed and constructed in collaboration with the AIAA Design, Build, Fly: Structures and Controls senior design team. Aiming to construct a competitive aircraft for the competition, the team decided that a target weight of approximately 3.5 kg and a cruise speed of 25 m/s would be the starting points of the design. For the general wing configuration, three options were considered: monoplane (low-wing), cantilever (high-wing), and biplane. The cantilever configuration presented the desired wing characteristics for this aircraft, such as higher lift, stability, and ease of manufacturing. To minimize wing loading and take-off speeds, a wingspan of 1.50 m was selected considering that the maximum dimension length permitted by the competition is 1.57 m (62 in). After conducting a selection study between several high-lift airfoils, the NACA 4416 airfoil would be the most suitable, with an optimal chord length of 0.3028 m due to the previously decided weight and velocity. For the wing control surfaces, a flaperon configuration was chosen instead of separate flap and aileron structures. Through the use of flaperons, the weight and complexity of the wing is reduced while maintaining the necessary functionality from the surfaces. To avoid unpredictable behavior due to vortices created at the inward tips of the flaperons, a maximum size of 42 cm was determined, which proved sufficient at providing relatively low take-off speeds (\u3c 15 m/s). In collaboration with the Structures and Controls team, the fuselage size was used to determine the optimal dimensions of the tail, minimizing drag and guaranteeing aircraft stability in all flight modes. For the stability study, XFLR5TM was utilized as it is a powerful tool that can accurately determine the stability of the aircraft in all eight relevant flight modes given the dimension of the wing, tail assembly, and the position of the center of gravity. For complete two and three-dimensional CFD analysis, SOLIDWORKSTM Flow Simulation and ANSYSTM Fluent were exploited in parallel between the many design iterations of the Evergreen, ensuring that the theoretical design produced the desired characteristics under simulated flight conditions. Through Flow Simulation, the sizing of the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft — wing and tail — proved sufficient to sustain the anticipated weight of the aircraft, and a flap deflection study provided security on the effectiveness of the flaps for lower takeoff speeds. Additionally, the CFD analysis was useful to estimate the forces and torques experiences by the control surfaces, which was in turn used by the Structures and Controls team to select the appropriate servo motors for each control surface. Once the design was deemed aerodynamically capable, the Evergreen was constructed as a joint effort of both teams. Containing minute differences in comparison to the CAD model of the aircraft, the Evergreen performed successfully in eight separate flights, satisfying the take-off distance, control, range, and payload capacity required by the competition. With the data provided in this project, the AIAA Design, Build, Fly: Aerodynamics team is confident that future generations of students can improve and adapt the Evergreen to compete for Santa Clara University