Robust Network Reconstruction in Polynomial Time

This paper presents an efficient algorithm for robust network reconstruction of Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) systems in the presence of noise, estimation errors and unmodelled nonlinearities. The method here builds on previous work on robust reconstruction to provide a practical implementation with polynomial computational complexity. Following the same experimental protocol, the algorithm obtains a set of structurally-related candidate solutions spanning every level of sparsity. We prove the existence of a magnitude bound on the noise, which if satisfied, guarantees that one of these structures is the correct solution. A problem-specific model-selection procedure then selects a single solution from this set and provides a measure of confidence in that solution. Extensive simulations quantify the expected performance for different levels of noise and show that significantly more noise can be tolerated in comparison to the original method.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in 51st IEEE Conference on Decision and Contro

Mapping the Americanization of English in Space and Time

As global political preeminence gradually shifted from the United Kingdom to the United States, so did the capacity to culturally influence the rest of the world. In this work, we analyze how the world-wide varieties of written English are evolving. We study both the spatial and temporal variations of vocabulary and spelling of English using a large corpus of geolocated tweets and the Google Books datasets corresponding to books published in the US and the UK. The advantage of our approach is that we can address both standard written language (Google Books) and the more colloquial forms of microblogging messages (Twitter). We find that American English is the dominant form of English outside the UK and that its influence is felt even within the UK borders. Finally, we analyze how this trend has evolved over time and the impact that some cultural events have had in shaping it.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Published versio

Estilos de vida em idosas e níveis de atividade física: um estudo piloto

The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) is a standardized measure to estimate habitual practice of physical activities. Because of the specificity of different elderly’s life styles, and, consequently, modes of physical activity, the purpose of this pilot study was to analyze differences among ten regular gym practitioners (fitness group) (68,60±3,57 years of age) and ten Senior University students without gym practice (informal group) (71,30±5,54 years of age). The results showed that energy expenditure doesn’t depend solely on regular and controlled physical activity at a Fitness center, and that functional motor activity, as daily life active transportation and domestic and garden activities, resulted in similar energy expenditure. It’s suggested that programs combining energy expenditure and daily life motor activities is a good solution for quality of life enhancement, and an alternative to more standardized fitness practices.O Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (IPAQ) é uma medida padronizada para estimar a prática habitual de atividades físicas. A finalidade deste estudo piloto foi analisar as diferenças entre dez praticantes regulares de ginásio (68,60 ± 3,57 anos de idade) e dez estudantes de uma Universidade Sénior sem atividade física formal (grupo informal) (71,30 ± 5,54 anos de idade). Os resultados mostraram que o dispêndio energético não depende unicamente da atividade física regular e controlada num centro de Fitness, e que a atividade motora funcional, como o transporte ativo e as atividades domésticas e de jardim, resultou em gastos energéticos semelhantes. Sugere-se que programas que combinem dispêndio energético e atividades motoras de vida diária são uma boa solução para a valorização da qualidade de vida e uma alternativa a práticas de Fitness mais padronizadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transferência de recursos Fundo a Fundo na Estratégia Saúde da Família no Distrito Federal : uma análise à luz do controle social nos anos de 2012 e 2013

Mestrado (dissertação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, 2015.Considerada a porta de entrada preferencial do Sistema Único de Saúde, a Atenção Básica em Saúde (ABS) tem na Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) o ponto de partida para a estruturação dos sistemas locais de saúde. Em Os recursos para a ESF no DF são insuficientes - o que diz o controle social? Buscou-se, com base nos repasses fundo a fundo ordenados à Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Distrito Federal nos anos de 2012 e 2013, no Plano de Reorganização da APS, e nos relatórios do Conselho de Saúde do Distrito Federal (CSDF), buscar estabelecer relação de suficiência ou insuficiência entre as metas pretendidas e os recursos executados tendo em vista o financiamento desse nível de assistência.Considered as the preferred gateway to the National Health System, the Primary Health Care (ABS) has in the Family Health Strategy (FHS) the starting point for the structuring of local health systems. In The resources for the ESF in the DF are insufficient - says the social control? We sought, based on the fund to fund transfers ordered the Ministry of Health of the Federal District in the years 2012 and 2013 in the APS Reorganization Plan, and the reports of the Board of Health of the Federal District (CSDF), seek establish sufficiency ratio or failure between the intended goals and the resources implemented in order to finance this level of service

Efficiency of a gearbox lubricated with windmill gear oils

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Port

Exploring asymmetric roles in mixed-ability gaming

Tese de mestrado, Informática, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2020Noticeably, the majority of mainstreamgames — digitalgames and tabletopgames — are still designed for players with a standard set of abilities. As such, people with someformof disability, oftenface insurmountable challengestoplay mainstreamgames or are limited to playgames specifcally designed for them. By conducting an initial study, we share multiplayer gaming experiences of people with visual impairments collected from interviews with 10 adults and 10 minors, and 140 responses to an online survey. We include the perspectives of 17 sighted people who play with someone who has a visual impairment, collected in a second online survey. We found that people with visual impairments are playingdiversegames,butface limitationsin playing with others who have different visual abilities. What stood out is the lack of intersection ingaming opportunities, and consequently, in habits and interests of people with different visual abilities. In this study, we highlight barriers associated with these experiences beyond inaccessibility issues and discuss implications and opportunities for the design of mixed-abilitygaming.Asexpected,we foundaworrying absenceofgames that caterto different abilities. In this context, we explored ability-based asymmetric roles as a design approach to create engaging and challenging mixed-ability play. We designed and developed two collaborative testbedgamesexploring asymmetric interdependent roles. In a remote study with 13 mixed-visual-ability pairs we assessed how roles affected perceptions of engagement, competence, and autonomy, using a mixed-methods approach. The games provided an engaging and challenging experience, in which differences in visual ability were not limiting. Our results underline how experiences unequal by design can give rise to an equitable joint experience