Strategy Synthesis for Autonomous Agents Using PRISM

We present probabilistic models for autonomous agent search and retrieve missions derived from Simulink models for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and show how probabilistic model checking and the probabilistic model checker PRISM can be used for optimal controller generation. We introduce a sequence of scenarios relevant to UAVs and other autonomous agents such as underwater and ground vehicles. For each scenario we demonstrate how it can be modelled using the PRISM language, give model checking statistics and present the synthesised optimal controllers. We conclude with a discussion of the limitations when using probabilistic model checking and PRISM in this context and what steps can be taken to overcome them. In addition, we consider how the controllers can be returned to the UAV and adapted for use on larger search areas

Perception of rolling noise

Due to improvements on combustion-engines and electric-engines for cars, tyre noise has become the prominent noise source at low and medium speeds. Models exist that simulate the noise produced by a rolling tyre, as do models that auralize different traffic situations from a basic data set. When constructing a tyre it is of interest if improvements and planned changes are not only physically measurable, but that they also can be perceived. Focussing on that, two aims were followed in this thesis. The first aim was to combine an established model for tyre noise (SPERoN) with an auralization tool. The combined model can predict the spectrum of the sound at 7.5 m, as well as reproduce the sound for a given listener position. The auralization uses a methodology where recorded sounds are converted to source signals for engine and tyre/road-interaction. These can be shaped by the spectra estimated in SPERoN and synthesized back into a pass-by signal. Psychoacoustic judgements were used to compare the modelled signals with recorded signals. To see how well the modelled signals match the real recorded signals for perception, two listening-tests were performed. The simulated and recorded signals were rated by pleasantness, loudness, roughness and sharpness using semantic differentials. It was found that responses for simulated and recorded signals correlate for all cases, but rankings could not be reproduced exactly. The model can be further improved to be more applicable for listening tests. The model has been optimized after a first validation. The second aim laid focus on the perception of tyre/road noise. When designing tyre sounds, the main aim should be to increase the pleasantness of the total vehicle sound while maintaining the carried information and reducing the sound level. To be able to do this an understanding of how physical changes in a tyre are reflected in the perception of the same tyre is essential. Thus, the second aim was to see if the rolling noise of a tyre can be both differentiated and characterized by its perceptual qualities. The focus is on the perception of the sound outside the car, perceived by for example a pedestrian. Listeners have judged different road tyre combinations and their perception in terms of their emotional responses (pleasantness, activation and stress) and their psychoacoustic responses (loudness, sharpness, roughness, and pitch). The results confirmed that rolling noise can be perceptually differentiated. It is further possible to differentiate between the effects of the street and the effects of the tyre on all emotional and most psychoacoustic parameters. The results suggest that changes to road surfaces or tyres can affect both emotional and psychoacoustic perceptual qualities

AURALIZATION, PERCEPTION AND DETECTION OF TYRE–ROAD NOISE

Due to improvements in combustion engines and electric engines for cars, tyre noise has become the prominent noise source at low and medium speeds. Models exist that simulate the noise produced by a rolling tyre, as do models that auralize specific traffic situations from a basic data set. A model that combines both could assist in the planning stage of a tyre by delivering not only estimates of the physical behaviour of the tyre, but also by further making the resulting sound perceivable. Further, such a model could help to design acoustic traffic situations with full control of all parameters. Focusing on that, this thesis has three aims. All focus is on the perception of the sound of a car from the outside, perceived by, for example, a pedestrian. The first aim is to combine an established model for tyre noise (SPERoN) with an auralization tool. The combined model can predict the spectrum of a car pass-by at 7.5 m, as well as reproduce the sound at a given listener position. Psychoacoustic judgements are used to compare the modelled signals with recorded signals. It was found that responses for simulated and recorded signals correlated for all cases, but the ranked orders differed slightly. The second aim focuses on the perception of tyre–road noise and whether it can be differentiated and characterized by its perceptual qualities. When designing tyre sounds, the main aim should be to increase the pleasantness of the total vehicle sound while maintaining the carried information and reducing the sound level. Achieving this requires an understanding of how physical changes in a tyre are reflected in the perception of that tyre. Listeners were asked to judge different tyre–road combinations and their perception in terms of their emotional and psychoacoustic responses. The results confirmed that rolling noise can be perceptually differentiated. The third aim in this thesis was to increase understanding of the parameters that influence the detection of a single car in background traffic noise. For this, both variations in the sound of the test car and in the background (e.g. distance, traffic amount, speed, tyre/engine noise) were investigated and found to influence the reaction time. The introduced auralization method was utilized to generate the sound files for the different traffic situations.<br /><br /

Plano de gestão do design para a revitalização do Salão e Barbearia Mario & Lucy

PCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Design.Apesar do design estar ganhando cada vez mais espaço dentro das empresas, este ainda é muito visto apenas na parte operacional. A associação do design junto à estratégia permite que o profissional de design contribua com uma visão empática ao usuário, aumentando as chances de sucesso das estratégias geradas. Sendo assim, este projeto teve como foco a inserção da gestão do design como vantagem competitiva em um salão de beleza, utilizando a metodologia proposta por Mozota (2011) para a criação do planejamento e estratégias da empresa. Com base na priorização das estratégias geradas, escolheu-se o desenvolvimento de uma identidade visual para o estabelecimento, utilizando para isso a metodologia proposta por Peón (2003)

Análise do perfil do investidor dos alunos de graduação em administração da UFRGS

Para muitos brasileiros, o hábito de investir é algo distante de sua realidade. O presente trabalho traz uma pesquisa realizada com os alunos de graduação do curso de Administração da UFRGS, a fim de identificar seu perfil de investidor e os fatores influentes na construção do mesmo. Apresentam-se os resultados obtidos do estudo quantitativo e de caráter descritivo, onde considera-se a resposta do total de 261 alunos da graduação em Administração. Foi possível constatar que os alunos possuem um perfil moderado com relação aos seus investimentos, que é possível afirmar que os seus investimentos pessoais são influenciados pelas aulas, professores e colegas da Escola de Administração e também que há uma percepção dos alunos de que o ensino financeiro praticado nas aulas da graduação exercem influência na escolha de seus investimentos pessoais.For many Brazilians, the habit of investing is far from their reality. The present work brings a research carried out with the undergraduate students of the UFRGS Management course, in order to identify their investor profile and the influential factors in the construction of the same. The results obtained from the quantitative and descriptive study are presented, where the response of the total of 261 undergraduate students in Management is considered. It was possible to verify that the students have a moderate profile in relation to their investments, that it is possible to affirm that their personal investments are influenced by the classes, teachers and colleagues of the School of Management and also that there is a perception of the students that financial education practiced in undergraduate classes have an influence on the choice of their personal investments

Autonomous agent behaviour modelled in PRISM -- a case study

This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [grant number EP/N508792/1].Formal verification of agents representing robot behaviour is a growing area due to the demand that autonomous systems have to be proven safe. In this paper we present an abstract definition of autonomy which can be used to model autonomous scenarios and propose the use of small-scale simulation models representing abstract actions to infer quantitative data. To demonstrate the applicability of the approach we build and verify a model of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in an exemplary autonomous scenario, utilising this approach.Publisher PD

Avaliação do potencial mutagênico do mesilato de doxazosina na linhagem celular de glioma de rato (C6), através da técnica de micronúcleo com bloqueio da citocinese celular (CBMN)

O mesilato de doxazosina é utilizado na clínica para o tratamento de hipertensão, insuficiência cardíaca congestiva e hiperplasia benigna de próstata (BPH). Porém, muitos estudos demonstram seu potencial antineoplásico, principalmente para tratamento de glioblastomas. O teste de CBMN (Cytokynesis-block micronucleus ) é extensivamente utilizado na epidemiologia celular e citogenética para determinar a presença e a extensão de dano cromossômico. Este teste detecta agentes genotóxicos clastogênicos e aneugênicos através da análise de alterações gênicas como micronúcleos (MN), pontes nucleoplasmáticas (PN) e brotos nucleares (BrN). Considerando que poucos trabalhos relatam a capacidade genotóxica da doxazosina e visando suas novas aplicações terapêuticas, se torna importante que haja uma avaliação do seu potencial mutagênico. Portanto, o objetivo do nosso estudo foi avaliar o potencial citotóxico e mutagênico do mesilato de doxazosina, através da técnica de CBMN in vitro , na linhagem de glioma de rato (C6). Para isso as células foram submetidas ao tratamento com mesilato de doxazosina em concentrações de 3μM a 250μM em conjunto com citocalasina (2,5 μl/mL), um bloqueador da citocinese celular, durante um período de 24 horas. Após isso, foi realizada a coleta das células em lâminas através do uso de citocentrífuga e posterior coloração. Essas lâminas foram analisadas em microscópio óptico, onde, pelo menos mil células por cultura foram analisadas quanto a presença de células mono, bi, tri e multinucleadas para análise do CBPI ( Cytokinesis-Block Proliferation Índex ), e duas mil células por cultura foram analisadas quanto a frequência de MN, PN e BrN, para todas as concentrações. Na análise do CBPI encontramos resultados significativos para ambos os testes nas células tratadas com doxazosina nas concentrações acima de 50μM. Para análises de marcadores de instabilidade genômica, notamos uma significativa diminuição no número de micronúcleos das células tratadas com as concentrações de 3μM, 6μM e 12μM de doxazosina, se comparados às células do controle negativo. Sendo assim, concluímos que a doxazosina é capaz de induzir citostase de 50% em células C6 quando aplicada na concentrações de 100μM e 150μM quando analisadas pelo CBPI. Nas concentrações de mesilato de doxazosina testadas no presente estudo (3μM a 50μM) em célula de glioma de ratos (C6) pelo teste de CBMN, não há evidências significativas de que esse fármaco apresente potencial mutagênico

Collaborative models for autonomous systems controller synthesis

Funding: UK EPSRC grants EP/N508792/1, EP/N007565 and EC/P51133X/1.We show how detailed simulation models and abstract Markov models can be developed collaboratively to generate and implement effective controllers for autonomous agent search and retrieve missions. We introduce a concrete simulation model of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). We then show how the probabilistic model checker PRISM is used for optimal strategy synthesis for a sequence of scenarios relevant to UAVs and potentially other autonomous agent systems. For each scenario we demonstrate how it can be modelled using PRISM, give model checking statistics and present the synthesised optimal strategies. We then show how our strategies can be returned to the controller for the simulation model and provide experimental results to demonstrate the effectiveness of one such strategy. Finally we explain how our models can be adapted, using symmetry, for use on larger search areas, and demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe