Assessing texture pattern in slum across scales: an unsupervised approach

According to the Global Report on Human Settlements (United Nations, 2003), almost 1 billion people (32% of the world ’s population) live in squatter settlements or slums. Recently, the perception of these settlements has changed, from harmful tumours which would spread around sickly and unhealthy cities, to a new perspective that interpret them as social expressions of more complex urban dynamics. However, considering a report from UNCHS - United Nations Center for Human Settlements, in relation to illegal and disordered urbanisation issue, some of the main challenges faced by cities are related to mapping and registering geographic information and social data spatial analysis. In this context, we present, in this paper, preliminary results from a study that aims to interpret city from the perspective of urban texture, using for this purpose, high resolution remote sensing images. We have developed analytic experiments of "urban tissue" samples, trying to identify texture patterns which could (or could not) represent distinct levels of urban poverty associated to spatial patterns. Such analysis are based on some complex theory concepts and tools, such as fractal dimension and lacunarity. Preliminary results seems to suggest that the urban tissue is fractal by nature, and from the distinct texture patterns it is possible to relate social pattern to spatial configuration, making possible the development of methodologies and computational tools which could generate, via satellite, alternative and complementary mapping and classifications for urban poverty

Development of an autonomous mobile towing vehicle for logistic tasks

Frequently carrying high loads and performing repetitive tasks compromises the ergonomics of individuals, a recurrent scenario in hospital environments. In this paper, we design a logistic planner of a fleet of autonomous mobile robots for the automation of transporting trolleys around the hospital, which is independent of the space configuration, and robust to loss of network and deadlocks. Our robotic solution has an innovative gripping system capable of grasping and pulling nonmodified standard trolleys just by coupling a plate. Robots are able to navigate autonomously, to avoid obstacles assuring the safety of operators, to identify and dock a trolley, to access charging stations and elevators, and to communicate with the latter. An interface was built allowing users to command the robots through a web server. It is shown how the proposed methodology behaves in experiments conducted at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porta and Braga's Hospital.This work is financed by the ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation- COMPETE 2020 Programme, and by National Funds through the Portuguese funding agency, FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, within project SAICTPAC/0034/2015 - POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-016418. Authors would like to acknowledge to Trivalor, Itau and Gertal for the support of the project RDH.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

3 DoF/6 DoF Localization System for Low Computing Power Mobile Robot Platforms

Mobile robot platforms have a wide range of hardware configurations in order to accomplish challenging tasks and require an efficient and accurate localization system to navigate in the environment. The objective of this work is the evaluation of the developed Dynamic Robot Localization (DRL) system in three computing platforms, with CPUs ranging from low to high end (Intel Atom, Core i5, and i7), in order to analyze the configurations that can be used to adjust the trade-offs between pose estimation accuracy and the associated computing resources required. The DRL is capable of performing pose tracking and global pose estimation in both 3 and 6 Degrees of Freedom (DoF) using point cloud data retrieved from LIDARs and RGB-D cameras and achieved translation errors of less than 30 mm and rotation errors of less than 5° when evaluated in three environments. The sensor data retrieved from three testing platforms was processed and the detailed profiling results were analyzed. Besides pose estimation, the self-localization system is also able to perform mapping of the environment with probabilistic integration or removal of geometry and can use surface reconstruction to minimize the impact of sensor noise. These abilities will allow the fast deployment of mobile robots in dynamic environments

The implementation of e-learning in the continuous training of the military of the Republican National Guard. Case study: Lisbon Territorial Command

The training needs felt in the professional path of the military of the Republican National Guard, associated with the potential of using new technologies is the core of this investigation. Training is one of the great challenges that organizations currently face and, in the National Republican Guard, it plays a fundamental role in the service provided by the Institution, making it clear the high importance of acquiring and maintaining knowledge and skills for the performance on several roles in the organization. The present investigation aims to determine the importance of the e-Learning tool for the continuous training of the soldiers of the National Republican Guard. In this context, it is intended to characterize the importance of continuous training whose objective is to identify and analyze the consequences of the tool, as well as to identify the impact of the use of new technologies in the training of the institution's military, according to a case study in the Lisbon Territorial Command. The method that supports the investigation is the deductive method, which is based on a logic from the general to the particular. In order to achieve the defined objectives, we opted for interviews and a questionnaire survey, complemented with a documentary analysis resulting from bibliographic research and institutional documents. Thus, it appears that continuous training has a high importance for the professional development of the military, since it promotes quality in the service provided, positively affecting the daily activities of the military, increasing individual success and, consequently, organizational success . It is concluded that e-Learning represents an asset for continuous training, since it is a catalyst for the potential of the institution's human resources.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Robust mobile robot localization based on security laser scanner

This paper addresses the development of a new localization system based on a security laser presented on most AGVs for safety reasons. An enhanced artificial beacons detection algorithm is applied with a combination of a Kalman filter and an outliers rejection method in order to increase the robustness and precision of the system. This new robust approach allows to implement such system in current AGVs. Real results in industrial environment validate the proposed methodology.The work presented in this paper, being part of the Project "NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000060" is financed by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and by national funds, through the Portuguese funding agency, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tbx20 Is Required in Mid-Gestation Cardiomyocytes and Plays a Central Role in Atrial Development.

RationaleMutations in the transcription factor TBX20 (T-box 20) are associated with congenital heart disease. Germline ablation of Tbx20 results in abnormal heart development and embryonic lethality by embryonic day 9.5. Because Tbx20 is expressed in multiple cell lineages required for myocardial development, including pharyngeal endoderm, cardiogenic mesoderm, endocardium, and myocardium, the cell type-specific requirement for TBX20 in early myocardial development remains to be explored.ObjectiveHere, we investigated roles of TBX20 in midgestation cardiomyocytes for heart development.Methods and resultsAblation of Tbx20 from developing cardiomyocytes using a doxycycline inducible cTnTCre transgene led to embryonic lethality. The circumference of developing ventricular and atrial chambers, and in particular that of prospective left atrium, was significantly reduced in Tbx20 conditional knockout mutants. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated reduced proliferation of Tbx20 mutant cardiomyocytes and their arrest at the G1-S phase transition. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis of mutant cardiomyocytes revealed differential expression of multiple genes critical for cell cycle regulation. Moreover, atrial and ventricular gene programs seemed to be aberrantly regulated. Putative direct TBX20 targets were identified using TBX20 ChIP-Seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation with high throughput sequencing) from embryonic heart and included key cell cycle genes and atrial and ventricular specific genes. Notably, TBX20 bound a conserved enhancer for a gene key to atrial development and identity, COUP-TFII/Nr2f2 (chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor 2/nuclear receptor subfamily 2, group F, member 2). This enhancer interacted with the NR2F2 promoter in human cardiomyocytes and conferred atrial specific gene expression in a transgenic mouse in a TBX20-dependent manner.ConclusionsMyocardial TBX20 directly regulates a subset of genes required for fetal cardiomyocyte proliferation, including those required for the G1-S transition. TBX20 also directly downregulates progenitor-specific genes and, in addition to regulating genes that specify chamber versus nonchamber myocardium, directly activates genes required for establishment or maintenance of atrial and ventricular identity. TBX20 plays a previously unappreciated key role in atrial development through direct regulation of an evolutionarily conserved COUPT-FII enhancer

Importância do uso de caprino e ovinos naturalizados na produção de carne, leite e peles na Região de Semi-árido do Nordeste.

Uma das ferramentas que o produtor dispõem para aumentar a eficiência econômica da unidade de produção rural é o melhoramento genético do seu rebanho. Melhorar não necessariamente implica em produzir mais, mas com a mesma ou menor produção pode-se também aumentar o lucro (Madalena, 1986). Por melhoramento genético entende-se a mudança do material hereditário dos animais de forma a capacitá-los a produzir mais economicamente num determinado ambiente, caracterizado pela localização geográfica, micro-clima, os recursos naturais e estruturais de interesse para a produção de alimentos para os animais (aguadas, solos, relevo, área) e organização técnica da fazenda. O melhoramento genético começa pela escolha do tipo de animal apropriado para a empresa rural. Aquelas com maior potencial para produção, podem utilizar animais especializados, geralmente de raças importadas, que possuem maior exigência no trato. É indispensável equilibrar a parte genética com as condições de ambiente da exploração animal e a produção esperada é dependente da racionalização dessas duas forças (Pereira, 1999). As definições acima, clássicas do melhoramento animal, parecem ser assimiladas facilmente nos meios acadêmicos. Entretanto, na realidade rural, outros conceitos estão mais fixados entre técnicos e produtores. Os produtores brasileiros, em qualquer nível tecnológico que se encontrem, almejam sempre o aumento de produtividade, e o caminho mais usual para o alcance deste alvo tem sido a incorporação de animais superiores ao plantel. Os baixos índices zootécnicos encontrados são freqüentemente criticados pelos técnicos, ignorando o conceito múltiplo de ambiente e os custos necessários para alterar um ambiente. Para os socioeconomistas, produtividade é conceitualmente diferente de eficiência. A eficiência é calculada conhecendo-se o nível de recursos utilizados no sistema de produção (inputs) e os resultados ou produtos obtidos (outputs). Este conceito pode ser utilizado para avaliar o processo de intensificação de sistemas de produção agropecuários, que nem sempre produzem uma eficiência maior (Abreu, 2006). Portanto, tal perspectiva de que o modelo implantado pelos agricultores do semi-árido (de baixo input) está “errado” coloca a ovinocaprinocultura do Nordeste em paradoxo. Esquecem-se os técnicos de procurar entender quais as reais possibilidades de mudança no sistema diagnosticado, dentro do conceito de eficiência: seja pela adversidade ambiental, econômica ou social

Relativistic Quantum Scattering on a Cone

We study the relativistic quantum mechanical scattering of a bosonic particle by an infinite straight cosmic string, considering the non-minimal coupling between the bosonic field and the scalar curvature. In this case, an effective two-dimensional delta-function interaction takes place besides the usual topological scattering and a renormalization procedure is necessary in order to treat the problem that appears in connection with the delta-function.Comment: 22 pages, LATEX fil

MANEJO de caprinos leiteiros na agricultura familiar.

Manejo das crias; Manejo das matrizes; Manejo sanitário; Escolha das raças. Equipe Técnica: Adriana Mello de Araújo, Tânia Maria Leal, Raimundo Bezerra de Araújo Neto, Robério dos Santos Sobreira, Francisco das Chagas Monteiro.bitstream/item/104135/1/Manejo-de-caprinos0001.pd

2D cloud template matching - a comparison between iterative closest point and perfect match

Self-localization of mobile robots in the environment is one of the most fundamental problems in the robotics field. It is a complex and challenging problem due to the high requirements of autonomous mobile vehicles, particularly with regard to algorithms accuracy, robustness and computational efficiency. In this paper we present the comparison of two of the most used map-matching algorithm, which are the Iterative Closest Point and the Perfect Match. This category of algorithms are normally applied in localization based on natural landmarks. They were compared using an extensive collection of metrics, such as accuracy, computational efficiency, convergence speed, maximum admissible initialization error and robustness to outliers in the robots sensors data. The test results were performed in both simulated and real world environments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio