Philosophy and ethics of aerospace engineering

Engineering was a recognized human activity at a certain period of the history (17th / 18th centuries) when some militaries designed, constructed, operated, and maintained fortifications and engines of war, and then those activities were transferred into non-military applications. Engineering has continued to change geographically and socially and presently is extremely broad and its relevance it’s not solely technology based. However, its role in technology is decisive since is largely by technology that current society keeps its coherence. Philosophy of Technology has particularly attentive to the impact of technology on society and culture, rather than with technology itself. Actually, Philosophy has not paid adequate attention to engineering. On the contrary, at least since the 1960s, members of the philosophical community have been accusing engineers of polluting the natural world, transforming the climate, making useless consumer products, etc. Only in 1994 a new branch of Philosophy of Technology has emerged that is concerned with the technology itself, and may be called Engineering Philosophy of Technology or Philosophy and Ethics of Engineering. This is a new way of looking through engineering, that not only considers the ethical aspects but also many other modern issues that are being transformed by technical creations such as new existentialisms of risk projection, electronic networking, virtual reality, trans human and remote sensation and perception, graphic media presentations and probability analysis, interactive internet web sites, food, housing, transportation, communications, economics, etc. The present work starts with an expedition to the history of the Aeronautical Engineering in parallel with the Philosophy and Ethics in order to demonstrate the relationship between them. This thesis is intended to show the link between the aerospace/aeronautical engineering and world-wide economy growth (or lack of it!). This is done by analyzing some economic data in terms of world impact as well as the relevant social aspects such as the salaries of the airplane industry in the United States, France and Brazil, and their relation to the company income and country. These countries were selected due to their constant increase in state-of-the-art equipment proven in companies like Boeing, Airbus and Embraer.A Engenharia é uma atividade humana reconhecida num determinado período da história (séculos XVII e XVIII), quando alguns militares projetaram, construíram, operaram e mantiveram fortificações e máquinas de guerra e, em seguida, essas atividades foram transferidas para aplicações não militares. A Engenharia continuou a mudar geográfica e socialmente e atualmente tem uma abrangência extremamente ampla e a sua relevância não é apenas baseada em tecnologia. No entanto, o seu papel na tecnologia é decisivo, pois é em grande parte pela tecnologia que a sociedade atual mantém sua coerência. A Filosofia da Tecnologia tem estado particularmente atenta ao impacto da tecnologia na sociedade e na cultura, mas não na própria tecnologia. Na verdade, a Filosofia não deu uma atenção adequada à engenharia. Pelo contrário, ao menos desde a década de 1960, membros da comunidade filosófica têm acusado os engenheiros de poluir o mundo natural, transformando o clima, fazendo produtos de consumo inúteis, etc. Somente em 1994 surgiu um novo ramo da Filosofia da Tecnologia que é se preocupa, também, com a própria tecnologia, e pode ser chamado Filosofia de Engenharia da Tecnologia (por contraponto à Filosofia de Humanidades da Tecnologia, versando apenas os aspetos das Humanidades – Humanities Philosophy of Technology) ou Filosofia e Ética da Engenharia. Trata-se de uma nova forma de olhar através da Engenharia, que não só considera os aspetos éticos, mas também muitos outros temas modernos que estão sendo transformados por criações técnicas como os novos existencialismos de projeção de riscos, redes informáticas, realidade virtual, sensação e perceção transumana e remota, apresentações gráficas e análise de probabilidades, sítios de internet interativos, alimentação, alojamento, transporte, comunicações, economia, etc. O presente trabalho começa com uma expedição à história da Engenharia Aeronáutica em paralelo com a Filosofia e Ética, a fim de demonstrar a relação entre eles. Esta tese destina-se a mostrar a ligação entre a engenharia Aeroespacial / Aeronáutica e o crescimento da economia mundial (ou falta dela!). Isto é feito analisando alguns dados econômicos em termos de impacto mundial, bem como os aspetos sociais relevantes, tais como os salários da indústria de aviões nos Estados Unidos, França e Brasil, e sua relação com o rendimento da empresa e país. Estes países foram selecionados devido ao constante aumento de equipamentos de última geração comprovados em empresas como Boeing, Airbus e Embraer

First search for ultralight dark matter with a space-based gravitational-wave antenna: LISA Pathfinder

We present here results from the first-ever search for dark photon dark matter that could have coupled to baryons in LISA Pathfinder, the technology demonstrator for a space-based gravitational-wave antenna. After analyzing approximately three months of data taken by LISA Pathfinder in the frequency range $[2\times 10^{-5},5]$ Hz, corresponding to dark photon masses of $[8\times 10^{-20},2\times 10^{-14}]$ eV/$c^2$, we find no evidence of a dark-matter signal, and set upper limits on the strength of the dark photon/baryon coupling. To perform this search, we leveraged methods that search for quasi-monochromatic gravitational-wave signals in ground-based interferometers, and are robust against non-Gaussianities and gaps in the data. Our work therefore represents a proof-of-concept test of search methods in LISA to find persistent, quasi-monochromatic signals, and shows our ability to handle non-Guassian artifacts and gaps while maintaining good sensitivity compared to the optimal matched filter. The results also indicate that these methods can be powerful tools in LISA to not only find dark matter, but also look for other persistent signals from e.g. intermediate-mass black hole inspirals and galactic white dwarf binaries.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Integration of ROS navigation stack with dynamic environment information in gazebo simulation

Sensing the environment is a crucial task that robots have to perform to navigate autonomously. Furthermore, it must be well executed to make navigation safer and collision- free. As autonomous mobile robots are being deployed in several applications, they often encounter dynamic habitats, where sensing and perceiving the environment becomes harder. This work proposes integrating a wireless sensor network with the Robotic Operating System to incorporate data into layered costmaps used by the robot to navigate, feeding the algorithms with advanced information about the territory. The architecture was tested in simulation, where we could validate the structure and collect data showing improved paths calculated and reduced computational load through better parametrization. Thus, this strategy ensures that the advanced information about the environment has improved the navigation process.The authors are grateful to the Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI) for sharing its facilities and material, and also to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support as mentioned earlier.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparison of Nanosized Gold-Based and Copper-Based Catalysts for the Low-Temperature Water-Gas Shift Reaction

In this paper the catalytic performances for the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction of Au/TiO(2) type A (from World Gold Council), Au/CeO(2) (developed at UPV-CSIC), CuO/Al(2)O(3) (from BASF), and CuO/ZnO/ Al(2)O(3) (from REB Research & Consulting) have been compared. The catalysts were characterized by different techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, BET surface area measurements, temperature-programmed reduction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, which gave additional information on the redox properties and textural and morphological structure of the investigated samples. The performances of these catalysts were evaluated in a wide range of operating conditions in a micro packed-bed reactor. It was observed that the presence of reaction products in the feed (CO(2) and H(2)), as well as CO and H(2)O feed concentrations, have significant effects on the catalytic performances. With a typical reformate feed the Au/CeO(2) catalyst reveals the highest CO conversion at the lowest temperature investigated (150 degrees C). However, while in the long tests performed the CuO/ZnO/Al(2)O(3) catalyst showed a good stability for the entire range of temperatures tested (150-300 degrees C), the Au/CeO(2) sample clearly showed two distinct behaviors: a progressive deactivation at lower temperatures and a good stability at higher ones. The selection of the best catalytic system is therefore clearly dependent upon the range of temperatures used

Facebook vs moodle : Surveying university students on the use of learning management systems to support learning activities outside the classroom

CISTI'2015 - 10ª Conferência Ibérica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação, 17 a 20 de junho de 2015, Águeda, Aveiro, Portugal.Learning management systems and social networks on Web have been tools most used by students in higher education institutions as learning support tools outside of the classroom. In this paper, we present the results from a survey conducted at a Portuguese university to 159 students in Computer Science and Psychology about the purposes and reasons for the use of Moodle and Facebook. We conclude, among other conclusions, that they complement each other: while the first is mostly used for formal communication with teachers, the second is mostly used for informal communication with peers

Gentrification, ethnicization et la production sociale de l’espace fragmenté dans deux quartiers multi-ethniques de Lisbonne et Bilbao

Simultaneous trends for ethnicization and gentrification are contributing to the fragmentation of contemporary urban spaces. This is characterised by the emergence of new social and urban units that break the homogeneity of the modern city and lead to the development of new networks, territorially discontinuous, less neighbourhood centred and with a limited intersection. With Mouraria (Lisbon, Portugal) and San Francisco (Bilbao, Spain), two traditional and multiethnic neighbourhoods, as case-studies this paper aims to critically discuss the nature of gentrification, its coexistence with ethnicization and its contribution for socio-urban fragmentation. The empirical analysis of the residents’ social networks will be used to test levels and types of interaction and the spatial formats they assume.Tendências simultâneas para a etnicização residencial e a nobilitação têm contribuído para a fragmentação do espaço urbano contemporâneo. Esta caracteriza-se pelo surgimento de novas unidades sociais e urbanas que quebram a homogeneidade da cidade moderna e conduzem ao desenvolvimento de novas redes relacionais, descontínuas, menos centradas no bairro e com um nível limitado de intersecção. Com a Mouraria (Lisboa, Portugal) e San Francisco (Bilbau, Espanha), dois bairros tradicionais e multiétnicos, como estudos de caso, discutir-se- -á criticamente a natureza da nobilitação, a sua relação com a etnicização e a sua contribuição para a fragmentação sócio-espacial. A análise das redes sociais dos residentes será utilizada para testar níveis e tipos de interacção, bem como os formatos espaciais que estes assumem.Des tendances simultanées d’éthnicization et de gentrification ont contribué à la fragmentation de l’espace urbain contemporain. Celle-ci est caractérisée par de nouvelles unités sociales et urbaines, qui détruisent l’homogénéité de la ville moderne et conduisent au développement de nouveaux réseaux, spatialement discontinus, moins centrés sur les quartiers et avec une intersection limitée. A partir de deux études de cas de quartiers traditionnels et multiethniques (Mouraria, Lisbonne et Bilbao, Espagne), la nature de la gentrification sera discutée, ainsi que sa relation avec l’éthnicization et sa contribution pour la fragmentation socio-spatiale. L’analyse empirique des réseaux sociaux des résidents servira pour tester les niveaux et les types d’intégration, ainsi que leurs formats spatiaux.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

El estudio del desarrollo motor: entre la tradición y el futuro

La formación que en la actualidad se imparte en las Facultades de Educación y de Ciencias del Deporte coincide en considerar que el estudio del Desarrollo Motor forme parte de los componentes nucleares de la misma. En el presente artículo los autores hacen un repaso de lo que ha supuesto la evolución de esta subdisciplina del estudio del comportamiento motor, sus autores más relevantes, enfoques teóricos y su significado para le educación física y el deporte. No siendo un ámbito de larga tradición, sin embargo presenta toda una serie de peculiaridades que lo hacen activo y dinámico, que permite la compresión de cómo los seres humanos desde el nacimiento hasta la muerte evolucionan y cambian, de cómo emergen sus competencias motrices y de los factores que las afectan. En definitiva defiende la necesidad de que esta materia forme parte de la formación de grado de todos aquellos que van a dirigir sus esfuerzos profesionales en la mejora y el cultivo de la competencia motriz y deportiva.Nowadays Faculties of Education and Departments of Exercise and Sport Sciences consider that subjects like Motor Development must have a importa role in the eductation of teachers. This article makes a review of the evolution of this Motor beavior’s subdisciple, its main authors, its main theories and its implication for Physical Education and Sport in the near future. Motor Development is not a domain with a long history and tradition but it has several peculiarities that makes it dynamic and activ, and offer opotunities to understand the life span changes that have human beings when they develop their motor competencies, how these competenceis emege and which kind of constraints affect them. This article defends the right of forming part of curricula for all students that will be involved in the education and training of people in Physical Education and Sport settings