Parallel, angular and perpendicular parking for self-driving cars using deep reinforcement learning

The progress in creating a fully autonomous selfdriving car has steadily increased in recent decades. Consequently, autonomous parking has been a well-researched field since every driving trip must end with a parking manoeuvre. In recent years, with the current successes in reinforcement learning, the concept of applying it to solve the autonomous parking problem has been more and more explored. A vehicle equipped with a complete autonomous parking system must perform three types of parking: perpendicular, angular and parallel parking. Autonomous parking systems control the steering angle and the vehicle speed by considering the surrounding space conditions to ensure collision-free motion within the available space. This paper presents an approach to the problem of autonomous parking using Reinforcement Learning, more precisely, Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient. This approach proved to be capable of parking in a variety of different environments for the three parking manoeuvres.This work has been supported by FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. In addition, this work has also been funded through a doctoral scholarship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) [grant number SFRH/BD/06944/2020], with funds from the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the European Social Fund through the Programa Operacional do Capital Humano (POCH)

Combining YOLO and deep reinforcement learning for autonomous driving in public roadworks scenarios

Autonomous driving is emerging as a useful practical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms regarding both supervised learning and reinforcement learning methods. AI is a well-known solution for some autonomous driving problems but it is not yet established and fully researched for facing real world problems regarding specific situations human drivers face every day, such as temporary roadworks and temporary signs. This is the core motivation for the proposed framework in this project. YOLOv3-tiny is used for detecting roadworks signs in the path traveled by the vehicle. Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) is used for controlling the behavior of the vehicle when overtaking the working zones. Security and safety of the passengers and the surrounding environment are the main concern taken into account. YOLOv3-tiny achieved an 94.8% mAP and proved to be reliable in real-world applications. DDPG made the vehicle behave with success more than 50% of the episodes when testing, although still needs some improvements to be transported to the real-world for secure and safe driving.This work has been supported by FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. In addition, this work has also been funded through a doctoral scholarship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) [grant number SFRH/BD/06944/2020], with funds from the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the European Social Fund through the Programa Operacional do Capital Humano (POCH)

Territory quality and male dominance in Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae)

In territorial species, females are often attracted by high-quality territories, which are expected to be owned by males that successfully won competition with other males. Because morphological and behavioral traits frequently influence males' combat success, these parameters may be used by females to assess the male (and associated territory) quality. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that organismal traits in dominant males of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus are associated with the quality of the territory owned. After characterizing the territories occupied, we used a discriminant analysis to test if morphological and behavioral traits of the dominant male predict the quality of the territory owned. High-quality territories were characterized by a larger number of refuges, shorter distances among shelters and a well-defined harem, in comparison with low-quality territories. Organismal traits predicted with 100% accuracy the type of the territory owned: high-quality territories were associated with larger males that had longer heads, while males occupying low-quality territories exhibited more head displays, traveled larger distances and ran slightly slower than those associated with high-quality territories. We discuss possible implications of territory quality and male traits for reproductive success in Tropidurus torquatus

Territory quality and male dominance in Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae)

In territorial species, females are often attracted by high-qualityterritories, which are expected to be owned by males that successfully won competition with other males. Because morphological and behavioral traits frequently influence males’ combat success, these parameters may be used by females to assess the male (and associated territory) quality. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that organismal traits in dominant males of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus are associated with the quality of the territory owned. After characterizing the territories occupied, we used a discriminant analysis to test if morphological and behavioral traits of the dominant male predict the quality of the territory owned. High-quality territories were characterized by a larger number of refuges, shorter distances among shelters and a well-defined harem, in comparison with low-quality territories. Organismal traits predicted with 100% accuracy the type of the territory owned: high-quality territories were associated with larger males that had longer heads, while males occupying lowquality territories exhibited more head displays, traveled larger distances and ran slightly slower than those associated with high-quality territories. We discuss possibleimplications of territory quality and male traits for reproductive success in Tropidurus torquatus

Of adenosine and the blues: the adenosinergic system in the pathophysiology and treatment of major depressive disorder

© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the foremost cause of global disability, being responsible for enormous personal, societal, and economical costs. Importantly, existing pharmacological treatments for MDD are partially or totally ineffective in a large segment of patients. As such, the search for novel antidepressant drug targets, anchored on a clear understanding of the etiological and pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning MDD, becomes of the utmost importance. The adenosinergic system, a highly conserved neuromodulatory system, appears as a promising novel target, given both its regulatory actions over many MDD-affected systems and processes. With this goal in mind, we herein review the evidence concerning the role of adenosine as a potential player in pathophysiology and treatment of MDD, combining data from both human and animal studies. Altogether, evidence supports the assertions that the adenosinergic system is altered in both MDD patients and animal models, and that drugs targeting this system have considerable potential as putative antidepressants. Furthermore, evidence also suggests that modifications in adenosine signaling may have a key role in the effects of several pharmacological and non-pharmacological antidepressant treatments with demonstrated efficacy, such as electroconvulsive shock, sleep deprivation, and deep brain stimulation. Lastly, it becomes clear from the available literature that there is yet much to study regarding the role of the adenosinergic system in the pathophysiology and treatment of MDD, and we suggest several avenues of research that are likely to prove fruitful.This work was supported by project funding from Fundação para a Ciência e para a Tecnologia (FCT) to SHV (PTDC/BTM-SAL/32147/2017) and AMS (PTDC/MED-FAR/30933/2017). This project has received funding from H2020-WIDESPREAD-05-2017-Twinning (EpiEpinet) under grant agreement No. 952455. MF-F (SFRH/BD/147505/2019), JG-R (PD/BD/150342/2019), and NR (PD/BD/113463/2015) are supported by PhD fellowships from FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of mining residues treated with an electrodialytic technology on cement-based mortars

UIDB/04085/2020 PD/BD/135170/2017Mining residues have been accumulated for centuries due to excavation and mining processes, causing environmental degradation worldwide. Their application in cementitious products is a feasible alternative to waste disposal. Electrodialytic technologies can promote a safer reuse of mining residues in the construction sector, coupling economic advantages due to the possible removal of toxic elements and the recovery of critical raw materials. The application of treated mining residues in construction products, namely their effects on physico-mechanical properties, in comparison to raw residues and cement uses needs to be addressed. This work presents a study of cement-based mortars with the incorporation of mining residues treated with an electrodialytic process in comparison to raw mining residues. The replacement percentages studied were 0, 10, 25 and 50 % of the binder in volume. Tests were conducted to evaluate fresh and hardened properties of mortars considering physical, microstructural and mechanical performances. Results show the viability of applying mining residues after the electrodialytic treatment as mortars materials in rendering, plastering, joint repointing, bedding masonry or screed requirements, with improved thermal conductivity and eco-efficiency.proofpublishe

Desenvolvimento de um processo de microencapsulação baseado em quitosano para proteção do α-tocoferol

Este trabalho foi realizado no âmbito da unidade curricular de Projeto da Licenciatura em Engenharia Biomédica do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança. Teve como principal objetivo desenvolver um processo de microencapsulação para proteção do α-tocoferol, a principal forma da vitamina E. O α-tocoferol é um antioxidante que possui um papel importante na proteção do organismo contra certos tipos de cancro e do envelhecimento da pele. Contudo, apresenta instabilidade à temperatura, oxigénio e luz, sendo importante a sua microencapsulação para garantir a sua proteção. Os estudos preliminares levados a cabo no âmbito da unidade curricular supramencionada consideram a utilização de duas matrizes poliméricas (quitosano e alginato), optando-se neste trabalho por apresentar os resultados obtidos com o quitosano e na perspetiva do desenvolvimento do processo de microencapsulação. Numa última etapa, o comportamento das microesferas produzidas foi testado para diferentes condições de pH

Study of the locomotion of a hexapod using CoppeliaSim and ROS

Generating adaptive locomotion has seen a growing interest for the design of hexapods due to improving the autonomy of these robots, allowing them to execute tasks in more demanding environments. Data from the robot’s surrounding must be acquired and processed to adjust the locomotion, and aid with the actuation of the six limbs. This paper aims at using force sensors placed on the feet of a hexapod to control the changes of the gait phase of each limb. These sensors also assist in the search of new footholds when no contact forces are established with the ground. The system is tested in a smooth irregular terrain with obstacles, steps, and ramps, using CoppeliaSim and ROS (Robot Operating System), to dynamically evaluate the behavior of the hexapod.(undefined

Trends in the control of hexapod robots: a survey

The static stability of hexapods motivates their design for tasks in which stable locomotion is required, such as navigation across complex environments. This task is of high interest due to the possibility of replacing human beings in exploration, surveillance and rescue missions. For this application, the control system must adapt the actuation of the limbs according to their surroundings to ensure that the hexapod does not tumble during locomotion. The most traditional approach considers their limbs as robotic manipulators and relies on mechanical models to actuate them. However, the increasing interest in model-free models for the control of these systems has led to the design of novel solutions. Through a systematic literature review, this paper intends to overview the trends in this field of research and determine in which stage the design of autonomous and adaptable controllers for hexapods is.The first author received funding through a doctoral scholarship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (Grant No. SFRH/BD/145818/2019), with funds from the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the European Social Fund through the Programa Operacional Regional Norte. This work has been supported by the FCT national funds, under the national support to R&D units grant, through the reference project UIDB/04436/2020 and UIDP/04436/2020

Hexapod posture control for navigation across complex environments

Hexapod locomotion in unstructured environments relies on an efficient posture adjustment with the terrain topology. This paper presents a strategy to adapt the hexapod torso orientation through ground plane estimation. With an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and the robot kinematic model, the current supporting feet coordinates are calculated, and the relative inclination between the ground and the torso angular position can be obtained. This information is used to adjust the novel foothold positions, in order to ensure the hexapod posture remains stable. The torso height is also controlled to avoid collisions with the ground asperities and decrease its deviation during motion. The proposed method is evaluated in a complex terrain made of 0.1×0.1 m blocks with variable height, causing different slopes across the field. Through result analysis, a significant behavior improvement is observed, due to the reduction of the torso posture oscillation and the increase of its locomotion efficiency.The first author received funding through a doctoral scholarship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (Grant No. SFRH/BD/145818/2019), with funds from the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the European Social Fund through the Programa Operacional Regional Norte. This work has been supported by FCT within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020, UIDB/04436/2020 and UIDP/04436/2020