Trajectory reconstruction by integration of GPS and a swarm of MEMS accelerometers: model and analysis of observability

In this paper, we consider the problem of trajectory reconstrucion for the mobile mapping system Davide. Davide is equipped with a custom GPS/INS system and a number of dead-reckoning sensors, such as odometers,inclinometers, etc. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of substituting the INS with a swarm of low cost MEMS accelerometers located in various positions on board the vehicle. An observability analysis shows the feasibility of the solution and the need of integrating the distributed MEMS sensing architecture with a positioning sensor such as the GPS

Duração da atividade nociva de inseticidas utilizados na Produção Integrada de Maçã sobre o parasitóide de ovos Trichogramma pretiosum.

Com o objetivo de avaliar a persistência (duração da atividade nociva) de inseticidas recomendados na Produção Integrada de Maçã (PIM) foram realizados bioensaios, expondo-se adultos (estágio mais sensível) de T. pretiosum ao contato com resíduos de inseticidas pulverizados sobre folhas de videira cv. Bordô, conforme a metodologia sugerida pela ?International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants? (IOBC)

La enfermera en el contexto de las prácticas de administración: retos y perspectivas en un hospital de belo horizonte, minas gerais - brasil

Se trata de un estudio cualitativo realizado en un gran hospital filantrópico de Belo Horizonte durante su proceso de reorganización administrativa. Los sujetos de investigación fueron diez enfermeras con cargo de gerente. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante entrevistas semi-estructuradas, observación y análisis de documentos. Con el material recogido se interpretó la realidad objetiva, obtenida a través de la organización y análisis de los datos y, posteriormente, se establecieron las categorías empíricas del estudio relacionadas con la vivencia de la función de gestión de la enfermera. Las categorías son: ¿El trabajo de los gerentes¿, ¿Nuevo significado a las prácticas de gestión¿ y ¿Factores que intervienen en el trabajo de los gerentes.¿ El trabajo de los gerentes se caracteriza por la administración de los recursos financieros, físicos y materiales, del cuerpo social que constituye la organización e incluye intermediación de relaciones internas y externas del hospital. La gestión de las enfermeras tiene un nuevo significado, carácter innovador en las prácticas de gestión, cuya relevancia social queda explícita. Respecto a los factores que intervienen en sus tareas, los gerentes destacan la formación profesional como un determinante para asumir cargos de gestión y el SUS (Sistema Único de Salud) que, en algunos casos, es un obstáculo en el crecimiento y desarrollo del hospita

Electrical characterization of lead zirconate titanate prepared by organic solution route

Two series of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics with composition Zr/Ti approximate to 53/47 have been prepared by the organic solution route. The effects on the electrical properties of calcination temperature in one series and of sintering time period in the other were examined. Dielectric constant, electrical conductivity and impedance spectroscopy results differed from one series to the other, probably due to differences in structure of the precursor powders, as seen by X-ray diffraction. Tetragonal and rhombohedral phases predominate in the powders used, respectively, in the calcined and sintered series. Physical and electrical behavior of ceramics prepared from predominantly rhombohedral powder suggests the evaporation of PbO. The presence of two semi-circles in impedance plots leads to the association of the low frequency semi-circle to the presence of PbO, which, apparently, was not eliminated from ceramics prepared from predominantly tetragonal powder. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd and Techna S.r.l. All rights reserved

Model-based obstacle sonification for the navigation of visually impaired persons

This paper proposes a sonification model for encoding visual 3D information into sounds, inspired by the impact properties of the objects encountered during blind navigation. The proposed model is compared against two sonification models developed for orientation and mobility, chosen based on their common technical requirements. An extensive validation of the proposed model is reported; five legally blind and five normally sighted participants evaluated the proposed model as compared to the two competitive models on a simplified experimental navigation scenario. The evaluation addressed not only the accuracy of the responses in terms of psychophysical measurements but also the cognitive load and emotional stress of the participants by means of biophysiological signals and evaluation questionnaires. Results show that the proposed impact sound model adequately conveys the relevant information to the participants with low cognitive load, following a short training session