Propagation of epistemic uncertainty in queueing models with unreliable server using chaos expansions

In this paper, we develop a numerical approach based on Chaos expansions to analyze the sensitivity and the propagation of epistemic uncertainty through a queueing systems with breakdowns. Here, the quantity of interest is the stationary distribution of the model, which is a function of uncertain parameters. Polynomial chaos provide an efficient alternative to more traditional Monte Carlo simulations for modelling the propagation of uncertainty arising from those parameters. Furthermore, Polynomial chaos expansion affords a natural framework for computing Sobol' indices. Such indices give reliable information on the relative importance of each uncertain entry parameters. Numerical results show the benefit of using Polynomial Chaos over standard Monte-Carlo simulations, when considering statistical moments and Sobol' indices as output quantities

Do enunciado à aforização

Anais e artigos do 28º Fórum Acadêmico de Letras, realizado nos dias 23 a 25 de agosto de 2017 na Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (Unila) e Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (Unioeste) com tema: A pesquisa nos cursos de letras em contexto de línguas e culturas em contato.Esta pesquisa se justifica em três esferas: acadêmica: como contribuição científica oferecendo ao meio uma reflexão sobre o estudo dos discursos aforizados; profissional: por propor uma possibilidade de análise dos enunciados aforizantes que possa ser usado por mais pesquisadores com diferentes corpus; social: busca dar aos leitores desses enunciados aforizados subsídios para refletirem sobre os diferentes efeitos de sentido produzidos. Tal trabalho procura responder, a partir do conceito de Aforização de Dominique Maingueneau, quais características de enunciados colocados em circulação os tornam aforizações e se esses enunciados tratam-se de enunciados destacados por natureza ou destacados de um texto. Diante desse questionamento, selecionamos como corpus dessa pesquisa duas frases: “toda conquista começa com uma decisão...”, veiculado em uma ação publicitária do curso pré-vestibular Prove, em outubro de 2016; e “tu és eternamente responsável por aquilo que cativas”, destacada da obra O Pequeno Príncipe, de Antoine de Saitnt-Exupéry. Para tanto, procuramos entender como esses enunciados foram “destextualizados” de seus textos e cotextos fontes; de que modo ocorreu o processo de irrupção, retomada, transformação e circulação desses enunciados; qual a relação deles com conceitos fundamentados na Análise do Discurso de linha frances

An Equine-Facilitated Prison-Based Program: Human-Horse Relations And Effects On Inmate Emotions And Behaviors

Policy makers and correctional authorities are seeking ways to enhance effectiveness of incarceration and reduce recidivism. Equine-facilitated prison-based vocational programs aim to rehabilitate inmates. Informed by the theories of attachment and desistance, this study evaluates the emotional and behavioral effects of such an intervention utilizing a quasi-experimental methodological triangulation design. Recidivism and disciplinary misconduct are examined by clinical data-mining of institutional records. Propensity Score Matching, binary and multinomial logistic regressions are applied in a discrete-time event history analysis. Semi-structured interviews revealing the subjective experiences of participants are analyzed via the Listening Guide methodology. Quantitative questionnaires, exploring attachment and closeness to horses as compared to humans, are analyzed by linear regressions. Quantitative findings suggest that program participants have a statistically lower chance to recidivate as compared with the control group. Otherwise, a reduction in the severity of disciplinary misconduct was not found. Findings of the questionnaires suggest that horses are approached as attachment figures, including all four features, while higher levels of attachment and closeness to horses were evident among older participants with stronger attachments to their mothers. Qualitative findings show the roles of human-horse relations within prison-context. Emotional features highlight the importance of providing alternative opportunities to experience companionship, which may help inmates process their relational issues and improve competencies. Additionally, the program helps inmates to cope with psychological impact of imprisonment. Behavioral features demonstrate how the program allows inmates to perform as mature individuals while being involved in meaningful activities, which can generate pro-social skills. Social learning exhibit how participants interpreted herd dynamics by projecting human interactions on horses. These could be further discussed to enhance social awareness and develop alternative approaches toward social situations. Furthermore, participants\u27 evaluation of the program and vocational features reveal vocational skills that may be transferable to other settings. Adding an intervention that would help bridge between experiences in the program and other vocations after release could enhance the program\u27s broad impact. Knowledge gleaned from this inquiry has practical implications for the program, and suggests that rehabilitative approaches toward corrections can contribute to a more humane treatment of this population while also benefiting society

Avalição de diferentes adesivos para produção de meia pérola na ostra perlífera Pteria

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Ciências Agrárias. Curso de Zootecnia.A Pteria hirundo é uma espécie de ostra perlífera nativa do Brasil. O cultivo de espécies do gênero Pteria apresenta importância econômica em várias partes do mundo, devido à produção de meias pérolas. Para se iniciar a produção da meia pérola, o uso de adesivos é essencial para a fixação do núcleo no processo de indução da sua formação. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de fixação de 3 diferentes adesivos, no intuito de desenvolver uma metodologia de nucleação. O estudo foi realizado no Laboratório de Moluscos Marinhos (LMM,UFSC), na praia do Sambaqui (27° 29'22.3" S e 48° 32'16.7" W). Foram utilizados 90 animais para inoculação, esses foram anestesiados com propileno-phenoxetol (2,5 mL.L-1) diluído em água salgada. O processo de inoculação foi realizado com núcleo esférico de plástico de (6mm), os núcleos foram fixados na parte interna da valva, próximo a borda do manto. Três tratamentos foram realizados nas ostras perlíferas: T1 com cola de artesanato (acetonas e resinas sintéticas de poliuretano), T2 Super-Bonder® (cianoacrilato) e T3 EPOXI (resina epoxi do bisfenol A); em seguida, as ostras perlíferas foram colocadas em lanternas definitivas e postas no mar suspensas em sistemas flutuantes de long-line. Foram analisadas amostras de nucleação de 6 meses (n = 30), as avaliações foram feitas para verificar a sobrevivência e a eficácia da cola através da retenção dos núcleos. A primeira avaliação foi realizada após uma semana da inoculação dos núcleos e as avaliações posteriores mensalmente. Na avaliação de retenção de núcleo (RN) T2 mostrou-se significativamente superior (p<0,05) aos demais fixadores . Pode ser observado que o T2 obteve 100% de retenção de núcleo, ou seja, todos os núcleos implantados, permaneceram fixados. As baixas taxas de sobrevivência obtidas nesse experimento podem ser correlacionadas com as altas temperaturas obtidas no período de avaliação

Qrs detection based on medical knowledge and cascades of moving average filters

Heartbeat detection is the first step in automatic analysis of the electrocardiogram (ECG). For mobile and wearable devices, the detection process should be both accurate and computationally efficient. In this paper, we present a QRS detection algorithm based on moving average filters, which affords a simple yet robust signal processing technique. The decision logic considers the rhythmic and morphological features of the QRS complex. QRS enhancing is performed with channel-specific moving average cascades selected from a pool of derivative systems we designed. We measured the effectiveness of our algorithm on well-known benchmark databases, reporting F1 scores, sensitivity on abnormal beats and processing time. We also evaluated the performances of other available detectors for a direct comparison with the same criteria. The algorithm we propose achieved satisfying performances on par with or higher than the other QRS detectors. Despite the performances we report are not the highest that have been published so far, our approach to QRS detection enhances computational efficiency while maintaining high accuracy

Robust power series algorithm for epistemic uncertainty propagation in Markov chain models

In this article, we develop a new methodology for integrating epistemic uncertainties into the computation of performance measures of Markov chain models. We developed a power series algorithm that allows for combining perturbation analysis and uncertainty analysis in a joint framework. We characterize statistically several performance measures, given that distribution of the model parameter expressing the uncertainty about the exact parameter value is known. The technical part of the article provides convergence result, bounds for the remainder term of the power series, and bounds for the validity region of the approximation. In the algorithmic part of the article, an efficient implementation of the power series algorithm for propagating epistemic uncertainty in queueing models with breakdowns and repairs is discussed. Several numerical examples are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithm and are compared with the corresponding Monte Carlo simulations ones

Tensile strength of multi-material bolted double lap joints under static loading

This paper aims to study the mechanical behavior and failure mode of Al 6082-T6 &amp; Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) in double-lap bolted joints. To accomplish this, the effect of geometric parameters was investigated using ABAQUS/Standard. Multi-material bolted assemblies have recently gained increasing attention in the aerospace engineering field, due to enhanced design possibilities and positive size effects with regard to decreasing ply thickness. In this paper, the mechanical behavior of polymer and aluminum alloy bolted joints with double‐lap bolted structure under quasi‐static loading was studied numerically. In general, double lap joints were found to have greater load carrying capacities than single bolt joints (by 40%–49%). Also, double bolt joints with wider plates (increased width) can beneficially shift the failure mode from net-tension to bearing. The geometric parameters were found to play an important role in controlling the failure mode so that catastrophic failure modes of net-tension and shear-out can be prevented in bolted joint

Preliminary stability analysis methods for PrandtlPlane aircraft in subsonic conditions

Purpose The present paper aims to assess the reliability and the limitations of analysing flight stability of a box-wing aircraft configuration known as PrandtlPlane by means of methods conceived for conventional aircraft and well known in the literature. Design/methodology/approach Results obtained by applying vortex lattice methods to PrandtlPlane configuration, validated previously with wind tunnel tests, are compared to the output of a “Roskam-like” method, here defined to model the PrandtlPlane features. Findings The comparisons have shown that the “Roskam-like” model gives accurate predictions for both the longitudinal stability margin and dihedral effect, whereas the directional stability is always overestimated. Research limitations/implications The method here proposed and related achievements are valid only for subsonic conditions. The poor reliability related to lateral-directional derivatives estimations may be improved implementing different models known from the literature. Practical implications The possibility of applying a faster method as the “Roskam-like” one here presented has two main implications: it allows to implement faster analyses in the conceptual and preliminary design of PrandtlPlane, providing also a tool for the definition of the design space in case of optimization approaches and it allows to implement a scaling procedure, to study families of PrandtlPlanes or different aircraft categories. Social implications This paper is part of the activities carried out during the PARSIFAL project, which aims to demonstrate that the introduction of PrandtlPlane as air transport mean can fuel consumption and noise impact, providing a sustainable answer to the growing air passenger demand envisaged for the next decades. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in the attempt of adopting analysis method conceived for conventional airplanes for the analysis of a novel configuration. The value of the work is represented by the knowledge concerning experimental results and design methods on the PrandtlPlane configuration, here made available to define a new analysis tool

CIVIC EPISTEMOLOGIES – Development of a Roadmap for Citizen Researchers in the Age of Digital Culture

The CIVIC EPISTEMOLOGIES project investigates citizen science and crowdsourcing in the domain of the research in Digital Cultural Heritage and Humanities (DCHH). The ultimate aim is to produce a validated Roadmap indicating the suggested direction that the deployment of services and infrastructures should take, in order to support the participation of citizens in the research processes and the participation of creative industries in the exploitation of digital cultural content. The case of DCHH is particularly relevant because of the major cross-cutting role that the humanities play in European research and innovation, recently acknowledged in a clear way in the Horizon2020 Community Programme for Research and Innovation. Cultural heritage and humanities also represent a subject area in which citizens are particularly active, counting several – still spread - experiences of their involvement in recording, annotating and cataloguing activities on an individual or group basis, as volunteers and amateurs. The case of broadening e-Infrastructure deployment to support the participation of citizens to DCHH research, even if holding a strong impact potential for social cohesion and job development, is not yet fully explored. The paper discusses about the multidisciplinary approach to citizen science and how this method can contribute to the benefit of many scientific domains, research communities, and technology advancements as well as delivering novel social and economic impact