A Smartphone-Based System for Outdoor Data Gathering Using a Wireless Beacon Network and GPS Data: From Cyber Spaces to Senseable Spaces

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and mobile devices are deeply influencing all facets of life, directly affecting the way people experience space and time. ICTs are also tools for supporting urban development, and they have also been adopted as equipment for furnishing public spaces. Hence, ICTs have created a new paradigm of hybrid space that can be defined as Senseable Spaces. Even if there are relevant cases where the adoption of ICT has made the use of public open spaces more “smart”, the interrelation and the recognition of added value need to be further developed. This is one of the motivations for the research presented in this paper. The main goal of the work reported here is the deployment of a system composed of three different connected elements (a real-world infrastructure, a data gathering system, and a data processing and analysis platform) for analysis of human behavior in the open space of Cardeto Park, in Ancona, Italy. For this purpose, and because of the complexity of this task, several actions have been carried out: the deployment of a complete real-world infrastructure in Cardeto Park, the implementation of an ad-hoc smartphone application for the gathering of participants’ data, and the development of a data pre-processing and analysis system for dealing with all the gathered data. A detailed description of these three aspects and the way in which they are connected to create a unique system is the main focus of this paper.This work has been supported by the Cost Action TU1306, called CYBERPARKS: Fostering knowledge about the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies and Public Spaces supported by strategies to improve their use and attractiveness, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the ESPHIA project (ref. TIN2014-56042-JIN) and the TARSIUS project (ref. TIN2015-71564-C4-4-R), and the Basque Country Department of Education under the BLUE project (ref. PI-2016-0010). The authors would also like to thank the staff of UbiSive s.r.l. for the support in developing the application

The integration of an augmented reality module within the Way- Cyberparks app. : the case study of Valletta city

Latest improvements on mobile devices capabilities are changing the way people interact with their surroundings. Nowadays, devices are able to sense the environment and user’s location, enabling the user to experience improved digital services. This is a key aspect of public spaces enhancement, which plays a pivotal role for the improvement of public spaces; a key to make public locations more accessible, interactive and enjoyable. One of the most powerful technologies enabling this innovative set of services is known as Augmented Reality (AR). More in depth, AR allows users to visualise in real time virtual information about the physical objects of the real world, directly on the display of their own devices. AR provides innovative way-finding widgets and context-awareness services. Along with the aims of the COST Action Cyberparks, our aim is to improve the App delivered during the first stages of the project (Way-Cyberparks) with AR functionalities, by developing a location-based AR module tailored to be integrated within Way-Cyberparks. The AR section will link virtual geo-tagged annotations as an interface to (geo) spatial and attribute data, allowing users to quick access digital sensory inputs. The overarching idea is to populate the App with virtual signage fostering the fruition of public spaces by allowing users to experience new ways of moving within specific places. Thanks to that, on one hand, the App works as an interactive path-finder tool, heading visitors towards the most interesting locations or landmarks within a specific area (Points of Interest or POIs). On the other, users are enabled to create their own contents and upload them into the network of available POIs, enabling a true participative community. The city of Valletta has been chosen as first case study; here the AR module will be tested to identify historical locations and heritage buildings, acting as contextual objects for the Way- Cyberparks App.Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union.peer-reviewe

The Impact of Adjuvanted and Non-Adjuvanted Influenza Vaccines on the Innate and Adaptive Immunity Effectors

To date, the advantage of adjuvanted over non-adjuvanted vaccines in the specific antibodies formation is proved. However, cellular mechanisms, including parameters of the innate immunity, involved in the vaccine-induced immune response are not well studied. The human study of inactivated vaccines showed that both subunit vaccine and split vaccine induced cellular immune response, but adjuvanted vaccine containing Polyoxidonium had the greatest potential. Despite the fact that influenza vaccines must activate endosomal receptors, they cause non-specific activation of the surface TLRs. They can trigger intracellular signals leading to the induction of antiviral mechanisms and to the activation of the body’s protective resources against microbial infections. To assess the immunological efficacy of adjuvanted vaccines and humoral reactions to vaccination it is necessary to evaluate activation of cellular mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity

Multicriteria Approach to Assessing Quality of Life Population the Krasnoyarsk Region on Basis of Generalized Desirability Function

В статье рассмотрен подход к оценке качества жизни населения муниципальных территорий Красноярского края на основе обобщённой функции желательности. Функция желательности Харрингтона успешно применяется при решении оптимизационных задач в различных областях исследований. В положительных свойствах исследователи отмечают непрерывность, монотонность и гладкость, то есть свойства, необходимые для свёртки разнородной информации. К недостаткам относят субъективизм (при назначении шкалы или весовых коэффициентов) и разнородность информации (по скорости изменений или значимости признаков), подвергающейся свёртке. Исследование материала проводилось с помощью статистического анализа демографических, социальных, экологических, экономических, данных здравоохранения с 2017 по 2021 годы, математического метода – обобщённой функции желательности. Данная методика позволила оценить качество жизни населения Красноярского края по 30 показателям. Исходные данные взяты с официального сайта Федеральной службы государственной статистики, Министерства экологии и рационального природопользования Красноярского края. Многокритериальный подход позволяет комплексно оценить качество жизни населения региона и сравнить выбранные территории. В результате исследования с помощью обобщённой функции желательности был получен рейтинг муниципальных районов Красноярского края по качеству жизни, который отображён через геоинформационную систему QGIS. Показатель качества жизни населения в пяти муниципальных образованиях края: Абанском, Боготольском, Идринском, Каратузском и Краснотуранском можно считать хорошим, в диапазон с плохим (низким) показателем качества жизни попали Тасеевский и Березовский районы, во всех остальных муниципальных образованиях данный показатель можно считать удовлетворительным. Анализ качества жизни по макрорегионам показал неоднородность уровня для входящих в них муниципальных округов. Наиболее высокие средние значения параметра отмечены в Южном и Западном, во всех остальных макрорегионах средние значения можно считать удовлетворительными. Для сохранения человеческого капитала на территории края необходимо улучшать качество окружающей среды, улучшать демографическую ситуацию, повышать уровень и качество медицинского обслуживания. Практическая значимость работы заключается в выявлении социально-экологического рейтинга муниципальных образований территории Красноярского края, на основе которого могут быть реализованы мероприятия, направленные на улучшение качества жизни населения Красноярского краяThe article considers an approach assessing quality of life population municipal territories of Krasnoyarsk region on basis of generalized desirability function. The Harrington’s desirability function is successfully used in solving optimization problems in various fields of research. In positive qualities, scientists mark continuity, monotony and smoothness, i.e. qualities necessary for convolution of dissimilar information. Subjectivism (when assigning scales or weighting coefficients) and diversity of information (in terms of the rate of change or significance of features) undergoing convolution are disadvantages. Material was studied using statistical analysis of demographic, social, environmental, economic and health data from 2017 to 2021, a mathematical method – generalized desirability function. This technique made it possible to assess quality of life population Krasnoyarsk Territory by 30 parameters. Source data is taken from official website of Federal State Statistics Service, Ministry Environment and Rational Management of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. Multicriteria approach makes it possible to comprehensively assess the quality to life for population in region and compare selected territories. As a consequence of the study, using generalized desirability function, a rating of municipal districts of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in terms of quality of life was obtained, which is shown through the geographic information system QGIS. The indicator quality of life population in five municipalities of the krai: Abansky, Bogotolsky, Idrinsky, Karatuzsky and Krasnoturansky can be considered good, Taseyevsky and Berezovsky districts fell into the range with a poor (low) indicator of quality life, in all other municipalities this indicator can be considered satisfactory. Analysis quality of life by macro-regions showed diversity of indicator for municipal districts included in them. The highest average values of parameter are noted in Southern and Western regions, in all other macro-regions the average values can be considered satisfactory. In order to preserve human capital in territory of the region, it’s necessary to improve quality of environment, improve demographic situation, and improve quality of medical care. The practical significance concludes in identifying socio-ecological and economic rating municipalities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, on basis of which measures will can be taken to improve quality life of studied regio

Are the Urban Parks becoming Cyberparks? The Developing of Public Open Spaces: ICT tools to support the landscape planning process.

Il lavoro presentato in questa tesi riguarda lo studio, l'analisi e lo sviluppo dei Cyberspaces partendo da un punto di vista teorico per poi passare alla sua implementazione diretta, sottolineando anche il miglioramento che un concetto di Cyberpark pu portare all'umanit. Da un punto di vista teorico, il lavoro svolto stato quello di studiare l'evoluzione storica dalle città intelligenti a quelle sensibili, con l'obiettivo di comprendere le dinamiche che hanno reso possibile l'aggiornamento da un modello classico a un modello di pianificazione urbana. Tale sforzo stato necessario per capire come tali modelli possono essere applicati al reale ambiente urbano che siamo chiamati a trattare, cioè quali sono gli strumenti (teorici) che possiamo usare per interpretarlo correttamente. In seguito, diversi casi di studio sono stati implementati in scenari urbani re- ali adottando soluzioni ICT in grado di fornire informazioni agli utenti e, allo stesso tempo, raccogliere le informazioni dell'utente da analizzare dai pianificatori. Soprattutto, tre casi principali sono stati di particolare importanza nella nostra ricerca, ognuno con uno scopo specifico ma tutti mirati a uno comune: la comprensione di come gli strumenti ITC possono aggiornare un POS alla dimensione di un Cyberspace. Entrando nel dettaglio, il primo caso di studio stato l'implementazione di un'esperienza AR per rendere gli utenti pi consapevoli di ci che li circonda. Il secondo mirava a confrontare gli approcci classici di analisi dei comportamenti spaziali umani a una piattaforma di raccolta dati innovativa finalizzata allo stesso compito. La terza e l'ultima 1 hanno riguardato l'implementazione di un'architettura completa basata su dispositivi mobili nel contesto di un parco urbano, in grado di fornire in- formazioni contestuali agli utenti e, allo stesso tempo, di raccogliere i loro dati. L'esito di quest'ultimo caso di studio stato quindi analizzato e visualizzato mediante un GIS dedicato, che si dimostrato la soluzione pi preziosa a disposizione dell'architetto del paesaggio per migliorare il processo di progettazione di un POS.Nowadays, given the growing complexity of the city systems, the quality of human life depends considerably on the quality of the urban environment. One of the core components of the cities are the POS, that should be more accessible to all on equal terms, by creating a synergistic balance between grey, green and social components. Technology can play a pivotal role for this ambitious task, since it already generates interest and attraction for many people in their everyday life. However, even if there are relevant cases where the adoption of ICT made the use of POS more smart, the recognition of possible interrelation and added values is still not very elaborated so far. There is thus the need to upgrade POSs to the quality of Cyberspaces, defining them as particular outdoor places where the use of ICT creates a synergy between humans and the environment. This is the logical step forward of the progress that we can see in our every day life, since these new technologies have a twofold contribution: in one hand, they provide users with new instruments to enhance their experience of visiting and discovering a place. On the other, they represent a valuable source of information that should be used for the planning process. Hence, this innovation can bring landscape planners to take into account new forms of interactions, generating an endless process where the user become himself the planner. The reason of this relies on one fundamental thing that must be underlined: the modern technology used in the method we will propose creates synergy between the two categories of users and planners, joining them in a unique entity and so allowing the users to be involved in the planning process (which is one of the Cyberpark concepts). In this light, there is the need to understand what can be the real contribution of the ICTs in the planning process, and this will be achieved by performing a comparison between an approach that includes them and an approach, that we can define as a classic one, which doesn't. In addition,also the way users experience the space will be taken into account. The innovation is offered by the possibility to collect a great amount of data in the same period of time and in a smarter way: the citizens are involved in the urban planning project by the mean of a mobile application, in which they can give real-time feedbacks to the planners. What is relevant for the planners is to analyse the human spatial behaviour, which is essential for a good understanding of multiple aspects (political, economic, tourist, social and cultural) of a modern city. Given the above, in line with recent research trends, the work presented in this thesis deals with the study, analysis and development of Cyberspaces by starting from a theoretical point of view for then passing to its direct implementation, also highlighting the enhancement that a Cyberpark concept can bring to the mankind. From a theoretical perspective, the work performed was to study the historical evolution from smart cities to senseable ones, having the aim of understanding the dynamics that made possible the upgrade from a classical to a Cyber model of city planning process. Such effort was necessary in order to understand how the given models can be applied to the real urban environment we're called to deal, i.e. what are the (theoretical) tools we can use to correctly interpret it. Afterwards, different cases of study have been implemented in real urban scenarios by adopting ICT solutions able to provide information to the users and, at the same time, to collect user's information to be analysed from the planners. Especially, three main cases were of particular importance in our research, each one having a specific purpose but all aimed to a common one: the understanding of how ICT tools can upgrade a POS to the dimension of a Cyberspace. Going into detail, the first case of study was the implementation of an AR experience to make users more aware of their surroundings. The second one was aimed at comparing classical approaches of analysing human spatial behaviours to an innovative data collection platform aimed to the same task. The third and last dealt with the implementation of a complete mobile based architecture in the context of a urban park, able to provide contextual information to the users and, at the same time, to collect their data. The outcome of this last case of study was then analysed and visualized by means of a dedicated GIS, which proved to be the most valuable solution at the disposal of landscape architect to enhance the design process of a POS. The research is backed by the framework of CyberParks project - Fostering knowledge about the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies and Public Spaces, a multidisciplinary European COST action that, among others, discusses various ICT tools and presents a methodology that can be adopted for the future development of cyberspaces, useful for both planners and users. The main contribution and novelties of this research thesis can be in conclusion summarised in the following items: i) outlining a step forwards in the research domain of smart cities; ii) renovating the landscape design process by adopting the theoretical approach called the scientific rationalities; iii) the definition of a well established pipeline of work, applied in real case studies and iv) the analysis, by using innovative tools, of the human spatial behaviour according to the landscape perspective, based on real data. With the proposed approach, we make a step forward, making the planning process based on users' needs: "Through smartphones the cities are now burgeoning and unfolding inside every pocket. Every citizen has a tool in which to perceive and process the city peering through his digital lens is an intensely personal experience.

Two-axle bogie vibration damping system with additional damping elements

There are no optimal vibration damping designs for safe movement at the present stage of the development of high-speed rail transport. The purpose of improving existing structures is their ability to simultaneously dampen both longitudinal and transverse vibrations. For dynamic research, an analytical method has been developed for calculating the stresses and deformations of the sidewall of the frame of an electric locomotive bogie in motion, taking into account the unevenness of the joints. The result of the work on creating a new design of a two-axle bogie of a railway vehicle, with additional damping elements of the vibration damping system, is the Patent of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the invention No. IAP 06498 [1]. The considered design is universal and suitable for a subway car, motor locomotive, or railcar

Is the mediated public open space a smart place? Relationships between urban landscapes and ICT – The cost action tu 1306 CyberParks

The main aim of this work is to rise the challenge of relentless growth of digital technologies into our daily life. Smart phones, smart watches, tablets, etc and Internet have become common tools is several fields of human activities, connecting, guiding, informing, and in a last stance making people interconnected and informed. Public open spaces (POS) (such as, parks, gardens, squares, plazas) would greatly benefit by this growing availability of relevant geolocated information. Therefore, our aim is to unfold two main questions: how can we use digital technologies to attract people to spend more time outdoors for a more active lifestyle; and what opportunities technology opens to increase knowledge about users and uses of public open spaces? The discussion is backed by experience exchanges carried out within the Cyberparks Project and articulates around the ICT potential to enhance communication among (potential) users, transforming public open spaces production an interactive process. Such improved interactivity, on a turn, enables creative community participation, empowerment and capacity building. Besides a discussion on the mobile technology for human interaction with spaces, this paper presents an overview of the possible technological benefits for users, policy makers, practitioners and planners

The use of ICT in Public Open Spaces: some insights

The most relevant aspect of the ICT lays in their ability to enhance communication with (potential) users, transforming the production of public open spaces into an interactive process, and enabling creative community participation and empowerment. Besides a brief introduction to mobile apps as a way of interaction between people, space and technology, the benefits of technologies for both users and planners are discussed. The first analysis shows that ICT enable innovative outdoor social practices, which challenge spatial and social experts to use them in design, policies, and research aiming at the production of more responsive and inclusive urban places