Contributions to road safety: from abstractions and control theory to real solutions, discussion and evaluation

This manuscript aims to describe my career in the transportation domain, putting in evidence my contributions in different levels, as for example thesis advising, teaching, research animation and coordination, projects construction and participation in expert committees, among others, besides my scientific research itself. The goal, besides the HDR diploma itself, is to show very clearly, including to myself, this 'pack' of contributions in order to look for better contributions to the transportation and control communities or to other communities in the future, and also which research directions I will define to work on in the following. I obtained my PhD degree in the Laboratoire des Signaux et Systèmes - L2S 1 in collaboration with MIT, in 2001, having worked in a purely theoretical automatic control topic scarcely known in the literature - the adaptive control of systems with nonlinear parameterization problem. Arriving in 2002 as a permanent researcher to the former LCPC (Laboratoire Central des Ponts et haussées), now called IFSTTAR (Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Aménagement et des Réseaux), I have been faced to real problems to solve in practice, and faced to the new community of transportation, with a completely different philosophy of work. I have nowadays this double vision - of the very applied transportation domain with concrete problems to be solved that touch the citizen every day, and the vision of a very rich high-level theoretical research in automatic control with powerful tools to solve the real problems, or on the other hand, with control problems that appear because of the need for new tools to solve the real problems. I consider this as an important characteristic for my future contributions. Besides the knowledge in Transportation itself, my eleven years of career in IFSTTAR gave me as well the following new features : 1. From the individual research, I have learned also how to coordinate work (in projects for example, as in the PReVAL sub-project of the European PReVENT project, in which I co-leaded one workpackage, or for research teams, as the control team of LIVIC, coordinated by myself from 2006 to 2009). I have also learned how to animate research (by coordinating research working groups or organizing scientific events and workshops - see for example the working group RSEI and the related scientific event below that I have organized in June 2012) and how to advise students. 2. Besides the double vision I have described above, the experience gave me also the acquisition of a quite multidisciplinary view of the problems in the domain. Firstly, arriving in LIVIC, in the frame of the French consortium ARCOS, I have worked for two years in close cooperation with experts in cognitive sciences (the PsyCoTech group from IRCCyN, Nantes) on designing driving assistance systems to a human driver. After this work, I have continued the collaboration with experts in human sciences within the PReVAL subproject of PReVENT on driving assistance systems evaluation and within the French ANR PARTAGE project, that I have constructed together with the PsyCoTec team of IRCCyN and leaded the IFSTTAR partner for one year. In a dition, through my participation in PReVENT at dirent levels (in two meetings of the Core Group, in PReVAL by co-leading the workpackage 3 on Technical Evaluation of ADAS - ADAS is the shortcut for Advanced Driving Assistance Systems - and in the SAFELANE subproject), I have learned many different aspects of ITS systems. I consider this as an add-on value for my 'pack of knowledge'. 3. What I call "from abstractions to real problems : coming back and forth to solve these real problems" has been matured in my mind, and I am very grateful to my students, with whom I have learned and that helped me in this maturing process. By this sentence, I mean, with a problem to solve in hands, and after building an abstraction, or a simplified view of the problem, and the design of a solution, how to apply it, and to come back again to the theory to change it and to come back to the practice, and so on. This is exactly one of the pillars of the NoE HYCON2, for making interact the theory with the application domains. 4. Considering a problem inserted into the societal context, or inserted within its related context, has been another maturing for myself that I consider very important, notably in the transportation domain, that represents a very complex context containing many different parameters, scenarios and objectives and in addition all the uncertainties linked to the human behavior. I think that it is very important to have a very large view of the context in which the specific problem we are treating is placed. Without this, one cannot say in most of the cases, from my point of view, that the problem is solved. This point will be discussed in Chapter 9.5. 5. Another point that I consider important and where I have been contributing recently is the road mapping work. The acquisition of the multidisciplinary knowledge and a larger view of the domain that I have mentioned in the preceding items, together with my theoretical knowledge in automatic control, allowed myself to start contributing to theroad mapping work in Transportation (through my participation in the imobility forum, in HYCON2 and the in the support action T-Area-SoS on Systems of Systems - all these actions to give advice to the European Commission on the priority areas to be considered in the new Calls, notably in the frame of the H2020 program). I had also the pleasure of opening again books and thesis that I had studied in my PhD work, this time now for advising students in the frame of other very different problems. The very beautiful thesis of Mikael Johansson, Lund University, on piecewise linear systems stability theory is an example. My previous study on switched systems, and the implication of switched Lyapunov functions on stability helped me also in advising my students (Post-Docs, PhD, and M.Sc. students), this time for real applications, with very interesting results blooming up from their work. I realize also that the experience that I have described in the five items above must be put in favor of students since this kind of knowledge cannot be found in the books. Concluding, in these last eleven years, from 2002 to 2013, I could bring to the scientic community and to my students a set of contributions of different kinds. I will try to make clear these contributions for the reader in the next two chapters (written in English and in French). This document is organized in the following way : Part II contains my complete curriculum vitae (in french) where all these contributions will be described in detail. Part III contains then the scientific contributions of the manuscript. What I aim in this chapter is to describe, but further, to analyze them with a distanced look and providing a critical view, announcing perspectives, and placing and discussing the obtained results in the societal context. This is in straight relation with item 4 above. Also, I prefer to adopt, as far as possible, a form comprehensible to the non-automatic control expert, with, as far as possible as well, qualitative explanations and then appropriated references containing the theorems and the definitions corresponding to the qualitative explanations will be provided. In the case it is necessary, they are provided within the text. The Part III is structured in the following chapters. Chapter 8 contains an overview of the global transportation scenario with the associated challenges and a description of the driving assistance systems context. Chapter 9 contains my scientific contributions. These include my research results, my contributions in students advising, in the coordination of research groups, and the collaborative works. It is structured in 3 sections : Section 9.1 introduces what will be the greed for a part of the main contributions, that are described in Sections 9.2 and 9.3. Section 9.1 is also dedicated to showing to the reader how theory and abstractions can be very important for solving real problems. Chapter 9.4 describes other contributions that are the result of collaborative works. A discussion from a multidisciplinary view is provided in Chapter 9.5 based on a survey paper of myself. Chapter 10 will be finally dedicated to the perspectives and the general conclusions. Then last Part contains as annexes a selection of the publications that I consider the most illustrative of my contributions described in Chapter 9. Finally, since the described work is in the intersection of two communities - the transportation and the control theory communities - I decided to write a part of the document dedicated to the non control experts readers. This is Part VI of the document whose aim is to provide some fundamental notions on control theory in a very simple qualitative description whose understanding will help the different readers to understand the contributions

Influência da vida de molde e parâmetros de solidificação na massa linear de tarugos produzidos via lingotamento contínuo de aços longos

No ambiente competitivo da indústria de aços, cada vez mais a tendência é o desenvolvimento de processos para a produção de aços associando a obtenção de produtos com ótima qualidade a uma maior produtividade, tanto no próprio processo do lingotamento contínuo, quanto nos seus clientes. A produção de tarugos com o comprimento ou massa incorretos ou imprecisos gera custos de desperdício de energia através do reaquecimento, sucateamentos e interrupções durante a laminação, aumentando o custo por tonelada de aço do produto final e reduzindo a produtividade. Para melhor compreender a influência dos parâmetros do processo, é necessário estudá-los e conhecê-los. Tendo isso em vista, o presente trabalho foi dividido em duas partes. A primeira buscou definir qual é o melhor parâmetro para o corte dos tarugos no lingotamento contínuo: comprimento ou massa. Os resultados mostraram que a massa deve ser considerada ao enviar tarugos para as laminações, pois esse parâmetro ignora as variações de massa linear (porém, deve ser avaliado levando-se em consideração limitações físicas de comprimento do forno de reaquecimento).A segunda parte buscou entender a influência que os parâmetros de solidificação e vida do molde têm sobre a massa linear dos tarugos e seu dimensional. Os resultados mostraram que a massa linear é influenciada pela vida do molde e pela velocidade de lingotamento, porém a vazão de água no molde mostrou efeito menos significativo na faixa de trabalho usual. De forma geral, o trabalho resultou em aumento de produtividade da laminação da usina estudada, por estabilizar o corte dos tarugos no lingotamento contínuo pela sua massa, aperfeiçoando as balanças e definindo um método de corte com base em resultados das análises. Além disso, o trabalho mostrou a importância da estabilização de parâmetros de processo de lingotamento contínuo, que influenciam na variação de massa linear de aços longos.In the competitive environment of the steel industry, the increasing trend is in the development of processes for steel production combining the obtaining of products with optimal quality and that generate greater productivity, both in the process of continuous casting and in its clients. The production of billets with incorrect or inaccurate length or mass generates wasteful energy costs through reheating, scrapping and process interruption during rolling, increasing the cost per ton of steel of the final product and reducing productivity. To better work or comprehend the influence of process parameters, it is necessary to study and to understand them. That said, this paper was divided into two parts. The first one tried to define which is the best parameter to the cutting of the billets in continuous casting: length or mass. The results showed that the mass should be considered when sending billets to the rolling mill, since this parameter ignores linear mass variations (however, the physical limitations of the reheating furnace should be considered when evaluating the mass). The second part sought to understand the influence that the mold life and solidification parameters have on the linear mass of the billet and its dimensions. The results showed that the linear mass is influenced by the mold life and the casting speed. In contrast, the water flow in the mold showed a less significant effect in the usual working range. In general, the work resulted in an increased productivity of the rolling of the mill studied, by stabilizing the cutting of the billet in continuous casting by its mass, improving the scales and defining an optimized cutting procedure based on the results of the analysis. In addition, the work highlighted the importance of the stabilization of process parameters of continuous casting, which influence the linear mass variation of long steels

O conservadorismo-liberal no Brasil de Bolsonaro: a força da articulação no contexto de pandemia

Neste artigo, apontamos que o governo do presidente Jair Bolsonaro está assentado numa articulação política e ideológica que chamamos de conservadorismo-liberal. Para explorar este argumento, nos detemos prioritariamente na análise da reunião ministerial realizada em abril de 2020, sustentando que a reconversão da pauta operada em seu curso, bem como que as opções realizadas para o enfrentamento da pandemia da Covid-19 por parte do governo federal, nos permitem caracterizar os conteúdos próprios do conservadorismo-liberal. Abordamos, assim, temas como as noções de liberdade e o papel da família e do Estado na articulação entre esses dois pólos.This paper debates the role of liberal conservatism in the government of President Jair Bolsonaro. To explore this argument, we focused primarily on the analysis of the ministerial meeting held in April 2020, arguing that the reconversion of the agenda operated in its course, as well as the options made to face the Covid-19 pandemic by the federal government, allow us to characterize the contents of liberal conservatism. The approach outlined here emphasizes themes such as freedom, the role of the family and the State in the liberal conservatism articulation

A reforma na Constituição Federal de 1988 e as relações entre os poderes da República: uma análise das emendas constitucionais aprovadas de 2019 a 2022

A Constituição Federal de 1988, até outubro de 2022, sofreu 125 alterações por emenda constitucional, de modo que este número elevado de reformas levanta questionamentos acerca das repercussões do uso intenso das emendas em relação à garantia da supremacia constitucional. Dessa maneira, o artigo teve por objetivo analisar o exercício do poder reformador durante a legislatura de 2019 a 2022 a partir das 26 emendas constitucionais aprovadas e promulgadas pelo Congresso Nacional e das respectivas propostas de emenda à constituição que lhes originaram. Quanto à metodologia, adotou-se a revisão bibliográfica, sendo consultadas obras relacionadas ao processo legislativo e à reforma constitucional, bem como foi feita a análise documental das emendas aprovadas de 2019 a 2022 e suas respectivas propostas, sendo buscadas informações acerca da iniciativa, do ano de aprovação e do assunto abordado. Concluiu-se que o Senado assumiu o protagonismo no exercício da reforma constitucional ao longo do período estudado, e que finanças e orçamento foram os assuntos predominantes nas 26 emendas, com quase a metade do total analisado. Por fim, alertou-se para o excessivo uso do poder reformador nos anos de 2020 e 2021, marcados pela pandemia da COVID-19, e no ano de 2022, marcado por eleições gerais

REMINISCÊNCIAS DO PASSADO: O TRABALHO EM SITUAÇÃO ANÁLOGA À ESCRAVIDÃO E A LUTA PELA LIBERDADE

O trabalho é uma atividade humana capaz de gerar riqueza, melhoria na condição de vida e promover o desenvolvimento. Todavia a exploração do trabalho pode ferir a dignidade humana e a liberdade individual, como é o caso de reduzir pessoas a condição análoga à escravidão, diante da afronta aos direitos fundamentais e está associada a prática de outros crimes, como o tráfico de pessoas e a organização criminosa. Deste modo, busca-se através da pesquisa histórico-descritivo, quando ao objeto, e em relação ao procedimento técnico, revisão bibliográfica e documental, analisar a questão do trabalho forçado no Brasil na atualidade

Violência escolar: uma percepção da causa na visão do profissional não docente

Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo cujo objetivo analisar os significados que a violncia assume bem como as formas como manifesta sua causa a partir de depoimentos de funcionrios de uma escola pblica de um municpio mineiro. No que tange as causas os entrevistados inferiram a relao com o professor; famlia; ausncia/desconhecimento de motivos; conflito gerado fora do ambiente escolar como possveis preditores do fenmeno. Debruada na protagonizao que dispe a violncia escolar, a abordagem disps, em sua maioria, condio social do indivduo. Conclui-se que a violncia tem origem multifatorial, mas que a escola constitui fonte privilegiada de mediao da violncia visto que neste ambiente que se revela a dissonncia no sistema remetendo a reproduo de desigualdades. Sua misso de ser democrtica e inclusiva no acompanha pela demanda social, assim, o que se evidencia uma ambiente de segregao e excluso ao outro

Contenção da violência escolar sob a ótica dos funcionários de uma escola pública

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/217976928100Aim: to identify strategies to curb school violence in vision by employees in a public school in the city of Divinópolis-MG. Methods: this is a descriptive and qualitative study. Data were collected through interviews and later transcribed, evaluated by means of content analysis. Results: from repeated speeches were organized two categories: The role of schools and the role of the family. Corroborated the of multiple problems situation, the respondents not told with measures that articulate the training required for teachers. Conclusion: it appears that the respondents have knowledge of a larger number of situations of conflict between teacher and student, which makes these statements consistent with the actual need of that environment. We also emphasize the urgent need to integrate actions with strategies to involve employees in the education and training required for teachers.Objetivo: conocer las estrategias de contención de la violencia escolar en la visión de los empleados en una escuela pública en la ciudad de Divinópolis-MG. Metodología: estudio descriptivo, cualitativo. Los datos fueron recolectados a través de entrevistas y posteriormente transcritas, evaluados por medio de análisis de contenido. Resultados: a partir de discursos repetidos dos categorías fueron organizadas: el papel de la escuela y el papel de la familia. Así, confirmada la situación multiproblemática, los encuestados no dispusieron de medidas que los articulen en formación requerida a los profesores. Conclusión: se verifica que los encuestados conocen más conflicto entre profesor y estudiante, lo que hace estas declaraciones en consonancia con la necesidad real de ese entorno. También se resalta la urgente necesidad de integrar las acciones con las estrategias para involucrar a los empleados en la educación y la formación necesaria para los profesores.http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/217976928100Objetivo: conhecer as estratégias de contenção da violência escolar na visão de funcionários de uma escola estadual do município de Divinópolis-MG. Método: trata-se de estudo descritivo, qualitativo. Os dados foram coletados através de entrevistas e posteriormente transcritos, avaliados por meio da análise de conteúdo. Resultados: a partir de discursos repetidos duas categorias foram organizadas: O papel da escola e O papel da família. Corroborada a situação multiproblemática, os entrevistados não dispuseram de medidas que os articulem na capacitação requerida aos professores. Conclusão: constata-se que os entrevistados possuem conhecimento de um número maior de situações de conflito entre professor-aluno, o que faz desses depoimentos condizentes com a real necessidade daquele ambiente. Ressalta-se ainda, a premência de integrar ações com estratégias que envolvam os funcionários na formação e capacitação requerida aos professores