Interactive light and sound table: an EPS@ISEP project

Interactive products are appealing objects in a technology-driven society and the offer in the market is wide and varied. Most of the existing interactive products only provide either light or sound experiences. Therefore, the goal of this project was to develop a product aimed for children combining both features. This project was developed by a team of four thirdyear students with different engineering backgrounds and nationalities during the European Project Semester at ISEP (EPS@ISEP) in 2012. This paper presents the process that led to the development of an interactive sound table that combines nine identical interaction blocks, a control block and a sound block. Each interaction block works independently and is composed of four light emitting diodes (LED) and one infrared (IR) sensor. The control is performed by an Arduino microcontroller and the sound block includes a music shield and a pair of loud speakers. A number of tests were carried out to assess whether the controller, IR sensors, LED, music shield and speakers work together properly and if the ensemble was a viable interactive light and sound device for children.

Direct search optimization application programming interface with remote access

Search Optimization methods are needed to solve optimization problems where the objective function and/or constraints functions might be non differentiable, non convex or might not be possible to determine its analytical expressions either due to its complexity or its cost (monetary, computational, time,...). Many optimization problems in engineering and other fields have these characteristics, because functions values can result from experimental or simulation processes, can be modelled by functions with complex expressions or by noise functions and it is impossible or very difficult to calculate their derivatives. Direct Search Optimization methods only use function values and do not need any derivatives or approximations of them. In this work we present a Java API that including several methods and algorithms, that do not use derivatives, to solve constrained and unconstrained optimization problems. Traditional API access, by installing it on the developer and/or user computer, and remote API access to it, using Web Services, are also presented. Remote access to the API has the advantage of always allow the access to the latest version of the API. For users that simply want to have a tool to solve Nonlinear Optimization Problems and do not want to integrate these methods in applications, also two applications were developed. One is a standalone Java application and the other a Web-based application, both using the developed API.

Web-based application programming interface to solve nonlinear optimization problems

Nonlinear Optimization Problems are usual in many engineering fields. Due to its characteristics the objective function of some problems might not be differentiable or its derivatives have complex expressions. There are even cases where an analytical expression of the objective function might not be possible to determine either due to its complexity or its cost (monetary, computational, time, ...). In these cases Nonlinear Optimization methods must be used. An API, including several methods and algorithms to solve constrained and unconstrained optimization problems was implemented. This API can be accessed not only as traditionally, by installing it on the developer and/or user computer, but it can also be accessed remotely using Web Services. As long as there is a network connection to the server where the API is installed, applications always access to the latest API version. Also an Web-based application, using the proposed API, was developed. This application is to be used by users that do not want to integrate methods in applications, and simply want to have a tool to solve Nonlinear Optimization Problems.

Digital serious games and simulation games - comparison of two approaches to lean training

In an increasingly competitive and globalized world, companies need effective training methodologies and tools for their employees. However, selecting the most suitable ones is not an easy task. It depends on the requirements of the target group (namely time restrictions), on the specificities of the contents, etc. This is typically the case for training in Lean, the waste elimination manufacturing philosophy. This paper presents and compares two different approaches to lean training methodologies and tools: a simulation game based on a single realistic manufacturing platform, involving production and assembly operations that allows learning by playing; and a digital game that helps understand lean tools. This paper shows that both tools have advantages in terms of trainee motivation and knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, they can be used in a complementary way, reinforcing the acquired knowledge.

Da criação musical à prática interpretativa: um diálogo ao encontro da inovação estética e artística do fagote em Portugal

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Música - Interpretação Artística

A dimensão crítica na interpretação musical

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Música - Interpretação Artística

Overcoming the objectification of western classical music with the concept of music as a process

Dissertation to obtain the degree of Master in Music - Artistic Interpretation

Application of fractional calculus in engineering

Fractional Calculus (FC) goes back to the beginning of the theory of differential calculus. Nevertheless, the application of FC just emerged in the last two decades. It has been recognized the advantageous use of this mathematical tool in the modelling and control of many dynamical systems. Having these ideas in mind, this paper discusses a FC perspective in the study of the dynamics and control of several systems. The paper investigates the use of FC in the fields of controller tuning, legged robots, electrical systems and digital circuit synthesis.

REXIB: Remote Experiments Interface Builder

Remote Experimentation is an educational resource that allows teachers to strengthen the practical contents of science & engineering courses. However, building up the interfaces to remote experiments is not a trivial task. Although teachers normally master the practical contents addressed by a particular remote experiment they usually lack the programming skills required to quickly build up the corresponding web interface. This paper describes the automatic generation of experiment interfaces through a web-accessible Java application. The application displays a list of existent modules and once the requested modules have been selected, it generates the code that enables the browser to display the experiment interface. The tools? main advantage is enabling non-tech teachers to create their own remote experiments.

Some applications of fractional calculus in engineering

Fractional Calculus FC goes back to the beginning of the theory of differential calculus. Nevertheless, the application of FC just emerged in the last two decades, due to the progress in the area of chaos that revealed subtle relationships with the FC concepts. In the field of dynamical systems theory some work has been carried out but the proposed models and algorithms are still in a preliminary stage of establishment. Having these ideas in mind, the paper discusses FC in the study of system dynamics and control. In this perspective, this paper investigates the use of FC in the fields of controller tuning, legged robots, redundant robots, heat diffusion, and digital circuit synthesis.

INbreast: Toward a Full-field Digital Mammographic Database

Rationale and Objectives Computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) systems have been developed in the past two decades to assist radiologists in the detection and diagnosis of lesions seen on breast imaging exams, thus providing a second opinion. Mammographic databases play an important role in the development of algorithms aiming at the detection and diagnosis of mammary lesions. However, available databases often do not take into consideration all the requirements needed for research and study purposes. This article aims to present and detail a new mammographic database. Materials and Methods Images were acquired at a breast center located in a university hospital (Centro Hospitalar de S. João [CHSJ], Breast Centre, Porto) with the permission of the Portuguese National Committee of Data Protection and Hospital's Ethics Committee. MammoNovation Siemens full-field digital mammography, with a solid-state detector of amorphous selenium was used. Results The new database—INbreast—has a total of 115 cases (410 images) from which 90 cases are from women with both breasts affected (four images per case) and 25 cases are from mastectomy patients (two images per case). Several types of lesions (masses, calcifications, asymmetries, and distortions) were included. Accurate contours made by specialists are also provided in XML format. Conclusion The strengths of the actually presented database—INbreast—relies on the fact that it was built with full-field digital mammograms (in opposition to digitized mammograms), it presents a wide variability of cases, and is made publicly available together with precise annotations. We believe that this database can be a reference for future works centered or related to breast cancer imaging.

Board-level prototype validation: a built-in controller and extended BST architecture

Prototype validation is a major concern in modern electronic product design and development. Simulation, structural test, functional and timing debug are all forming parts of the validation process, although very often addressed as dissociated tasks. In this paper we describe an integrated approach to board-level prototype validation, based on a set of mandatory/optional BST instructions and a built-in controller for debug and test, that addresses the late mentioned tasks as inherent parts of a whole process

Particle swarm design of digital circuits

Swarm Intelligence (SI) is the property of a system whereby the collective behaviors of (unsophisticated) agents interacting locally with their environment cause coherent functional global patterns to emerge. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a form of SI, and a population-based search algorithm that is initialized with a population of random solutions, called particles. These particles are flying through hyperspace and have two essential reasoning capabilities: their memory of their own best position and knowledge of the swarm's best position. In a PSO scheme each particle flies through the search space with a velocity that is adjusted dynamically according with its historical behavior. Therefore, the particles have a tendency to fly towards the best search area along the search process. This work proposes a PSO based algorithm for logic circuit synthesis. The results show the statistical characteristics of this algorithm with respect to number of generations required to achieve the solutions. It is also presented a comparison with other two Evolutionary Algorithms, namely Genetic and Memetic Algorithms.

Interface caligráfica de escrita no ar

Na atualidade, está a emergir um novo paradigma de interação, designado por Natural User Interface (NUI) para reconhecimento de gestos produzidos com o corpo do utilizador. O dispositivo de interação Microsoft Kinect foi inicialmente concebido para controlo de videojogos, para a consola Xbox360. Este dispositivo demonstra ser uma aposta viável para explorar outras áreas, como a do apoio ao processo de ensino e de aprendizagem para crianças do ensino básico. O protótipo desenvolvido visa definir um modo de interação baseado no desenho de letras no ar, e realizar a interpretação dos símbolos desenhados, usando os reconhecedores de padrões Kernel Discriminant Analysis (KDA), Support Vector Machines (SVM) e $N. O desenvolvimento deste projeto baseou-se no estudo dos diferentes dispositivos NUI disponíveis no mercado, bibliotecas de desenvolvimento NUI para este tipo de dispositivos e algoritmos de reconhecimento de padrões. Com base nos dois elementos iniciais, foi possível obter uma visão mais concreta de qual o hardware e software disponíveis indicados à persecução do objetivo pretendido. O reconhecimento de padrões constitui um tema bastante extenso e complexo, de modo que foi necessária a seleção de um conjunto limitado deste tipo de algoritmos, realizando os respetivos testes por forma a determinar qual o que melhor se adequava ao objetivo pretendido. Aplicando as mesmas condições aos três algoritmos de reconhecimento de padrões permitiu avaliar as suas capacidades e determinar o $N como o que apresentou maior eficácia no reconhecimento. Por último, tentou-se averiguar a viabilidade do protótipo desenvolvido, tendo sido testado num universo de elementos de duas faixas etárias para determinar a capacidade de adaptação e aprendizagem destes dois grupos. Neste estudo, constatou-se um melhor desempenho inicial ao modo de interação do grupo de idade mais avançada. Contudo, o grupo mais jovem foi revelando uma evolutiva capacidade de adaptação a este modo de interação melhorando progressivamente os resultados.

Plataforma de gestão e controlo de identidade digital e implementação novos modelos de governação e utilização das TIC

As estruturas orgânicas empresariais estão cada vez mais obrigadas a garantir elevados padrões de qualidade de serviços, possibilitando ao mesmo tempo a sustentabilidade das estruturas e ainda, o alinhamento dos investimentos efetuados com as estratégias de negócio. O seu desenvolvimento obriga a que na área das tecnologias de informação e comunicação exista a necessidade de repensar estratégias em vigor, procurando novos modelos, mais ágeis e mais capazes de se enquadrar nestas novas exigências. Neste âmbito, é de esperar que as plataformas de identidade digital tenham um papel determinante no desenvolvimento destes novos modelos, pois são um instrumento único para se implementarem plataformas heterogéneas, intemperáveis, com elevados níveis de segurança e de garantia de controlo no acesso à informação. O trabalho agora apresentado tem como objectivo investigar e desenvolver uma plataforma de identidade digital e uma plataforma de testes, que permitam ao Politécnico do Porto a aquisição de um infraestrutura de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação que se torne um instrumento fundamental para o desenvolvimento contínuo, de garantia de qualidade e de sustentabilidade de todos os serviços prestados à sua comunidade.