A multimedia environment for supporting the teaching of robotics systems

This paper aims at describing an educational system for teaching and learning robotic systems. Multimedia resources were used to construct a virtual laboratory where users are able to use functionalities of a virtual robotic arm, by moving and clicking the mouse without caring about the detailed internal robot operation. Moreover through the multimedia system the user can interact with a real robot arm. The engineering students are the target public of the developed system. With its contents and interactive capabilities, it has been used as a support to the traditional face-to-face classes on the subject of robotics.. In the paper it is first introduced the metaphor of Virtual Laboratory used in the system. Next, it is described the Graphical and Multimedia Environment approach: an interactive graphic user interface with a 3D environment for simulation. Design and implementation issues of the real-time interactive multimedia learning system, which supports the W3C SMIL standard for presenting the real-time multimedia teaching material, are described. Finally, some preliminary conclusions and possible future works from this research are presented.

A bounded upwinding scheme for computing convection-dominated transport problems

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Increasing Moodle Resources Through Cloud Computing

The increase of higher education offer is a basic need of developed and emerging countries. It requires increasing and ongoing investments. The offer of higher education, by means of Distance Learning, based on the Internet, is one of the most efficient manners for the massification of this offer, as it allows ample coverage and lower costs. In this scenario, we highlight Moodle, an open and low-cost environment for Distance Learning. Its utilization may be amplified through the adoption of an emerging Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Cloud Computing, which allows the virtualization of Moodle sites, cutting costs, facilitating management and increasing its service capacity. This article diffuses a public tool, opened and free, for automatic conversion of Moodle sites, such that these may be hosted on Azure: the Cloud Computing environment of Microsoft.

MATHEMATICA notebook for computing tetrahedral finite element shape functions and matrices for the Helmholtz equation

A MATHEMATICA notebook to compute the elements of the matrices which arise in the solution of the Helmholtz equation by the finite element method (nodal approximation) for tetrahedral elements of any approximation order is presented. The results of the notebook enable a fast computational implementation of finite element codes for high order simplex 3D elements reducing the overheads due to implementation and test of the complex mathematical expressions obtained from the analytical integrations. These matrices can be used in a large number of applications related to physical phenomena described by the Poisson, Laplace and Schrodinger equations with anisotropic physical properties.

Interpolating EFGM for computing continuous and discontinuous electromagnetic fields

Purpose - This paper proposes an interpolating approach of the element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) coupled with a modified truncation scheme for solving Poisson's boundary value problems in domains involving material non-homogeneities. The suitability and efficiency of the proposed implementation are evaluated for a given set of test cases of electrostatic field in domains involving different material interfaces.Design/methodology/approach - the authors combined an interpolating approximation with a modified domain truncation scheme, which avoids additional techniques for enforcing the Dirichlet boundary conditions and for dealing with material interfaces usually employed in meshfree formulations.Findings - the local electric potential and field distributions were correctly described as well as the global quantities like the total potency and resistance. Since, the treatment of the material interfaces becomes practically the same for both the finite element method (FEM) and the proposed EFGM, FEM-oriented programs can, thus, be easily extended to provide EFGM approximations.Research limitations/implications - the robustness of the proposed formulation became evident from the error analyses of the local and global variables, including in the case of high-material discontinuity.Practical implications - the proposed approach has shown to be as robust as linear FEM. Thus, it becomes an attractive alternative, also because it avoids the use of additional techniques to deal with boundary/interface conditions commonly employed in meshfree formulations.Originality/value - This paper reintroduces the domain truncation in the EFGM context, but by using a set of interpolating shape functions the authors avoided the use of Lagrange multipliers as well Mathematics in Engineering high-material discontinuity.

A simple prescription for computing the stress-energy tensor

A non-variational technique for computing the stress-energy tensor is presented. The prescription is used, among other things, to obtain the correct field equations for Prasanna's highly nonlinear electrodynamics.

On computing discriminants of subfields of Q(zeta(pr))

The conductor-discriminant formula, namely, the Hasse Theorem, states that if a number field K is fixed by a subgroup H of Gal(Q(zeta(n))/Q), the discriminant of K can be obtained from H by computing the product of the conductors of all characters defined modulo n which are associated to K. By calculating these conductors explicitly, we derive a formula to compute the discriminant of any subfield of Q(zeta(p)r), where p is an odd prime and r is a positive integer. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. (USA).

On the dissimilarity between the algorithms for computing the symmetric energy-momentum tensor in ordinary field theory and general relativity

The recipe used to compute the symmetric energy-momentum tensor in the framework of ordinary field theory bears little resemblance to that used in the context of general relativity, if any. We show that if one stal ts fi om the field equations instead of the Lagrangian density, one obtains a unified algorithm for computing the symmetric energy-momentum tensor in the sense that it can be used for both usual field theory and general relativity.

Teaching robotics systems in a multimedia environment

This paper describes the development of a multimedia educational system to teach and learn robotic systems. Multimedia resources have been used to build a virtual laboratory where users are able to utilize functions of a robotic arm, by moving and clicking the mouse without worrying about the detailed robot internal operation. The multimedia system is integrated with a real robotic arm, which was also developed at the university. Through robotic topic presentations and interactive capabilities provided by this system and its tools, students can devote themselves on the learning process just as they do in the traditional face-to-face classes. and the target public of this system are the engineering students themselves.

A STORM* environment for building multimedia presentations

This paper describes an environment for constructing multimedia applications which are used to present different multimedia database objects in accordance with spatiotemporal constraints and from different sources. The main contribution of this paper is to propose an environment which integrates both a modelling case tool and an object-oriented database system.

Algorithm for computing the propagator for higher derivative gravity theories

A simple algorithm for computing the propagator for higher derivative gravity theories based on the Barnes-Rivers operators is presented. The prescription is used, among other things, to obtain the propagator for quadratic gravity in an unconventional gauge. We also find the propagator for both gravity and quadratic gravity in an interesting gauge recently baptized the Einstein gauge [Hitzer and Dehnen, Int. J. Theor. Phys. 36 (1997), 559].

N-methyl-D-aspartate channel and consciousness: From signal coincidence detection to quantum computing

Research on Blindsight, Neglect/Extinction and Phantom limb syndromes, as well as electrical measurements of mammalian brain activity, have suggested the dependence of vivid perception on both incoming sensory information at primary sensory cortex and reentrant information from associative cortex. Coherence between incoming and reentrant signals seems to be a necessary condition for (conscious) perception. General reticular activating system and local electrical synchronization are some of the tools used by the brain to establish coarse coherence at the sensory cortex, upon which biochemical processes are coordinated. Besides electrical synchrony and chemical modulation at the synapse, a central mechanism supporting such a coherence is the N-methyl-D-aspartate channel, working as a 'coincidence detector' for an incoming signal causing the depolarization necessary to remove Mg 2+, and reentrant information releasing the glutamate that finally prompts Ca 2+ entry. We propose that a signal transduction pathway activated by Ca 2+ entry into cortical neurons is in charge of triggering a quantum computational process that accelerates inter-neuronal communication, thus solving systemic conflict and supporting the unity of consciousness. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.

On computing discriminants of subfields of ℚ (ζp r)

The conductor-discriminant formula, namely, the Hasse Theorem, states that if a number field K is fixed by a subgroup H of Gal(ℚ(ζn)/ℚ), the discriminant of K can be obtained from H by computing the product of the conductors of all characters defined modulo n which are associated to K. By calculating these conductors explicitly, we derive a formula to compute the discriminant of any subfield of ℚ(ζpr), where p is an odd rime and r is a positive integer. © 2002 Elsevier Science USA.

A logical approach to the management of object identifiers in non-conventional database management systems

Non-conventional database management systems are used to achieve a better performance when dealing with complex data. One fundamental concept of these systems is object identity (OID), because each object in the database has a unique identifier that is used to access and reference it in relationships to other objects. Two approaches can be used for the implementation of OIDs: physical or logical OIDs. In order to manage complex data, was proposed the Multimedia Data Manager Kernel (NuGeM) that uses a logical technique, named Indirect Mapping. This paper proposes an improvement to the technique used by NuGeM, whose original contribution is management of OIDs with a fewer number of disc accesses and less processing, thus reducing management time from the pages and eliminating the problem with exhaustion of OIDs. Also, the technique presented here can be applied to others OODBMSs. © 2011 IEEE.

Multimedia selection: Allowing educators to act critically and independently

In Brazil, important portals like the Portal do Professor, or Teacher's Portal, from the Ministry of Education, offer multimedia products like audios, videos, games, animations, simulations and others with an accompanying teacher's guide. These guides in general suggest ways to prepare the students to use the products while offering indications on how to practice that knowledge after using the products in the classrooom. Despite this, portals with huge repositories that receive new products every week don't present to teachers a solution for a problem: How to select the appropriate products to use in the classroom and how to assess their use after teaching in order to check if the learning was meaningful? In this way, this paper discusses multimedia selection for meaningful learning while considering concept mapping and abstraction classification. The development of multimedia repositories has created both opportunities for easy access to digital content and areas of serious concerns since the misuse of products by teachers may lead to different problems.