An overview of nonlinear identification and control with neural networks.

The aim of this chapter is to introduce background concepts in nonlinear systems identification and control with artificial neural networks. As this chapter is just an overview, with a limited page space, only the basic ideas will be explained here. The reader is encouraged, for a more detailed explanation of a specific topic of interest, to consult the references given throughout the text. Additionally, as general books in the field of neural networks, the books by Haykin [1] and Principe et al. [2] are suggested. Regarding nonlinear systems identification, covering both classical and neural and neuro-fuzzy methodologies, Reference 3 is recommended. References 4 and 5 should be used in the context of B-spline networks.

A rede de transportes inter-urbanos de passageiros e a sua adequação ao modelo de ordenamento da região

Dissertação de Mestrado, Ciências Económicas e Empresariais, Unidade de Economia e Administração, Universidade do Algarve, 1996

Plurality, policy and the local: can hyperlocals fill the gap?

Over the last 15 years, the acceleration in media consolidation has presented a series of policy challenges around diversity of editorial output. While policy debates on national ownership limits and other regulatory interventions are important, developments at the local level are often marginalised. And yet, the direction of travel—towards more consolidation and more deregulation—has arguably been more debilitating for democracy at the local level, where the vast majority of citizens interact with hospitals, schools, transport systems and local councils. The decline of local media—including, in some towns, the wholesale disappearance of local newspapers—leaves citizens starved of information and local institutions less accountable. This article uses an existing conceptual framework for assessing whether and how journalism makes a real-life contribution to democratic life at the local level. Against this normative framework, it then assesses the contribution of hyperlocal media sites to local democracy. We present findings from the most extensive survey of the hyperlocal sector to date, a collaboration with research partners at Cardiff and Birmingham City Universities and Talk About Local, which analysed online questionnaires from over 180 local online media initiatives. Our research offers a unique insight into the funding, operational problems and sustainability of community media sites, and suggests they have the potential to fulfil a vital democratic and civic role. These data inform our conclusions and recommendations for policy initiatives that would invigorate hyperlocal sites and therefore provide a real alternative for otherwise democratically impoverished local communities.

Using data mining techniques to support DR programs definition in smart grids

In recent years, Power Systems (PS) have experimented many changes in their operation. The introduction of new players managing Distributed Generation (DG) units, and the existence of new Demand Response (DR) programs make the control of the system a more complex problem and allow a more flexible management. An intelligent resource management in the context of smart grids is of huge important so that smart grids functions are assured. This paper proposes a new methodology to support system operators and/or Virtual Power Players (VPPs) to determine effective and efficient DR programs that can be put into practice. This method is based on the use of data mining techniques applied to a database which is obtained for a large set of operation scenarios. The paper includes a case study based on 27,000 scenarios considering a diversity of distributed resources in a 32 bus distribution network.

LMP based bid formation for virtual power players operating in smart grids

Power system organization has gone through huge changes in the recent years. Significant increase in distributed generation (DG) and operation in the scope of liberalized markets are two relevant driving forces for these changes. More recently, the smart grid (SG) concept gained increased importance, and is being seen as a paradigm able to support power system requirements for the future. This paper proposes a computational architecture to support day-ahead Virtual Power Player (VPP) bid formation in the smart grid context. This architecture includes a forecasting module, a resource optimization and Locational Marginal Price (LMP) computation module, and a bid formation module. Due to the involved problems characteristics, the implementation of this architecture requires the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are used for resource and load forecasting and Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization (EPSO) is used for energy resource scheduling. The paper presents a case study that considers a 33 bus distribution network that includes 67 distributed generators, 32 loads and 9 storage units.

Análise prospetiva de modelos de transporte e usos do solo

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Vias de Comunicação e Transportes

Estudo de viabilidade de utilização de VLC em infra-estruturas ITS baseadas em semáforos rodoviários a LEDs

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia de Electrónica e Telecomunicações

Modelos de simulação em MATSim aplicados à análise de sistemas de transporte

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Vias de Comunicação e Transportes

Sistemas de informação ao público nos transportes públicos de passageiros: análise crítica

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia na Área de especialização em Vias de Comunicação e Transportes

Simulation and dynamics of freeway traffic

This paper presents the new package entitled Simulator of Intelligent Transportation Systems (SITS) and a computational oriented analysis of traffic dynamics. The SITS adopts a microscopic simulation approach to reproduce real traffic conditions considering different types of vehicles, drivers and roads. A set of experiments with the SITS reveal the dynamic phenomena exhibited by this kind of system. For this purpose a modelling formalism is developed that embeds the statistics and the Laplace transform. The results make possible the adoption of classical system theory tools and point out that it is possible to study traffic systems taking advantage of the knowledge gathered with automatic control algorithms. A complementary perspective for the analysis of the traffic flow is also quantified through the entropy measure.

Inferência de percursos dos utentes de um transporte coletivo

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia de Redes de Comunicações e Multimédia

Identificação e representação automática de percursos de autocarros

Trabalho final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia de Redes de Comunicação e Multimédia

Probabilistic Egomotion for Stereo Visual Odometry

We present a novel approach of Stereo Visual Odometry for vehicles equipped with calibrated stereo cameras. We combine a dense probabilistic 5D egomotion estimation method with a sparse keypoint based stereo approach to provide high quality estimates of vehicle’s angular and linear velocities. To validate our approach, we perform two sets of experiments with a well known benchmarking dataset. First, we assess the quality of the raw velocity estimates in comparison to classical pose estimation algorithms. Second, we added to our method’s instantaneous velocity estimates a Kalman Filter and compare its performance with a well known open source stereo Visual Odometry library. The presented results compare favorably with state-of-the-art approaches, mainly in the estimation of the angular velocities, where significant improvements are achieved.

Cation transporters/channels in plants: Tools for nutrient biofortification

Cation transporters/channels are key players in a wide range of physiological functions in plants, including cell signaling, osmoregulation, plant nutrition and metal tolerance. The recent identification of genes encoding some of these transport systems has allowed new studies toward further understanding of their integrated roles in plant. This review summarizes recent discoveries regarding the function and regulation of the multiple systems involved in cation transport in plant cells. The role of membrane transport in the uptake, distribution and accumulation of cations in plant tissues, cell types and subcellular compartments is described. We also discuss how the knowledge of inter- and intra-species variation in cation uptake, transport and accumulation as well as the molecular mechanisms responsible for these processes can be used to increase nutrient phytoavailability and nutrients accumulation in the edible tissues of plants. The main trends for future research in the field of biofortification are proposed.