Installazione del navigation stack su rover terrestre e applicazione del kinect nello human-robot interaction.

Progetto SHERPA. Installazione e configurazione del Navigaton Stack su Rover terrestre. Utilizzo e configurazione di LMS151 Sick. Utilizzo e configurazione di Asus Xtion Pro. Progettazione di software per la localizzazione e l'inseguimento di persone tramite camera di profondita.

Investigating the Effects of Various Crowd Characteristics on the Dynamic Properties of an Occupied Structure

One of the challenges for structural engineers during design is considering how the structure will respond to crowd-induced dynamic loading. It has been shown that human occupants of a structure do not simply add mass to the system when considering the overall dynamic response of the system, but interact with it and may induce changes of the dynamic properties from those of the empty structure. This study presents an investigation into the human-structure interaction based on several crowd characteristics and their effect on the dynamic properties of an empty structure. The dynamic properties including frequency, damping, and mode shapes were estimated for a single test structure by means of experimental modal analysis techniques. The same techniques were utilized to estimate the dynamic properties when the test structure was occupied by a crowd with different combinations of size, posture, and distribution. The goal of this study is to isolate the occupant characteristics in order to determine the significance of each to be considered when designing new structures to avoid crowd serviceability issues. The results are presented and summarized based on the level of influence of each characteristic. The posture that produces the most significant effects based on the scope of this research is standing with bent knees with a maximum decrease in frequency of the first mode of the empty structure by 32 percent atthe highest mass ratio. The associated damping also increased 36 times the damping of the empty structure. In addition to the analysis of the experimental data, finite element models and a two degree-of-freedom model were created. These models were used to gain an understanding of the test structure, model a crowd as an equivalent mass, and also to develop a single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model to best represent a crowd of occupants based on the experimental results. The SDOF models created had an averagefrequency of 5.0 Hz, within the range presented in existing biomechanics research, and combined SDOF systems of the test structure and crowd were able to reproduce the frequency and damping ratios associated with experimental tests. Results of this study confirmed the existence of human-structure interaction andthe inability to simply model a crowd as only additional mass. The two degree-offreedom model determined was able to predict the change in natural frequency and damping ratio for a structure occupied by multiple group sizes in a single posture. These results and model are the preliminary steps in the development of an appropriate methodfor modeling a crowd in combination with a more complex FE model of the empty structure.

NETWORK TOPOLOGY IN HUMAN PROTEIN INTERACTION DATA PREDICTS FUNCTIONAL ASSOCIATION

High-throughput assays, such as yeast two-hybrid system, have generated a huge amount of protein-protein interaction (PPI) data in the past decade. This tremendously increases the need for developing reliable methods to systematically and automatically suggest protein functions and relationships between them. With the available PPI data, it is now possible to study the functions and relationships in the context of a large-scale network. To data, several network-based schemes have been provided to effectively annotate protein functions on a large scale. However, due to those inherent noises in high-throughput data generation, new methods and algorithms should be developed to increase the reliability of functional annotations. Previous work in a yeast PPI network (Samanta and Liang, 2003) has shown that the local connection topology, particularly for two proteins sharing an unusually large number of neighbors, can predict functional associations between proteins, and hence suggest their functions. One advantage of the work is that their algorithm is not sensitive to noises (false positives) in high-throughput PPI data. In this study, we improved their prediction scheme by developing a new algorithm and new methods which we applied on a human PPI network to make a genome-wide functional inference. We used the new algorithm to measure and reduce the influence of hub proteins on detecting functionally associated proteins. We used the annotations of the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) as independent and unbiased benchmarks to evaluate our algorithms and methods within the human PPI network. We showed that, compared with the previous work from Samanta and Liang, our algorithm and methods developed in this study improved the overall quality of functional inferences for human proteins. By applying the algorithms to the human PPI network, we obtained 4,233 significant functional associations among 1,754 proteins. Further comparisons of their KEGG and GO annotations allowed us to assign 466 KEGG pathway annotations to 274 proteins and 123 GO annotations to 114 proteins with estimated false discovery rates of <21% for KEGG and <30% for GO. We clustered 1,729 proteins by their functional associations and made pathway analysis to identify several subclusters that are highly enriched in certain signaling pathways. Particularly, we performed a detailed analysis on a subcluster enriched in the transforming growth factor β signaling pathway (P<10-50) which is important in cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Analysis of another four subclusters also suggested potential new players in six signaling pathways worthy of further experimental investigations. Our study gives clear insight into the common neighbor-based prediction scheme and provides a reliable method for large-scale functional annotations in this post-genomic era.

Fluid-structure interaction of an elastic pipe immersed inside a coaxial rigid pipe: a model for the Tullio phenomenon

An axisymmetric, elastic pipe is filled with an incompressible fluid and is immersed in a second, coaxial rigid pipe which contains the same fluid. A pressure pulse in the outer fluid annulus deforms the elastic pipe which invokes a fluid motion in the fluid core. It is the aim of this study to investigate streaming phenomena in the core which may originate from such a fluid-structure interaction. This work presents a numerical solver for such a configuration. It was developed in the OpenFOAM software environment and is based on the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) approach for moving meshes. The solver features a monolithic integration of the one-dimensional, coupled system between the elastic structure and the outer fluid annulus into a dynamic boundary condition for the moving surface of the fluid core. Results indicate that our configuration may serve as a mechanical model of the Tullio Phenomenon (sound-induced vertigo).

Granular computing as a tool of human data interaction - a cognitive cities use case

The article proposes granular computing as a theoretical, formal and methodological basis for the newly emerging research field of human–data interaction (HDI). We argue that the ability to represent and reason with information granules is a prerequisite for data legibility. As such, it allows for extending the research agenda of HDI to encompass the topic of collective intelligence amplification, which is seen as an opportunity of today’s increasingly pervasive computing environments. As an example of collective intelligence amplification in HDI, we introduce a collaborative urban planning use case in a cognitive city environment and show how an iterative process of user input and human-oriented automated data processing can support collective decision making. As a basis for automated human-oriented data processing, we use the spatial granular calculus of granular geometry.

Ground maritime structure interaction. Recent failures in inner gravity constructions on the Spanish Coastline

A maritime construction is usually a slender line in the ocean.It is usual to see just its narrow surface strip and not analyse the large amount of submerged material the latter is supporting.Without doubt,it is the ground to which a notable load is transmitted in an environment subjected to periodic,alternating stresses,dynamic forces which the sea's media constitute. Both an outer and inner maritime construction works in a complex fashion.A granular solid(breakwater)breathes with the incident wave flow,dissipating part of the wave energy between its gaps.The backflow tries to extract the different items from the solid block,setting a balance between effective and neutral tensions that follow Terzaghui's principle. On some occasions,fluidification of the armour layer has caused the breakwater to collapse(Sines,Portugal,February 1978).On others,siphoning or liquefaction of sand supporting monoliths(vertical breakwaters)lead them to destruction or collapse(New Barcelona Harbour Mouth,Spain,November 2001). This is why the ground-force-structure interaction is a complicated analysis with joint design tools still in an incipient state. The purpose of this article is to describe two singular failures in inner maritime constructions in Spain deriving from ground problems(Malaga,July 2004and Barcelona,January 2007).They occurred recently and the causes are the subject of reflection and analysis.

On soil-structure interaction in large non-slender partially buried structures

This paper addresses the seismic analysis of a deeply embedded non-slender structure hosting the pumping unit of a reservoir. The dynamic response in this type of problems is usually studied under the assumption of a perfectly rigid structure using a sub-structuring procedure (three-step solution) proposed specifically for this hypothesis. Such an approach enables a relatively simple assessment of the importance of some key factors influencing the structural response. In this work, the problem is also solved in a single step using a direct approach in which the structure and surrounding soil are modelled as a coupled system with its actual geometry and flexibility. Results indicate that, quite surprisingly, there are significant differences among prediction using both methods. Furthermore, neglecting the flexibility of the structure leads to a significant underestimation of the spectral accelerations at certain points of the structure.

Fluid-Structure Interaction in Civil Engineering Structures

The problems being addressed involve the dynamic interaction of solids (structure and foundation) with a liquid (water). Various numerical procedures are reviewed and employed to solve the problem of establishing the expected response of a structure subjected to seismic excitations while duly accounting for those interactions. The methodology is applied to the analysis of dams, lock gates, and large storage tanks, incorporating in some cases a comparison with the results produced by means of simplified analytical procedures.

Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction in Bridge Abutments

Strong motion obtained in instrumental short-span bridges show the importance of the abutments in the dynamic response of the whole structure. Many models have been used in order to take into account the influence of pier foundations although no reliable ones have been used to analyse the abutment performance. In this work three-dimensional Boundary Element models in frequency domain have been proposed and dimensionless dynamic stiffness of standard bridge abutments have been obtained.

Workshop on engaging the human-computer interaction community with public policymaking internationally

There is an increasing interest in the intersection of human-computer interaction and public policy. This day-long workshop will examine successes and challenges related to public policy and human computer interaction, in order to provide a forum to create a baseline of examples and to start the process of writing a white paper on the topic.

Analysis of Meshfree Methods for Lagrangian Fluid-Structure Interaction

In this dissertation a new numerical method for solving Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems in a Lagrangian framework is developed, where solids of different constitutive laws can suffer very large deformations and fluids are considered to be newtonian and incompressible. For that, we first introduce a meshless discretization based on local maximum-entropy interpolants. This allows to discretize a spatial domain with no need of tessellation, avoiding the mesh limitations. Later, the Stokes flow problem is studied. The Galerkin meshless method based on a max-ent scheme for this problem suffers from instabilities, and therefore stabilization techniques are discussed and analyzed. An unconditionally stable method is finally formulated based on a Douglas-Wang stabilization. Then, a Langrangian expression for fluid mechanics is derived. This allows us to establish a common framework for fluid and solid domains, such that interaction can be naturally accounted. The resulting equations are also in the need of stabilization, what is corrected with an analogous technique as for the Stokes problem. The fully Lagrangian framework for fluid/solid interaction is completed with simple point-to-point and point-to-surface contact algorithms. The method is finally validated, and some numerical examples show the potential scope of applications.