A BDI-based approach for the assessment of driver's decision-making in commuter scenarios

The rapid growth of urban areas has a significant impact on traffic and transportation systems. New management policies and planning strategies are clearly necessary to cope with the more than ever limited capacity of existing road networks. The concept of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) arises in this scenario; rather than attempting to increase road capacity by means of physical modifications to the infrastructure, the premise of ITS relies on the use of advanced communication and computer technologies to handle today’s traffic and transportation facilities. Influencing users’ behaviour patterns is a challenge that has stimulated much research in the ITS field, where human factors start gaining great importance to modelling, simulating, and assessing such an innovative approach. This work is aimed at using Multi-agent Systems (MAS) to represent the traffic and transportation systems in the light of the new performance measures brought about by ITS technologies. Agent features have good potentialities to represent those components of a system that are geographically and functionally distributed, such as most components in traffic and transportation. A BDI (beliefs, desires, and intentions) architecture is presented as an alternative to traditional models used to represent the driver behaviour within microscopic simulation allowing for an explicit representation of users’ mental states. Basic concepts of ITS and MAS are presented, as well as some application examples related to the subject. This has motivated the extension of an existing microscopic simulation framework to incorporate MAS features to enhance the representation of drivers. This way demand is generated from a population of agents as the result of their decisions on route and departure time, on a daily basis. The extended simulation model that now supports the interaction of BDI driver agents was effectively implemented, and different experiments were performed to test this approach in commuter scenarios. MAS provides a process-driven approach that fosters the easy construction of modular, robust, and scalable models, characteristics that lack in former result-driven approaches. Its abstraction premises allow for a closer association between the model and its practical implementation. Uncertainty and variability are addressed in a straightforward manner, as an easier representation of humanlike behaviours within the driver structure is provided by cognitive architectures, such as the BDI approach used in this work. This way MAS extends microscopic simulation of traffic to better address the complexity inherent in ITS technologies.

Public investment in basic education and economic growth

The main objective of this paper was to visualize the relation between government spending on basic education and the human capital accumulation process, observing the impacts of this spending on individual investments in higher education, and on economic growth. It is used an overlapping-generations model where the government tax the adult generation and spent it in basic education of the next generations. It was demonstrated that the magnitude of the marginal effect of government spending in basic education on growth crucially depends on public budget constrains. The paper explains why some countries with a lot of public investment in basic education growth at low rates. In that sense if a country has only a lot of public investment in basic education without investment in higher education it may growth at low rates because the taxation can cause distortions in the agents incentives to invest in higher education.

Introducing higher moments in the CAPM: some basic ideas

We show how to include in the CAPM moments of any order, extending the mean-variance or mean-variance-skewness versions available until now. Then, we present a simple way to modify the formulae, in order to avoid the appearance of utility parameters. The results can be easily applied to practical portfolio design, with econometric inference and testing based on generalised method of moments procedures. An empirical application to the Brazilian stock market is discussed.

Trabalho e educação na capacitação artesanal: caso Boliviano

A concepção de educação que o artesanato em geral tem é bastante ampla; entende-se por educação muito mais que a mera prática da educação formal. Para o artesão torna-se extremamente claro que a interação entre as pessoas e os grupos são fatos educacionais que são orientados em benefício de diversos objetivos, podendo ser a produção e o trabalho. A capacitaçã artesanal é tomada como uma expressaõ da educação. E uma totalidade que compreende objetivos, procdessos e dimensões que devem ser trabalhados no interior do setor e de acordo com as suas necessidades. A capacitação artesanal deve ser um instrumento que apoie toda e cada uma das dimensões e aspectos do progresso e desenvolvimento dos artesãos e suas organizações. Consequentemente, o componente educacional denominado capacitação, será um elemnto de apoio e acompanhamento a todas e cada uma das tarefas e processos vinculados com o trabalho artesanal. As dimensões da capacitação artesanal terão que aspirar a uma integralidade técnico-humanista na ação educativa; estas dimensões não podem limitar-se a aspectos técnicos-operativos, financeiros, logísticos e adminisrativos, pelo contrário, devem-se observar também aspectos de conscientização e prática participativa, alcançando com eles dimensões sociais e políticas dentro da prática do trbalho artesanal. Estas dimensões têm como condição prévia a universalização da escola básica na perspectiva dos seus interesses, necessidades e lutas.

Effects of the basic fibroblast growth factor and its anti-factor in the healing and collagen maturation of infected skin wound

PURPOSE: The infection is one of the main factors that affect the physiological evolution of the surgical wounds. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of fibroblast growth factor (FGFâ) and anti-FGFâ in the healing, synthesis and maturation of collagen when topically used on infected skin wounds of rats. METHODS: An experimental study was perfomed in 60 male Wistar rats. All animals were divided in two groups (A and B). Each group was divided in three subgroups A1, B1; A2, B2 and A3, B3. After anesthesia with pentobarbital, two open squared wounds (1cm2), 4cm distant to each other, were done in the dorsal skin of all the rats. In group A (n=30) the wounds were contaminated with multibacterial standard solution, and in group B(n=30) the wounds were maintained sterile. These wounds were named F1 (for inflammation analysis) and F2 (for collagen study). The open wounds of A1 and B1 rats were topically treated with saline solution, A2 and B2 were treated with FGFâ and subgroups A3 and B3 were treated with FGFâ and anti-FGFâ. The rats were observed until complete epitelization of F2 wounds for determination of healing time and the expression of types I and III collagen, using Picro Sirius Red staining. Inflammatory reaction in F1 wounds was studied using hematoxilineosin staining. The three variable was measured by the Image Pro-Plus Média Cybernetics software. The statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA and Tukey test, considering p<0.05 as significant. RESULTS: It was observed that infection retarded significantly (p<0.05) the time of wound scarring and the topical application of FCFb reverted the inhibition of healing caused by bacteria. The inflammatory reaction was greater in the subgroup B2 than in B1 and A3, and the difference was significant (p<0.05). It was observed greater expression of type I collagen in all the subgroups treated with FCFb, when compared with the untreated subgroups. Type III collagen was significantly decreased in wounds of B3 rats, comparing to the other subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: The FCFb accelerated the healing of open infected wounds and contributed with maturation of collagen, enhancing the type I collagen density. The anti-FCFb antibody was able to attenuate the production of both type I and III collagen

A encruzilhada da vida política em assentamentos de reforma agrária no Rio Grande do Norte

The rural settlements represent a mark in the expensive historical process of fight by the land in Brazil. At first offer basic terms of survival, through the access the land and of the fundamental supports for exploration. At the same time, have stimulated organization forms politicizes of the families who manage to work with the new challenges of the everyday. The moment that follows the land conquest, and therefore, the settlements construction while life and work project, it is crossed for objective and subjective demands, with highlight for options of agricultural production and strategies of collective action. Originally formed as representation instance legitimates of the families - front to the government and social actors - the settlers associations are private spaces for political sociability, that guided by principles participative, can lead the settlers the new conquests through indeed democratic experiences. The goal of this work is to comprehend the participation forms in the scope of these associations and the way as that translates in life best terms for the group, from the settlements experiences located in the Territories of the Citizenship Mato Grande and Açu-Mossoró, in Rio Grande do Norte's State. The theoretical conceptions that guide this analysis are concentrate on discussions about democracy and participation (Patermam, Putnam, Bodernave) and in the reflections about the rural world (Medeiros, Martins, Woodman e Woodman and Bergamansco). About methodological, different point of view strategies were developed: The direct observation, the application in locate of questionnaires to the families settlers and interviews semi-structured with the internal leaderships. With that could verify that the participation forms in the associations operate in two heartfelt: Of a side, they promote assimilation opportunities of democratic abilities accompanied of notions of social rights and redefinition of political standards; Of another, it offers indeed the possibility of the settlers lead, with relative autonomy, the political organization and her changes in direction to a way of life that wish to have in the settling

Exchangeable basic cations and nitrogen distribution in soil as affected by crop residues and nitrogen

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

O uso pedagógico de uma seqüência didática para a aquisição de algumas idéias relacionadas ao conceito de números complexos

The aim of the present work is to contribute to the teaching-learning process in Mathematics through an alternative which tries to motivate the student so that he/she will learn the basic concepts of Complex Numbers and realize that they are not pointless. Therefore, this work s general objective is to construct a didactic sequence which contains structured activities that intends to build up, in each student s thought, the concept of Complex Numbers. The didactic sequence is initially based on a review of the main historical aspects which begot the construction of those numbers. Based on these aspects, and the theories of Richard Skemp, was elaborated a sequence of structured activities linked with Maths history, having the solution of quadratic equations as a main starting point. This should make learning more accessible, because this concept permeates the students previous work and, thus, they should be more familiar with it. The methodological intervention began with the application of that sequence of activities with grade students in public schools who did not yet know the concept of Complex Numbers. It was performed in three phases: a draft study, a draft study II and the final study. Each phase was applied in a different institution, where the classes were randomly divided into groups and each group would discuss and write down the concepts they had developed about Complex Numbers. We also use of another instrument of analysis which consisted of a recorded interview of a semi-structured type, trying to find out the ways the students thought in order to construct their own concepts, i.e. the solutions of the previous activity. Their ideas about Complex Numbers were categorized according to their similarities and then analyzed. The results of the analysis show that the concepts constructed by the students were pertinent and that they complemented each other this supports the conclusion that the use of structured activities is an efficient alternative for the teaching of mathematics

Síntese e caracterização de óxidos de zinco e de magnésio suportados em A1SBA-15 para produção de biodiesel

To overcome the challenge of meeting growing energy demand in a sustainable way, biodiesel has shown very promising as alternative energy can replace fossil fuels, even partially. Industrially, the biodiesel is produced by homogeneous transesterification reaction of vegetable oils in the presence of basic species used as catalysts. However, this process is the need for purification of the esters obtained and the removal of glycerin formed after the reaction. This context, the alternative catalysts have that can improve the process of biodiesel production, aiming to reduce costs and facilitate its production. In this study, the AlSBA-15 support with Si / Al ratio = 50 was synthesized, as like as the heterogeneous catalysts of zinc oxide and magnesium supported on mesoporous AlSBA-15 silica, in the concentrations of 5, 10, 15 and 30 %, relative to the support. The textural properties and structural characterization of catalysts and supports were determined by techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled to the chemical analyzer, adsorption / desorption of N2, thermal analysis (TG / DTG), absorption spectroscopy in the infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Characterization results indicated that the support AlSBA-15 retained the hexagonal ordered after the incorporation of zinc oxide and magnesium oxide in the holder. For heterogeneous catalysts, ZnO-AlSBA-15, that was observed the presence of zinc oxide nanoparticles dispersed in the surface and interior channels of the mesoporous and microporous support. The catalytic activity was evaluated by the transesterification reaction of sunflower oil via methylic route, and some reaction parameters were optimized with the most active catalyst in biodiesel production by sunflower oil. For the series of heterogeneous catalysts, the sample with 30 % ZnO supported on AlSBA-15 showed a better conversion of triglyceride to methyl esters, about 95.41 % of reaction conditions: temperature 175 °C, with molar ratio of 42:1, stirring at 200 rpm and under a pressure of 14 bar for 6 h. The catalyst MgO-AlSBA-15 showed no catalytic activity in the studied reactions

Computer-Guided Surgery in Implantology: Review of Basic Concepts

The aim of the present study was to conduct a critical literature review about the technique of computer-guided surgery in implantology to highlight the indications, purposes, immediate loading of implants and complications, protocol of fabrication, and functioning of virtual planning software. This literature review was based on OLDMEDLINE and MEDLINE databases from 2002 to 2010 using the key words "computer-guided surgery" and "implant-supported prosthesis." Thirty-four studies regarding this topic were found. According to the literature review, it was concluded that the computer-assisted surgery is an excellent treatment alternative for patients with appropriate bone quantity for implant insertion in complete and partially edentulous arches. The Procera Nobel Guide software (Nobel Biocare) was the most common software used by the authors. In addition, the flapless surgery is advantageous for positioning of implants but with accurate indication. Although the computer-guided surgery may be helpful for virtual planning of cases with severe bone resorption, the conventional surgical technique is more appropriate. The surgical guide is important for insertion of the implants regardless of the surgical technique, and the success of immediate loading after computer-guided surgery depends on the accuracy of clinical and/or laboratorial steps.

Regeneration of class III furcation defects with basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) associated with GTR. A descriptive and histometric study in dogs

Background: the poor predictability of periodontal regenerative treatment of Class III furcation defects stimulates the study of alternatives to improve its results, such as the use of polypeptide growth factors. The objective of this study was to evaluate, both histologically and histometrically, the effects of topical application of basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) associated with guided tissue regeneration (GTR) in the treatment of Class III defects surgically induced in dogs.Methods: All second and fourth premolars of 5 mongrel dogs were used and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: group 1 (control), treated with scaling and root planing, tetracycline hydrochloride (125 mg/ml) conditioning, and GTR with a collagen membrane; group 2, same treatment as group 1 plus 0.5 mg of b-FGF; group 3, same treatment as group 1 plus 1.0 mg of b-FGF. After a 90-day healing period, routine histologic processing and staining with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson trichrome were performed.Results: the descriptive analysis indicated better regenerative results in both groups treated with b-FGF while the histometric data, analyzed by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA), showed greater filling of the defects in group 2 in comparison to the defects in groups 3 and 1, respectively, which was represented by a smaller area of plaque-occupied space (P = 0.004) as well as a greater amount of newly formed cementum (P = 0.002).Conclusions: These results indicate that b-FGF, especially in smaller doses, may enhance the regenerative results in Class III furcation lesions, leading to greater filling of these defects with both mineralized and non-mineralized tissues.