A Methodology to Evaluate Accessibility to Bus Stops as a Contribution to Improve Sustainability in Urban Mobility

Walking and transit are the backbone of sustainable mobility. Bus stops not only represent the connection between the two, but are also central in dictating the attractiveness of the latter. Accessibility of bus stops becomes, then, pivotal in increasing both attractiveness and sustainability of public transport. The paper describes a multi-step methodology to evaluate bus stops’ accessibility starting from a cluster of seven indicators describing objective and subjective features influencing passengers’ choice toward a given bus stop. The indicators are weighed by a questionnaire submitted to experts. Finally, a multicriteria analysis is developed to obtain a final score describing univocally the accessibility of each stop. Outcomes are mapped and a case study in Rome is reported as an example, with 231 bus and tram stops assessed accordingly. Results shows the relevance of the urban network and environment in evaluating the accessibility and in promoting more sustainable mobility patterns. Research innovation relies on the possibility to merge data from different fields into a specific GIS map and easily highlight for each bus stop the relationships between built environment, passengers’ comfort, and accessibility, with the concluding goal to provide advanced knowledge for further application

Advertising and production of a seasonal good for a heterogeneous market: from total segment separability to real media

Market segmentation is a fundamental topic of marketing theory and practice. We bring some market segmentation concepts into the statement of an advertising and production problem for a seasonal product with Nerlove-Arrow's linear goodwill dynamics, along the lines of some analyses concerning the introduction of a new product. We consider two kinds of situations. In the first one, we assume that the advertising process can reach selectively each segment. In the second one, we assume that one advertising medium is available and that it has a known effectiveness segment-spectrum for a non-trivial set of segments. In both cases we study the optimal control problems in which goodwill productivity of advertising is either linear or concave, and good production costs are (convex and) quadratic. We obtain the explicit optimal solutions using the Pontryagin's Maximum Principle conditions.

Exploration in stochastic algorithms: An application on MAX-MIN Ant System

In this paper a definition of the exploration performed by stochastic algorithms is proposed. It is based on the observation through cluster analysis of the solutions generated during a run. The probabilities associated by an algorithm to solution components are considered. Moreover, a consequent method for quantifying the exploration is provided. Such a measurement is applied to MAX-MIN Ant System. The results of the experimental analysis allow to observe the impact of the parameters of the algorithm on the exploration.exploration, cluster analysis, MAX-MIN Ant System

Synchronization Patterns in Networks of Kuramoto Oscillators: A Geometric Approach for Analysis and Control

Synchronization is crucial for the correct functionality of many natural and man-made complex systems. In this work we characterize the formation of synchronization patterns in networks of Kuramoto oscillators. Specifically, we reveal conditions on the network weights and structure and on the oscillators' natural frequencies that allow the phases of a group of oscillators to evolve cohesively, yet independently from the phases of oscillators in different clusters. Our conditions are applicable to general directed and weighted networks of heterogeneous oscillators. Surprisingly, although the oscillators exhibit nonlinear dynamics, our approach relies entirely on tools from linear algebra and graph theory. Further, we develop a control mechanism to determine the smallest (as measured by the Frobenius norm) network perturbation to ensure the formation of a desired synchronization pattern. Our procedure allows us to constrain the set of edges that can be modified, thus enforcing the sparsity structure of the network perturbation. The results are validated through a set of numerical examples

Using Big Five Personality Model to Detect Cultural Aspects in Crowds

The use of information technology in the study of human behavior is a subject of great scientific interest. Cultural and personality aspects are factors that influence how people interact with one another in a crowd. This paper presents a methodology to detect cultural characteristics of crowds in video sequences. Based on filmed sequences, pedestrians are detected, tracked and characterized. Such information is then used to find out cultural differences in those videos, based on the Big-five personality model. Regarding cultural differences of each country, results indicate that this model generates coherent information when compared to data provided in literature

Simplifísica 2017

Anais do 35º Seminário de Extensão Universitária da Região Sul - Área Temática: ComunicaçãoA atividade descrita nesse projeto refere-se ao programa de TV SIMPLIFÍSICA, que compreende a gravação, a edição, a finalização e a exibição de todas as palestras realizadas pelo Instituto de Física. São eles: XII Ciclo de Palestras do Instituto de Física (Auditório do Banco Regional de Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul – BRDE) e Programa Conversas ao Pé do Físico 2017 (desde 2016 na SARAIVA do Praia de Belas Shopping). As 11 primeiras edições do Ciclo de palestras foram realizadas no Auditório da Livraria Cultura do Bourbon Country Shopping e as do Conversas ao Pé do Físico de 2010 a 2015 (6 primeiras edições) aconteceram na FNAC do BarraShoppingSul. Os dois acontecem de março até novembro anualmente somando 18 eventos anuais. Esta atividades tem como objetivos: popularizar a física, e levar ao público externo à universidade as atividades de pesquisa em suas diversas áreas, o desenvolvimento das pesquisas feitas no Instituto de Física da UFRGS e seu vínculo com o cotidiano das pessoas. Os programas SIMPLIFÍSICA além de serem exibidos na TV são também disponibilizados na internet, através do canal da UFRGS TV no YOUTUB

Sulla disposizione ottimale di frangiflutti galleggianti a catamarano combinati a convertitori di energia ondosa

- La ricerca in cui \ue8 inserito questo lavoro mira allo sviluppo di un dispositivo ibrido costituito da un convertitore di energia ondosa accoppiato ad un frangiflutti galleggiante. - Il frangiflutti, ancorato con pali, \ue8 costituito da elementi prefabbricati collegati rigidamente, in modo da formare una struttura a catamarano. - La configurazione migliore \ue8 la pi\uf9 stretta tra le due esaminate (8 m e 12 m di larghezza), che risulta molto efficiente pur senza essere soggetta a grosse sollecitazioni. - La struttura a catamarano \ue8 da preferire rispetto a quella tradizionale, a parit\ue0 di massa, sia in termini di trasmissione che di riflessione. - Il convertitore esaminato, idoneo ad integrare frangiflutti singoli, non \ue8 adatto ad integrare le strutture a catamarano