Abstract
Vision-based hand gesture interfaces require fast and extremely robust hand detection, and gesture recognition. Hand gesture recognition for human computer interaction is an area of active research in computer vision and machine learning. The primary goal of gesture recognition research is to create a system, which can identify specific human gestures and use them to convey information or for device control. In this paper we present a comparative study of seven different algorithms for hand feature extraction, for static hand gesture classification, analysed with RapidMiner in order to find the best learner. We defined our own gesture vocabulary, with 10 gestures, and we have recorded videos from 20 persons performing the gestures for later processing. Our goal in the present study is to learn features that, isolated, respond better in various situations in human-computer interaction. Results show that the radial signature and the centroid distance are the features that when used separately obtain better results, being at the same time simple in terms of computational complexity.

Abstract
This paper presents a framework for the analysis of software artifacts. We revise and propose techniques that aid in the manipulation and combination of target-language specific tools, and in handling and controlling the results of such tools. We also propose to integrate under our framework techniques that are capable of performing language independent analyses. The final result of our work is an analysis environment that is modular and flexible and that allows easy and elegant implementations of complex analysis suites. We finally conduct a proof of concept for our framework by analyzing a well-known, widely used open-source software package.

Abstract
This paper presents a new control system, based on field programmable gate array technology, targeting the power-train control of multi-motor electric vehicles (EVs). The control chip builds around a reusable intellectual property core named propulsion control unit, which features motor control functions with field-orientation methods, and energy loss minimization of induction motors. In order to improve the EV safety, the control system was extended with a wheel slip controller based on the sliding mode framework. The robustness to parametric and modeling uncertainties is the main attraction in this design, thanks to a simple connection that was found between the driving torque request and the model uncertainty. To overcome the chattering issue, which arrives from the discontinuous nature of the sliding control, the conditional integrator approach was employed, enabling a smooth transition to a Proportional+Integral control law, with anti-windup, when the tire slip is close to the setpoint. The controller asymptotic stability and robustness was analytically investigated through the Lyapunov method. Experimental results, obtained with a multi-motor EV prototype under low grip conditions, demonstrate a good slip regulation and robustness to disturbances.

Abstract

Abstract
For Precise Agriculture purposes, several steps of a maize crop-system were recorded by the use of a GPS receiver with EGNOS and RTK capabilities. The field is about 35 km far from two GNSS CORS, one from RENEP, operated by IGS, and the other from SERVIR, operated by IGEoE. Both networks disseminate real-time GNSS data streams over the Internet using the NTRIP protocol. The GNSS data streams from RENEP reference stations (including validated station coordinates) provide the user with a real-time access to the ETRS89 and, those same streams from IGEoE, a military institution, are in ITRS, allowing large scale scientific applications. The validation of the EGNOS and the RTK solutions, obtained in the two TRS systems, was achieved by the results from post-processed measurements. RTK solutions, when compared to the post-processed values in the same TRS, show sub-decimeter accuracy what is enough for many of the Precision Agriculture studies. However, the two RTK solutions have a translation with a magnitude of the order of 0.5 m that can be explained by the independence of the ETRS89 on the continental drift. Indeed, at the zone where the field is located, while the ETRFyy Cartesian coordinates have velocities less than 1 mm/year, the ITRFyy Cartesian coordinates have velocities greater than 1 cm/year, what give rise to a point position variation with a magnitude of 2.5 cm/year. In order to correlate the tractor velocity, during a pre-emergence herbicide application, to the terrain slope, the field orthometric heights were obtained by the use of GRS80 ondulations, on a 1.5' x 1.5'grid, in the local Portuguese geoid model GeodPT08. The global precision of this model is estimated in 4 cm, which is within the error for the real time solutions obtained.

Abstract
Energy harvesting solutions such as instrumented orthopaedic implants are under development to power a wide variety of electronic systems including biomedical implants. Three micro-power generators have already been developed as part of a smart hip prosthesis structure. This paper outlines a power management architecture for efficient harvesting of energy to supply power to modules other than those powered by current instrumented implants. Considering that it is impossible to predict the amount of energy harvested by each particular person, the proposed system also comprises an activation circuit and its ultracapacitor energy reservoir as a fourth type of energy to be used when a continuous energy source is needed. The hip prosthesis prototype has now the capability to energize more power demanding loads, intermittently or continuously, such as radio-frequency modules. The proposed architecture enables operation of a Bluetooth low energy (V4.0) embedded device (BLE112 from Bluegiga), part of a wireless body sensor network, up to 50 s, and a MSP430/eZ430-RF2500 (Texas Instruments), which uses the SimpliciTl communication protocol, up to 110 s, solely using the energy produced by one of the generators.