Gildarcio Sousa Goncalves

Modeling Heavy Metal Sorption Kinetics Using Fractional Calculus

Heavy metals are commonly regarded as environmentally aggressive and hazardous to human health. Among the different metals, lead plays an important economic role due to its large use in the automotive industry, being an essential component of batteries. Different approaches have been reported in the literature aimed at lead removal, and among them a very successful one considers the use of water hyacinths for sorption-based operation. The modeling of the metal sorption kinetics is a fundamental step towards in-depth studies and proper separation equipment design and optimization. Fractional calculus represents a novel approach and a growing research field for process modeling, which is based on the successful use of derivatives of arbitrary order. This paper reports the modeling of the kinetics of lead sorption by water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) using a fractional calculus. A general procedure on error analysis is also employed to prove the actual fractional nature of the proposed model by the use of parametric variance analysis, which was carried out using two different approaches (with the complete Hessian matrix and with a simplified Hessian matrix). The joint parameter confidence regions were generated, allowing to successfully show the fractional nature of the model and the sorption process.

Integrating NoSQL, Relational Database, and the Hadoop Ecosystem in an Interdisciplinary Project involving Big Data and Credit Card Transactions

The project entitled as Big Data, Internet of Things, and Mobile Devices, in Portuguese Banco de Dados, Internet das Coisas e Dispositivos Moveis (BDIC-DM) was implemented at the Brazilian Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA) on the 1st Semester of 2015. It involved 60 graduate students within just 17 academic weeks. As a starting point for some features of real time Online Transactional Processing (OLTP) system, the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) MySQL was used along with the NoSQL Cassandra to store transaction data generated from web portal and mobile applications. Considering batch data analysis, the Apache Hadoop Ecosystem was used for Online Analytical Processing (OLAP). The infrastructure based on the Apache Sqoop tool has allowed exporting data from the relational database MySQL to the Hadoop File System (HDFS), while Python scripts were used to export transaction data from the NoSQL database to the HDFS. The main objective of the BDIC-DM project was to implement an e-Commerce prototype system to manage credit card transactions, involving large volumes of data, by using different technologies. The used tools involved generation, storage, and consumption of Big Data. This paper describes the process of integrating NoSQL and relational database with Hadoop Cluster, during an academic project using the Scrum Agile Method. At the end, processing time significantly decreased, by using appropriate tools and available data. For future work, it is suggested the investigation of other tools and datasets.

Fractional diffusion equation, boundary conditions and surface effects

We investigate a system governed by a fractional diffusion equation with an integro-differential boundary condition on the surface. This condition can be connected with several processes such as adsorption and/ or desorption or chemical reactions due to the presence of active sites on the surface. The solutions are obtained by using the Green function approach and show a rich class of behaviors, which can be related to anomalous diffusion.

Using Big Data, Internet of Things, and Agile for Crises Management

This paper describes the use of Scrum Agile Method in a collaborative software project named Big Data, Internet of Things, and Agile for Accidents and Crises (BD-ITAC). It applies the Scrum agile method and its best practices, the Hadoop ecosystem, and cloud computing for the management of emergencies, involving monitoring, warning, and prevention. It reports the experience of students from three different courses on the graduate program in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the Brazilian Aeronautics Institute of Technology (Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica – ITA), during the first semester of 2016. The major contribution of this work is the application of an interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning, where students have worked asynchronously and geographically dispersed to deliver valuable increments. This work was performed during four project sprints on just sixteen academic weeks. The main project output was a working, developed, and tested software. During all project, a big data environment was used, as a transparent way to fulfill the needs for alerts and crises management.

An Agile Developed Interdisciplinary Approach for Safety-Critical Embedded System

Accidents and crises, whether climatic, economic, or social are undesirably frequent in everyday lives. In such situations, lives are sometimes lost because of inadequate management, lack of qualified and accurate information, besides other factors that prevent full situational awareness. The goal of this work is to report on an academic conceptualization, design, build, test, and demonstration of computer systems, to manage critical information, during hypothetical crises. During the development of an academic system in the second Semester of 2015 at the Brazilian Aeronautics Institute of Technology, the following challenges occurred: strict specifications, agile methods, embedded systems, software testing, and product assessment. Also, some quality, reliability, safety, and testability measurements have been used. At that time, an Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning (IPBL) was performed, adding hardware technologies of environment sensors, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Software technologies were used for cloud-based web-responsive platform and a mobile application to geographically manage resources at real-time. Finally, the ANSYS® SCADE (Safety-Critical Application Development Environment) was employed to support the embedded and safety-critical portion of this system.

Nanosatellite Event Simulator Development Using Scrum Agile Method and Safety-Critical Application Development Environment

Development of satellite and launcher subsystems involves programming complex embedded systems and dealing with multiple system interactions while complying with both functional and technical requirements as well as software quality. Space onboard system project development is complex and is normally both time consuming and highly susceptible to errors. The combination of scrum agile methods with model-based programming addresses these restraints and allows synergetic interactions between team members. This paper describes the classroom experience of a group of students in the development of a Nanosatellite Event Simulator and its display interface for an Attitude Control and Determination Subsystem (ACDS). It was used the instructional technique of Interdisciplinary Project Based Learning (IPBL) and the software Safety-Critical Application Development Environment (SCADE).

An interdisciplinary academic project for spatial critical embedded system agile development

This paper describes an academic project using Interdisciplinary Problem Based Learning (IPBL). Its main objective was to simulate the launching of a remote sensing microsatellite system based on the DO178C standard. The project was named the Brazilian Academic Microsatellite Launching Integrated System (Sistema Integrado de LANcamento de microSatelite Academico Brasileiro SI-LANSAB). On this project, students had to conceptualize, model, and develop a spatial realtime embedded system within 17 weeks, using the Scrum agile method and its best practices. The SI-LANSAB development project was divided into 5 groups or Scrum Teams (ST) to develop high cohesion and low coupling embedded system components. Each ST was assigned to integrate two different Cockpit Display Systems: the Launcher Cockpit Display - Control Station (LCD-CS) and the Satellite Cockpit Display - Control Station (SCD-CS). Both LCD-CS and SCD-CS were developed by using the SCADE Suite and Display, the Safety Critical Application Development Environment from ANSYS®, an Integrated Computer Aided Software Engineering Environment (ICASEE). The major contribution of this paper is the description of how to use Scrum method and SCADE system tools to develop a complex real-time spatial embedded system to accomplish an assigned mission.

Agile Testing Quadrants on Problem-Based Learning Involving Agile Development, Big Data, and Cloud Computing

This paper describes the use of Agile Testing Quadrants, using Scrum Agile Method in a collaborative software project named Big Data, Internet of Things, and Agile for Accidents and Crises (BD-ITAC). It applies the Scrum agile method and its best practices, the Hadoop ecosystem, and cloud computing for the management of emergencies, involving monitoring, warning, and prevention. It reports the experience of students, during the first semester of 2016, from three different courses on the graduate program in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the Brazilian Aeronautics Institute of Technology (Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica - ITA). The major contribution of this work is the academic application of Agile Testing Quadrants for Problem-Based Learning. The students worked asynchronous and geographically dispersed to deliver valuable increments. This work was performed during four project Sprints on just sixteen academic weeks. The main project output was a working, developed, and tested software.

Health Care Information Systems: A Crisis Approach

During the 1st Semester of 2017, at the BrazilianAeronautics Institute of Technology (Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica, ITA), a successful Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning (IPBL) experience took place. At that time, almost 30 undergraduate and graduate students from three different courses within just 17 academic weeks had the opportunity of conceptualizing, modeling, and developing a Computer System based on Big Data, Internet of Things, and other emerging technologies for governmental organizations and private sectors. The purpose of this system was to aggregate data and integrate actors, such as Patients, Hospitals, Physicians, and Suppliers for decision making processes related to crises management involving events of health systems, such as epidemics, that needs to manage data and information. Differently from other existing products from Universities, Research Centers, Governmental Agencies, Public and/or Private companies, this product was developed and tested in just 17 academic weeks, applying the Scrum agile method and its best practices available in the market. This experience was stored in a Google site and implemented as a Proof of Concept (PoC). It represents just one example of how to address the old problems of teaching, learning, and developing complex intelligent academic computer projects to solve health system problems, by collaboratively using the Scrum agile method with Python or Java, Spark, NoSQL databases, Kafka, and other technologies. The major contribution of this paper is the use of agile testing to verify and validate an academic health system case study.

Using Correct-by-Construction Software Agile Development

Disasters and crises, whether climatic, economic, or social are undesirably frequent in everyday lives. In such situations, lives are lost mainly because of inadequate management, lack of qualified and accurate information, besides other factors that prevent full situational awareness, including software failures. The goal of this paper is to report the agile conceptualization, design, build, and demonstration of a computerized system, containing correct-by-construction software, to safely manage critical information, during alerts or crises situations. On this research, the following challenges and requirements were tackled: formal specifications, aerospatial-level reliability, agile development, embedded systems, controlled testability, and product assessment. An Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning (IPBL), involving a Scrum of Scrums Agile Framework was adapted for managing the cohesive, productive, and collaborative development team of around 100 undergrad and graduate students remotely working. In addition, the following hardware technologies, for supporting the software development were used: environment sensors, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Other software technologies were also used, as well cloud-based web-responsive platforms and mobile applications to geographically manage resources at real-time. Finally, the ANSYS® SCADE (Safety-Critical Application Development Environment) was employed to support the embedded and correct-by-construction module of this system, according to Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) and Model-Driven Development (MDD).