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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / There have been many endeavors to design humanoid robots that have human characteristics such as dexterity, autonomy and intelligence. Humanoid robots are intended to cooperate with humans and perform useful work that humans can perform. The main advantage of humanoid robots over other machines is that they are flexible and multi-purpose. In this thesis, a human-like robotic arm is designed and used in a task which is typically performed by humans, namely, catching a ball. The robotic arm was designed to closely resemble a human arm, based on anthropometric studies. A rigid multibody dynamics software was used to create a virtual model of the robotic arm, perform experiments, and collect data. The inverse kinematics of the robotic arm was solved using a Newton-Raphson numerical method with a numerically calculated Jacobian. The system was validated by testing its ability to find a kinematic solution for the catch position and successfully catch the ball within the robot's workspace. The tests were conducted by throwing the ball such that its path intersects different target points within the robot's workspace. The method used for determining the catch location consists of finding the intersection of the ball's trajectory with a virtual catch plane. The hand orientation was set so that the normal vector to the palm of the hand is parallel to the trajectory of the ball at the intersection point and a vector perpendicular to this normal vector remains in a constant orientation during the catch. It was found that this catch orientation approach was reliable within a 0.35 x 0.4 meter window in the robot's workspace. For all tests within this window, the robotic arm successfully caught and dropped the ball in a bin. Also, for the tests within this window, the maximum position and orientation (Euler angle) tracking errors were 13.6 mm and 4.3 degrees, respectively. The average position and orientation tracking errors were 3.5 mm and 0.3 degrees, respectively. The work presented in this study can be applied to humanoid robots in industrial assembly lines and hazardous environment recovery tasks, amongst other applications.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é analisar o processo de industrialização da economia brasileira, entre 1930 e 1980, sob uma ótica evolucionária. Ademais, se buscará analisar o catching-up que possibilitou a inserção da economia brasileira no quarto paradigma tecno-econômico, entre 1956-1980. E o subsequente falling-behind dessa economia, que entravou a sua entrada no paradigma tecno-econômico da tecnologia da informação. Como objetivos específicos emerge, em primeiro lugar, a necessidade de se descrever os aspectos tecnológicos, econômicos e institucionais desses dois paradigmas. Em segundo lugar se demonstrará de que maneira o Processo de Substituição de Importações foi fundamental para a inserção da economia brasileira no paradigma da produção em massa. E em terceiro lugar, se demonstrará que o legado institucional dessa mesma estratégia de desenvolvimento veio a ser um obstáculo à inserção da economia brasileira no quinto paradigma tecno-econômico. Destarte, a hipótese assumida é de que a dificuldade enfrentada pelo Brasil para assimilar os fatores-chave derivados da quinta revolução tecnológica advém da precária estrutura institucional construída ao longo da industrialização via substituição de importações. A passividade tecnológica e fragilidade institucional desse modelo de desenvolvimento, que não estabeleceu um nexo micro-macro, foi um obstáculo à endogenização do processo inovativo e impediu que a indústria brasileira ficasse em sintonia com a tecnologia dominante. / The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the process of industrialization of the Brazilian economy, between 1930 and 1980 under an evolutionary perspective. Moreover, it will try to analyze the catching-up which allowed the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the fourth techno-economic paradigm, from 1956 to 1980. Besides that it will investigate the subsequent falling-behind of this economy, which impeded their entry into the techno-economic paradigm of information technology. The specific objectives emerge, first, the need to describe the technological, economic and institutional features those two paradigms. Secondly it will demonstrate how the Import Substitutive Process was essential for the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the paradigm of mass production. And thirdly, it will demonstrate that the institutional legacy of that development strategy came to be an obstacle to the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the fifth techno-economic paradigm. Thus, the assumption made is that the difficulty faced by Brazil to assimilate the key factors derived from the fifth technological revolution comes from poor institutional structure built along the industrialization through import substitution. Technological passivity and institutional weakness of this model of development, which has not established a micro-macro link, was an obstacle to endogenization of the innovative process and prevented the Brazilian industry to stay in tune with the dominant technology.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é analisar o processo de industrialização da economia brasileira, entre 1930 e 1980, sob uma ótica evolucionária. Ademais, se buscará analisar o catching-up que possibilitou a inserção da economia brasileira no quarto paradigma tecno-econômico, entre 1956-1980. E o subsequente falling-behind dessa economia, que entravou a sua entrada no paradigma tecno-econômico da tecnologia da informação. Como objetivos específicos emerge, em primeiro lugar, a necessidade de se descrever os aspectos tecnológicos, econômicos e institucionais desses dois paradigmas. Em segundo lugar se demonstrará de que maneira o Processo de Substituição de Importações foi fundamental para a inserção da economia brasileira no paradigma da produção em massa. E em terceiro lugar, se demonstrará que o legado institucional dessa mesma estratégia de desenvolvimento veio a ser um obstáculo à inserção da economia brasileira no quinto paradigma tecno-econômico. Destarte, a hipótese assumida é de que a dificuldade enfrentada pelo Brasil para assimilar os fatores-chave derivados da quinta revolução tecnológica advém da precária estrutura institucional construída ao longo da industrialização via substituição de importações. A passividade tecnológica e fragilidade institucional desse modelo de desenvolvimento, que não estabeleceu um nexo micro-macro, foi um obstáculo à endogenização do processo inovativo e impediu que a indústria brasileira ficasse em sintonia com a tecnologia dominante. / The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the process of industrialization of the Brazilian economy, between 1930 and 1980 under an evolutionary perspective. Moreover, it will try to analyze the catching-up which allowed the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the fourth techno-economic paradigm, from 1956 to 1980. Besides that it will investigate the subsequent falling-behind of this economy, which impeded their entry into the techno-economic paradigm of information technology. The specific objectives emerge, first, the need to describe the technological, economic and institutional features those two paradigms. Secondly it will demonstrate how the Import Substitutive Process was essential for the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the paradigm of mass production. And thirdly, it will demonstrate that the institutional legacy of that development strategy came to be an obstacle to the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the fifth techno-economic paradigm. Thus, the assumption made is that the difficulty faced by Brazil to assimilate the key factors derived from the fifth technological revolution comes from poor institutional structure built along the industrialization through import substitution. Technological passivity and institutional weakness of this model of development, which has not established a micro-macro link, was an obstacle to endogenization of the innovative process and prevented the Brazilian industry to stay in tune with the dominant technology.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação é analisar o processo de industrialização da economia brasileira, entre 1930 e 1980, sob uma ótica evolucionária. Ademais, se buscará analisar o catching-up que possibilitou a inserção da economia brasileira no quarto paradigma tecno-econômico, entre 1956-1980. E o subsequente falling-behind dessa economia, que entravou a sua entrada no paradigma tecno-econômico da tecnologia da informação. Como objetivos específicos emerge, em primeiro lugar, a necessidade de se descrever os aspectos tecnológicos, econômicos e institucionais desses dois paradigmas. Em segundo lugar se demonstrará de que maneira o Processo de Substituição de Importações foi fundamental para a inserção da economia brasileira no paradigma da produção em massa. E em terceiro lugar, se demonstrará que o legado institucional dessa mesma estratégia de desenvolvimento veio a ser um obstáculo à inserção da economia brasileira no quinto paradigma tecno-econômico. Destarte, a hipótese assumida é de que a dificuldade enfrentada pelo Brasil para assimilar os fatores-chave derivados da quinta revolução tecnológica advém da precária estrutura institucional construída ao longo da industrialização via substituição de importações. A passividade tecnológica e fragilidade institucional desse modelo de desenvolvimento, que não estabeleceu um nexo micro-macro, foi um obstáculo à endogenização do processo inovativo e impediu que a indústria brasileira ficasse em sintonia com a tecnologia dominante. / The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the process of industrialization of the Brazilian economy, between 1930 and 1980 under an evolutionary perspective. Moreover, it will try to analyze the catching-up which allowed the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the fourth techno-economic paradigm, from 1956 to 1980. Besides that it will investigate the subsequent falling-behind of this economy, which impeded their entry into the techno-economic paradigm of information technology. The specific objectives emerge, first, the need to describe the technological, economic and institutional features those two paradigms. Secondly it will demonstrate how the Import Substitutive Process was essential for the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the paradigm of mass production. And thirdly, it will demonstrate that the institutional legacy of that development strategy came to be an obstacle to the insertion of the Brazilian economy in the fifth techno-economic paradigm. Thus, the assumption made is that the difficulty faced by Brazil to assimilate the key factors derived from the fifth technological revolution comes from poor institutional structure built along the industrialization through import substitution. Technological passivity and institutional weakness of this model of development, which has not established a micro-macro link, was an obstacle to endogenization of the innovative process and prevented the Brazilian industry to stay in tune with the dominant technology.

L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer une réponse à la question: Est-ce que les politiques de renforcement des droits de propriété intellectuelle telles que les TRIPS peuvent être bénéfiques aux pays en développement et leurs perspectives de rattrapage économique.?Pour répondre à cette question, on s’intéresse à la dynamique technologique sous-jacente au processus de rattrapage économique. Le premier chapitre propose une revisite empirique et analytique du modele de “catching-up and falling behind” de Verspagen (1991) qui se focalise sur l’étude du rôle des dynamiques d’innovation et d’imitation dans le processus de rattrapage économique. On trouve que même si la dynamique d’innovation est importante pour le rattrapage, la dynamique d’imitation se révèle nécessaire pour s’assurer que les pays en développement puissent développer leurs capacités qui leur permettront de prospérer. L’efficacité de la dynamique d’imitation est conditionnée par les caractéristiques du pays qui détermine sa capacité d’apprentissage (“Learning Capability”).Le deuxième chapitre se concentre sur la compréhension du fonctionnement des transferts de technologie entre les pays développés et les pays en développement. On s’intéresse aux mécanismes derrières les deux canaux de transferts principaux, le commerce international et les IDE, qui sont les canaux les plus étudiés dans la littérature. On déduit de ce chapitre la richesse et la complexité de ces mécanismes.Dans le troisième chapitre, on développe un modèle à base d’agents (ABM) pour représenter ces interactions Nord-Sud et leur complexité, avec une approche évolutionniste. Le modèle de base permet en particulier l’étude du mécanisme de transfert par la mobilité (locale) des travailleurs, un canal très peu étudié dans la littérature. Ceci nous permet d’étudier l’impact que les IDE peuvent avoir sur le développement et le rattrapage. On trouve que si les IDE des pays développés vers les pays en développement peuvent, sous certaines conditions, encourager les transferts de technologie et permettre ainsi le rattrapage, il y a tout de même des effets négatifs potentiels sur les industries locales, en particulier dans les pays les plus en retard.Le dernier chapitre propose une extension du modèle qui introduit les brevets et nous permet ainsi de répondre à la question principale. On observe que si les brevets permettent d’inciter les firmes du Nord à diffuser leur technologie et facilité le rattrapage, ces firmes demanderaient un e parfaite application des lois sur la propriété intellectuelle, ce qui serait trop sévère sur les firmes locales car cela bloquerait les imitations et surtout entraverait les efforts d’innovation de ces firmes, tout en procurant un bénéfice limité pour les firmes du Nord. / The objective of this thesis is to propose an answer to the question: Can intellectual property rights policies such as TRIPS be beneficial for developing countries and their catching-up process?To answer this question, we first look at the technological dynamics behind the catching-up process. The first chapter thus provides an empirical and analytical update on the catching-up and falling behind model by Verspagen (1991), which focuses on studying the role of the innovation and imitation dynamics in the catching up process. Mainly, we find that while the innovation dynamic is important for the catching-up process, the imitation dynamic is necessary to ensure that countries build solid capabilities that will enable them to prosper. The efficiency of the imitation dynamics is dependent on policy factors that make up the learning capability of firms and ensure firms succeed assimilating knowledge.The second chapter focuses on understanding the way those technological transfers from developed to developing countries can occur, we focus on studying the mechanisms behind two main channels, that is international trade and FDIs, which represent the main form of North-South interactions studied in the literature. From this chapter we conclude that there is a rich diversity of complex mechanisms.In the third chapter, we thus build an agent-based model (ABM) to represent those North-South interactions and their complexities, with an evolutionary economics approach. The model allows us to study a particular mechanism: transfers through the local labour mobility, a channel seldom discussed in the literature. This allows us to study the impact FDI may have on development and catching-up outcomes. We find that while FDI from developed countries can, under the right conditions, encourage technological transfers and thus catching up, there are potential negative effects on local industries, in particular in countries largely behind.The final chapter proposes an extension of the model that introduces patents, in order to answer the main question. We find that while patents help motivate northern firms to disclose their technology and thus facilitate development, those firms would require a perfect level of enforcement that will be too harsh on local firms, block imitations and also severely hinder the southern firms’ innovative efforts, while generating limited gains for northern firms.

Both the topics of prey-catching mechanism and visual perception are closely connected, affecting each other in many complex situations. The main subjects of this thesis were amphibians and reptiles and the many effects that impact their hunting abilities. We studied their hunting patterns in a few species of frogs and the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) in an arena. We did not find any universal hunting pattern for neither of those groups, moreover even the quantity of individual sequences differed among them. However, hunting in nature is often engaged in habitats that are far from the flat calm arena. Often the animals have to adapt to different conditions, for example an unsteady surface underneath them. In such conditions they need to compensate for the passive movement with their heads and eyes to stabilize the image on their retina. The ability to compensate while hunting in frogs is affecting their behaviour and the success rate of their prey-catching. Another aspect that is influencing frog's hunting efficiency are their protrusible tongues that are commonly divided into three categories: mechanical, inertial and hydrostatic. The last goal of this thesis was looking for the evolution of this trait in frog's phylogenesis and their different effects on hunting movements.

Cette thèse s’intéresse au défi que représente le rattrapage des niveaux de prix pour la stabilité macroéconomique des pays en transition d’Europe centrale et orientale, dans la perspective de leur future participation à la zone euro. A cet égard, une modélisation du taux de change réel d’équilibre suggère que l’appréciation réelle liée au rattrapage économique recouvre des évolutions de prix relatifs différentes suivant les régimes de change, dont témoignent des trajectoires d’endettement extérieur contrastées. Dans les économies en changes flexibles, la hausse du taux de change nominal favorise une appréciation endogène des termes de l’échange à moyen terme, en orientant les investissements directs étrangers et la réalisation des gains de productivité vers le secteur exposé de l’économie, ce qui se traduit par une appréciation du taux de change réel d’équilibre et une amélioration des comptes extérieurs. Dans les économies en changes fixes, les effets de valorisation liés à la hausse des prix relatifs domestiques tendent à orienter les investissements vers le secteur abrité de l’économie, entraînant une érosion de la compétitivité extérieure, dont témoigne le gonflement de la dette externe. Par ailleurs, l’intégration monétaire comporte des risques spécifiques pour la stabilité macroéconomique des économies en rattrapage, dans la mesure où elle s’accompagne d’un processus marqué de convergence des conditions de financement entre Etats membres, dès lors que la perspective de l’adhésion à l’espace monétaire commun devient crédible. Un modèle dynamique à anticipations rationnelles permet de montrer que face au choc de demande lié à une telle convergence financière, l’appréciation du taux de change nominal se révèle cruciale pour limiter la surchauffe de l’économie. A l’inverse, dans les économies en régime de change fixe, l’abaissement des primes de risque pays est susceptible de provoquer une montée de l’endettement extérieur, suivi d’enchaînements déflationnistes une fois dans l’union monétaire. / This research investigates the challenges of price level catching-up for macroeconomic stability in Central and Eastern European transition countries seeking to enter the Euro area. In this respect, an equilibrium real exchange rate model suggests that the process of real appreciation observed along economic catching-up in these countries can be ascribed to different relative price developments, depending on the exchange rate regime, as exemplified by contrasted external debt trajectories. In flexible exchange rate economies, the increase in the nominal exchange rate fosters an endogenous appreciation of the terms of trade in the medium run, by channelling foreign direct investment and associated productivity gains to the exposed sector of the economy, thus appreciating the equilibrium real exchange rate and strengthening the current account over time. In fixed exchange rate economies, positive valuation effects associated with the increase in domestic relative prices tend to divert investment to the sheltered sector, thus undermining external competitiveness and bringing about higher external debt. Furthermore, monetary integration entails specific risks for macroeconomic stability in catching-up economies, because it implies a process of rapid convergence in the financing conditions across member States, which takes place as soon as the perspective of accession to the common monetary area appears credible. A dynamic, rational expectations model shows that the appreciation of the nominal exchange rate becomes crucial to curtail the economic overheating triggered by the demand shock associated with financial convergence. By contrast, diminishing country risk premia under fixed exchange rate regimes are likely to cause ‘boom bust’ cycles, with an increase in external indebtedness followed by deflationary developments once in the monetary union.

Submitted by Ligia Zagato (lizagato@gmail.com) on 2018-01-12T13:06:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Lígia Zagato.pdf: 694353 bytes, checksum: f6436ffd49840e6dea694c1b0d9ba013 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2018-01-12T13:15:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Lígia Zagato.pdf: 694353 bytes, checksum: f6436ffd49840e6dea694c1b0d9ba013 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-12T19:16:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lígia Zagato.pdf: 694353 bytes, checksum: f6436ffd49840e6dea694c1b0d9ba013 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-19 / Com base na análise histórica do processo de desenvolvimento dos Países Atualmente Desenvolvidos (PADs), são debatidas as condições necessárias para que os Países Industrializados em Desenvolvimento (PIDs) possam completar seus catching ups no século XXI. Nesse sentido, dado que esses países já se industrializaram, mas ainda não atingiram os mesmos padrões de produtividade dos PADs, eles precisarão contar com Estados Desenvolvimentistas (EDs) que promovam o equilíbrio das suas condições de competição de modo a possibilitar seus desenvolvimentos econômicos. Isso deve incluir, primeiro, a promoção de sofisticação produtiva, principalmente por meio da provisão de incentivos ao P&D. Segundo, a garantia da estabilidade dos preços macroeconômicos, especialmente da taxa de câmbio, de modo a conter a sobrevalorização de suas moedas que restringe o acesso à demanda por empresas produzindo no estado de arte internacional. Terceiro, a consideração das circunstâncias internacionais criadas pelo capitalismo financeiro-rentista, no qual o liberalismo continua como mainstream econômico. / By analyzing the history of the development process of the Now-Developed Countries (NDCs), we investigate the conditions needed so that the Industrialized Developing Countries (IDCs) could complete their catching ups in the 21st century. The supported hypothesis is that since these countries have already a high level of industrialization but have not reached the same productivity levels of the NDCs yet, they should have Developmental States (DSs) to promote an equalization of their conditions of competition. This should include, firstly, the promotion of their productive sophistication, mainly through the provision of incentives to R&D. Secondly, the safeguard of the stability of the macroeconomic prices, especially that of the foreign exchange rate to constrain the overvaluing of their currencies that restrict the access to real demand of enterprises producing in the international state of art. Thirdly, the consideration of the international circumstances created by the financial-rentier capitalism, in which liberalism remains as the economic mainstream.

This diploma thesis is focused on invertebrates' survival and activity during winter; and on methods of their capture. The first part of the theoretical section describes principles of cold hardiness, strategies of winter survival and activity in snow environment. Furthermore, different methods of invertebrates capturing are presented. The practical part of the thesis is focused on the verification of selected invertebrates capturing methods during winter. The results summarize the differences in the diversity and quantity of animals caught; and provide an overview and characteristics of selected captured taxa. Suggestions for a snow fauna excursion and a practical exercise focused on capturing invertebrates during winter are proposed based on the results of the study. KEYWORDS cold hardiness, winter survival, winter activity, snow fauna, invertebrate animals, catching methods, pitfall traps