Lower protocol layers for wireless sensor networks: a survey

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have been attracting increasing interests in the development of a new generation of embedded systems with great potential for many applications such as surveillance, environment monitoring, emergency medical response and home automation. However, the communication paradigms in Wireless Sensor Networks differ from the ones attributed to traditional wireless networks, triggering the need for new communication protocols and mechanisms. In this Technical Report, we present a survey on communication protocols for WSNs with a particular emphasis on the lower protocol layers. We give a particular focus to the MAC (Medium Access Control) sub-layer, since it has a prominent influence on some relevant requirements that must be satisfied by WSN protocols, such as energy consumption, time performance and scalability. We overview some relevant MAC protocol solutions and discuss how they tackle the trade-off between the referred requirements.

IEEE 802.15.4: a Federating Communication Protocol for Time-Sensitive Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have been attracting increasing interests for developing a new generation of embedded systems with great potential for many applications such as surveillance, environment monitoring, emergency medical response and home automation. However, the communication paradigms in WSNs differ from the ones attributed to traditional wireless networks, triggering the need for new communication protocols. In this context, the recently standardised IEEE 802.15.4 protocol presents some potentially interesting features for deployment in wireless sensor network applications, such as power-efficiency, timeliness guarantees and scalability. Nevertheless, when addressing WSN applications with (soft/hard) timing requirements some inherent paradoxes emerge, such as power-efficiency versus timeliness, triggering the need of engineering solutions for an efficient deployment of IEEE 802.15.4 in WSNs. In this technical report, we will explore the most relevant characteristics of the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol for wireless sensor networks and present the most important challenges regarding time-sensitive WSN applications. We also provide some timing performance and analysis of the IEEE 802.15.4 that unveil some directions for resolving the previously mentioned paradoxes.

An intelligent tutoring approach to support students and technicians in electrical installation design

Designing electric installation projects, demands not only academic knowledge, but also other types of knowledge not easily acquired through traditional instructional methodologies. A lot of additional empirical knowledge is missing and so the academic instruction must be completed with different kinds of knowledge, such as real-life practical examples and simulations. On the other hand, the practical knowledge detained by the most experienced designers is not formalized in such a way that is easily transmitted. In order to overcome these difficulties present in the engineers formation, we are developing an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), for training and support concerning the development of electrical installation projects to be used by electrical engineers, technicians and students.

Research on evaluation system of emergency disposal plan for power plant incidents

This paper starts with the analysis of the unusual inherence mechanism, from two aspects: accumulating and human error. We put forward twelve factors affected the decision of the emergency treatment plan in practice and summarized the evaluation index system combining with literature data. Then we screened out eighteen representative indicators by used the FDM expert questionnaire in the first phase. Hereafter, we calculated the weight of evaluation index and sorted them by the FAHP expert questionnaire, and came up with the frame of the evaluation rule by combined with the experience. In the end, the evaluation principles are concluded.

Emergency energy resource management in SmartGrids

Energy resources management can play a very relevant role in future power systems in a SmartGrid context, with intensive penetration of distributed generation and storage systems. This paper deals with the importance of resource management in incident situations. The paper presents DemSi, an energy resources management simulator that has been developed by the authors to simulate electrical distribution networks with high distributed generation penetration, storage in network points and customers with demand response contracts. DemSi is used to undertake simulations for an incident scenario, evidencing the advantages of adequately using flexible contracts, storage, and reserve in order to limit incident consequences.

Peculiarities of the professional education and qualification appraisal of assistants of pharmacists in Lithuania

Following the alterations and additions to the pharmaceutical law of Lithuanian Republic the pharmaceutical activity in Lithuanian pharmacies is carried out by pharmacy specialists ��� pharmacists and pharmacy assistants (pharmacy technicians). The ability of pharmacy specialists to adapt, to improve and to develop their competencies is one of the success preconditions for Lithuanian health care pharmacy sector. Work aim: to investigate the changes among the specialists employed in pharmacies and pharmacy sector as well as to highlight the necessity to develop the qualification of pharmacy assistants (pharmacy technicians) according to the modern pharmaceutical legal basis in Lithuania. In 2008���2011 the research in Lithuanian pharmacy sector was performed which identified the changes in the numbers of pharmacies and their staff: the number of pharmacies decreased, while the number of pharmacists increased and the number of the assistants of pharmacists (pharmacy technicians) decreased. The decrease in the number of the assistants of pharmacists (pharmacy technicians) and the danger of their extinction in the future has been identified. The qualification appraisal for pharmacy assistants (pharmacy technicians) is implemented through the leveling studies at the Pharmacy technique department at the Health care faculty of Kauno Kolegija University of applied sciences and pharmacy study programme at the faculty of Pharmacy of Medical Academy at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. 75 % of respondents use their own money to pay for the qualification appraisal, and 25 % of respondents get financial support for the qualification appraisal activities from the pharmacy managers.

Cyclotech - contribution to solve the Technetium shortage by using low energy medical cyclotrons

This paper presents work in progress, to develop an efficient and economic way to directly produce Technetium 99metastable (99mTc) using low-energy cyclotrons. Its importance is well established and relates with the increased global trouble in delivering 99mTc to Nuclear Medicine Departments relying on this radioisotope. Since the present delivery strategy has clearly demonstrated its intrinsic limits, our group decided to follow a distinct approach that uses the broad distribution of the low energy cyclotrons and the accessibility of Molybdenum 100 (100Mo) as the Target material. This is indeed an important issue to consider, since the system here presented, named CYCLOTECH, it is not based on the use of Highly Enriched (or even Low Enriched) Uranium 235 (235U), so entirely complying with the actual international trends and directives concerning the use of this potential highly critical material. The production technique is based on the nuclear reaction 100Mo (p,2n) 99mTc whose production yields have already been documented. Until this moment two Patent requests have already been submitted (the first at the INPI, in Portugal, and the second at the USPTO, in the USA); others are being prepared for submission on a near future. The object of the CYCLOTECH system is to present 99mTc to Nuclear Medicine radiopharmacists in a routine, reliable and efficient manner that, remaining always flexible, entirely blends with established protocols. To facilitate workflow and Radiation Protection measures, it has been developed a Target Station that can be installed on most of the existing PET cyclotrons and that will tolerate up to 400 ��A of beam by allowing the beam to strike the Target material at an adequately oblique angle. The Target Station permits the remote and automatic loading and discharge of the Targets from a carriage of 10 Target bodies. On other hand, several methods of Target material deposition and Target substrates are presented. The object was to create a cost effective means of depositing and intermediate the target material thickness (25 - 100��m) with a minimum of loss on a substrate that is able to easily transport the heat associated with high beam currents. Finally, the separation techniques presented are a combination of both physical and column chemistry. The object was to extract and deliver 99mTc in the identical form now in use in radiopharmacies worldwide. In addition, the Target material is recovered and can be recycled.

Dosimetria das exposi����es em imagiologia cl��nica

A import��ncia da radia����o ionizante na pr��tica m��dica, n��oo s�� como diagn��stico mas tamb��m como terapia, ganhou, no ��ltimo meio s��culo, uma import��ncia fulcral. Devido aos efeitos secund��rios da radia����o ao ser humano, torna-se fundamental definir regras para aumentar a seguran��a de todos os seus utilizadores, surgindo assim a radioprotec����o. Nesse sentido a Comunidade Europeia da Energia At��mica (EURATOM) define directrizes para os pa��ses membros da Comunidade Europeia de forma a poder orient��-los nesse processo. Torna-se assim importante registar e monitorizar os valores de dose de radia����o num exame radiol��gico para o aumento de seguran��a dos pacientes e t��cnicos. O presente trabalho desenvolvido no ��mbito da disciplina anual Disserta����o/Projecto/ Est��gio Profissional do Mestrado em Computa����o e Instrumenta����o M��dica teve como objectivo registar esses valores atrav��s da comunica����o com medidores de doses. A luz do dia-a-dia da Dr. Campos Costa - Consult��rio de Tomogra a Computarizada S.A, �� apresentada nesta tese uma aplica����o computacional capaz de obter os valores de dose de um estudo radiol��gico a um paciente e guard��-los numa base de dados projectada exclusivamente para esse fim. Os resultados obtidos s��o animadores uma vez que provam ser poss��vel automatizar a monitoriza����o desses valores atrav��s de aplica����es com ferramentas capazes de auxiliar os respons��veis por essa monitoriza����o em qualquer centro cl��nico.

Classifica����o e previs��o de cardiotocogramas usando algoritmos baseados em redes neuronais

Mestrado em Computa����o e Instrumenta����o M��dica

Tecnologias Multim��dia no Apoio ao Ensino da Assist��ncia Pr��-Hospitalar

Vivemos num mundo em constante mudan��a, onde a evolu����o tecnol��gica est�� cada vez mais presente no nosso quotidiano e as suas influ��ncias s��o in��meras nas nossas vidas. Por outro lado, a vida humana �� algo extremamente valioso e ��nico pelo que a sociedade, tamb��m nessa ��rea, tem procurado evoluir e dotar-se de novos meios e mecanismos de atua����o, que possibilitem um socorro r��pido e adequado em situa����es que possam em algum momento p��r em perigo a vida do ser humano. Pretendemos com o presente estudo, correlacionar estas duas vertentes, a do socorro �� v��tima para apoio �� vida humana e a tecnologia no sentido de contribuir para uma forma����o mais distribu��da mas ao mesmo tempo capaz de transmitir conhecimentos necess��rios �� forma����o dos que socorrem. Para o efeito, planeamos o desenvolvimento de um Objeto de Aprendizagem (OA) denominado CiTAT (Curso Interativo de Tripulante de Ambul��ncia de Transporte) que tem como objetivo acrescentar valor a todos os que s��o obrigados a frequentar o curso em regime presencial de Tripulante de Ambul��ncia de Transporte (TAT). Ap��s uma fase de an��lise do estado da arte relacionada com este tipo de forma����o, e ap��s termos percebido como funciona e que tipos de recursos utilizam, analis��mos temas relacionados com este tipo de forma����o como o ���Sistema Integrado de Emerg��ncia M��dica��� o ���Exame �� V��tima���, o ���Suporte B��sico de Vida��� e as ���Emerg��ncias de Trauma���. Percebemos que a mudan��a de paradigma de forma����o das pessoas passou a ter novas formas de distribuir conhecimento em formato digital e que proporciona aos formandos um ensino distribu��do em formatos de e-learning ou de b-learning. Os Objetos de Aprendizagem (OA) parecem assumir um relevo especial no ensino da ��rea da sa��de, abordando ��reas tem��ticas e proporcionando aos seus utilizadores mecanismos de autoavalia����o ap��s a visualiza����o dos conte��dos pedag��gicos. Ap��s o desenho do modelo concetual do CiTAT, avan��amos para a produ����o de recursos necess��rios para a sua integra����o no OA. Ap��s uma fase de testes e ajustes, avan��amos para a sua avalia����o final por parte dos utilizadores e preparamos um question��rio para aferir o potencial de utiliza����o deste tipo de solu����es no ensino de TAT, atendendo ao facto de ser uma forma����o obrigat��ria e cuja recertifica����o �� feita de tr��s em tr��s anos. O passo final foi a sua distribui����o ao n��vel global, sendo o CiTAT catalogado com metadados e colocado no reposit��rio MERLOT.