Estudo de avalia����o e quantifica����o de par��metros associados �� rigidez em patologias do tecido hep��tico com recurso �� aplica����o Virtual Touch

Disserta����o apresentada na Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Biom��dica

Realidade Imersiva Aplicada a Espa��os Culturais

Informa����o �� o conceito gen��rico de tudo que possa representar, conhecimento ou comunica����o. Trata-se de conhecimento registado de forma impressa ou digital, oral ou audiovisual, mas ainda pode ser registada em suporte f��sico. Desde o in��cio da civiliza����o que o Ser Humano tenta criar novas formas de transmitir informa����o, antes da inven����o da forma escrita era utilizado o m��todo do desenho para descrever a realidade, este m��todo ao longo do tempo foi evoluindo, ganhando mais qualidade, pormenor e suportes mais evolu��dos. Mas sempre com a mesma inten����o, a de conseguir transmitir de forma mais direta e percet��vel informa����o a qualquer individuo. Dado isto, o Ser Humano sempre produziu arte e a foi preservando para mostrar aos vindouros. Neste processo, os museus em conjunto com espa��os culturais e art��sticos, foram assumindo um papel de relevo na sociedade. Mas inicialmente o objetivo principal dos museus era o de preservar e expor artefactos hist��ricos e culturais. A grande evolu����o tecnol��gica dos ��ltimos anos veio dotar o Ser Humano com formas de aceder �� informa����o t��o simples e diversificadas, que no passado eram completamente impens��veis e certamente que no futuro ir��o ser descobertas ainda mais formas de registar e propagar a informa����o. Assim o presente trabalho descreve a investiga����o realizada, atrav��s de uma recolha de bibliografia, levantamento do estado-da-arte, que pretende descobrir se a constru����o de visitas virtuais imersivas �� uma boa forma para mostrar um espa��o cultural ao p��blico, que est�� cada vez mais exigente e disperso geograficamente. Al��m do levantamento s��o estudados alguns exemplos de visitas virtuais existentes, de modo a detetar boas praticas e formas mais usuais para a cria����o de uma visita. Finalmente foi descrito todo o processo desde a recolha de informa����o at�� �� pr��pria implementa����o, constru����o de um prot��tipo para apresentar ao utilizador o espa��o de uma funda����o, a do escultor Jos�� Rodrigues. Este prot��tipo tem por objetivo mostrar ao utilizador a funda����o o mais aproximado do real poss��vel.

Living and growing within a museum: re-creating video art for conservation

Disserta����o apresentada na Faculdade de Ci��ncias e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Conserva����o e Restauro

O servi��o de refer��ncia - do tradicional ao virtual: o caso da Biblioteca do tribunal de Contas

Relat��rio de Est��gio apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necess��rios �� obten����o do grau de Mestre em Ci��ncias da Informa����o e da Documenta����o

Uranium glass in museum collections

Journal of Cultural Heritage, n�� 9 (2008), p. 64-68

Virtual Power Player Using Demand Response to Deal with Unexpected Low Wind Power Generation

Demand response is assumed as an essential resource to fully achieve the smart grids operating benefits, namely in the context of competitive markets and of the increasing use of renewable-based energy sources. Some advantages of Demand Response (DR) programs and of smart grids can only be achieved through the implementation of Real Time Pricing (RTP). The integration of the expected increasing amounts of distributed energy resources, as well as new players, requires new approaches for the changing operation of power systems. The methodology proposed in this paper aims the minimization of the operation costs in a distribution network operated by a virtual power player that manages the available energy resources focusing on hour ahead re-scheduling. When facing lower wind power generation than expected from day ahead forecast, demand response is used in order to minimize the impacts of such wind availability change. In this way, consumers actively participate in regulation up and spinning reserve ancillary services through demand response programs. Real time pricing is also applied. The proposed model is especially useful when actual and day ahead wind forecast differ significantly. Its application is illustrated in this paper implementing the characteristics of a real resources conditions scenario in a 33 bus distribution network with 32 consumers and 66 distributed generators.

Short-term Wind Forecasting to Support Virtual Power Player Operation

This paper proposes a wind speed forecasting model that contributes to the development and implementation of adequate methodologies for Energy Resource Man-agement in a distribution power network, with intensive use of wind based power generation. The proposed fore-casting methodology aims to support the operation in the scope of the intraday resources scheduling model, name-ly with a time horizon of 10 minutes. A case study using a real database from the meteoro-logical station installed in the GECAD renewable energy lab was used. A new wind speed forecasting model has been implemented and it estimated accuracy was evalu-ated and compared with a previous developed forecast-ing model. Using as input attributes the information of the wind speed concerning the previous 3 hours enables to obtain results with high accuracy for the wind short-term forecasting.

Maximizing the Social Welfare of Virtual Power Players Operation in Case of Excessive Wind Power

The integration of growing amounts of distributed generation in power systems, namely at distribution networks level, has been fostered by energy policies in several countries around the world, including in Europe. This intensive integration of distributed, non-dispatchable, and natural sources based generation (including wind power) has caused several changes in the operation and planning of power systems and of electricity markets. Sometimes the available non-dispatchable generation is higher than the demand. This generation must be used; otherwise it is wasted if not stored or used to supply additional demand. New policies and market rules, as well as new players, are needed in order to competitively integrate all the resources. The methodology proposed in this paper aims at the maximization of the social welfare in a distribution network operated by a virtual power player that aggregates and manages the available energy resources. When facing a situation of excessive non-dispatchable generation, including wind power, real time pricing is applied in order to induce the increase of consumption so that wind curtailment is minimized. This method is especially useful when actual and day-ahead resources forecast differ significantly. The distribution network characteristics and concerns are addressed by including the network constraints in the optimization model. The proposed methodology has been implemented in GAMS optimization tool and its application is illustrated in this paper using a real 937-bus distribution network with 20.310 consumers and 548 distributed generators, some of them non-dispatchable and with must take contracts. The implemented scenario corresponds to a real day in Portuguese power system.

Intelligent Remuneration and Tariffs for Virtual Power Players

Power systems have been through deep changes in recent years, namely due to the operation of competitive electricity markets in the scope the increasingly intensive use of renewable energy sources and distributed generation. This requires new business models able to cope with the new opportunities that have emerged. Virtual Power Players (VPPs) are a new type of player that allows aggregating a diversity of players (Distributed Generation (DG), Storage Agents (SA), Electrical Vehicles (V2G) and consumers) to facilitate their participation in the electricity markets and to provide a set of new services promoting generation and consumption efficiency, while improving players��� benefits. A major task of VPPs is the remuneration of generation and services (maintenance, market operation costs and energy reserves), as well as charging energy consumption. This paper proposes a model to implement fair and strategic remuneration and tariff methodologies, able to allow efficient VPP operation and VPP goals accomplishment in the scope of electricity markets.

Virtual Power Players Internal Negotiation and Management in MASCEM

Electricity Markets are not only a new reality but an evolving one as the involved players and rules change at a relatively high rate. Multi-agent simulation combined with Artificial Intelligence techniques may result in very helpful sophisticated tools. This paper presents a new methodology for the management of coalitions in electricity markets. This approach is tested using the multi-agent market simulator MASCEM (Multi-Agent Simulator of Competitive Electricity Markets), taking advantage of its ability to provide the means to model and simulate Virtual Power Players (VPP). VPPs are represented as coalitions of agents, with the capability of negotiating both in the market and internally, with their members in order to combine and manage their individual specific characteristics and goals, with the strategy and objectives of the VPP itself. A case study using real data from the Iberian Electricity Market is performed to validate and illustrate the proposed approach.

Decision support tool for Virtual Power Players: Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization applied to Day-ahead Vehicle-To-Grid Scheduling

This paper presents a decision support tool methodology to help virtual power players (VPPs) in the Smart Grid (SGs) context to solve the day-ahead energy resource scheduling considering the intensive use of Distributed Generation (DG) and Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G). The main focus is the application of a new hybrid method combing a particle swarm approach and a deterministic technique based on mixedinteger linear programming (MILP) to solve the day-ahead scheduling minimizing total operation costs from the aggregator point of view. A realistic mathematical formulation, considering the electric network constraints and V2G charging and discharging efficiencies is presented. Full AC power flow calculation is included in the hybrid method to allow taking into account the network constraints. A case study with a 33-bus distribution network and 1800 V2G resources is used to illustrate the performance of the proposed method.

Simulador em Realidade Virtual para Aprendizagem da F��sica

A forma como aprendemos depende do contexto tecnol��gico e sociocultural que nos rodeia, actualmente a inclus��o de tecnologia recente na sala de aula n��o �� mais considerada opcional, mas sim uma necessidade pois a forma como o aluno aprende est�� em constante evolu����o. Tendo em aten����o esta necessidade, foi desenvolvido no decorrer desta tese um simulador em realidade virtual que utiliza comandos/interfaces h��pticos. O objectivo deste simulador �� ensinar conceitos de f��sica de forma interactiva. Os dispositivos h��pticos permitem adicionar o sentido t��ctil ou de toque �� interac����o entre homem e m��quina, permitindo assim aceder a novas sensa����es relativas ao seu uso nomeadamente com objectivos de aprendizagem. O simulador desenvolvido designado por ���Forces of Physics��� aborda tr��s tipos de for��as da f��sica: for��as de atrito, for��as gravitacionais e for��as aerodin��micas. Cada tipo de for��a corresponde a um m��dulo do simulador contendo uma simula����o individual em que s��o explicados conceitos espec��ficos dessa for��a num ambiente visual estimulante e com uma interac����o mais realista devido �� inclus��o do dispositivo h��ptico Novint Falcon. O simulador foi apresentado a v��rios utilizadores bem como �� comunidade cient��fica atrav��s de apresenta����es em confer��ncias. A avalia����o foi realizada com recurso a um question��rio com dez perguntas, cinco de sobre aprendizagem e cinco sobre a utiliza����o, tendo sido preenchido por 14 utilizadores. O simulador obteve uma boa recep����o por parte dos utilizadores, tendo v��rios utilizadores expressado as suas opini��es sobre estado actual do simulador, do futuro do mesmo e da respectiva validade para uso na sala de aula.

Neuromarketing e o consumidor virtual

As neuroci��ncias aliadas ao marketing, constituem um novo paradigma com grande potencial, no que diz respeito ao conhecimento profundo do consumidor e do seu comportamento de compra: o Neuromarketing. O Neuromarketing tem uma forte componente cient��fica que estuda e define fisiologicamente os mecanismos subjacentes �� cogni����o, com foco espec��fico nas bases neurais dos processos mentais e suas manifesta����es comportamentais e uma componente econ��mica e social em que os Marketeers se questionam acerca dos m��todos tradicionais para conhecer profundamente o seu cliente e aplicar em toda a sua potencialidade o marketing one-to-one, criar rela����es de fidelidade e evitar a falta de diferencia����o que ainda se verifica em algumas empresas. Na ��ptica do consumidor este tema �� ainda desconhecido e podemos afirmar com alguma certeza que tamb��m ser�� um pouco assustador pensar que seja poss��vel conhecer t��o bem o nosso c��rebro e a nossa maneira de pensar enquanto consumidores, que nos consigam ���manipular��� no momento da decis��o de compra. O presente estudo tem como finalidade perceber o que pensa o consumidor desta nova ��rea, o que sente em rela����o aos m��todos usados em Neuromarketing e se j�� t��m alguma percep����o de que diariamente j�� s��o confrontados com t��cnicas de Neuromarketing e ainda, o que pensam delas.

Consci��ncia cultural cr��tica numa comunidade virtual educativa de l��nguas

Tese de Doutoramento em Did��tica e Forma����o

BIWiki - Using a Business Intelligence Wiki to Form a Virtual Community of Practice for Portuguese Master's Students

Web 2.0 software in general and wikis in particular have been receiving growing attention as they constitute new and powerful tools, capable of supporting information sharing, creation of knowledge and a wide range of collaborative processes and learning activities. This paper introduces briefly some of the new opportunities made possible by Web 2.0 or the social Internet, focusing on those offered by the use of wikis as learning spaces. A wiki allows documents to be created, edited and shared on a group basis; it has a very easy and efficient markup language, using a simple Web browser. One of the most important characteristics of wiki technology is the ease with which pages are created and edited. The facility for wiki content to be edited by its users means that its pages and structure form a dynamic entity, in permanent evolution, where users can insert new ideas, supplement previously existing information and correct errors and typos in a document at any time, up to the agreed final version. This paper explores wikis as a collaborative learning and knowledge-building space and its potential for supporting Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs). In the academic years (2007/8 and 2008/9), students of the Business Intelligence module at the Master's programme of studies on Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence at Instituto Superior de Estatistica e Gestao de Informacao of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, have been actively involved in the creation of BIWiki - a wiki for Business Intelligence in the Portuguese language. Based on usage patterns and feedback from students participating in this experience, some conclusions are drawn regarding the potential of this technology to support the emergence of VCoPs; some provisional suggestions will be made regarding the use of wikis to support information sharing, knowledge creation and transfer and collaborative learning in Higher Education.