ePortfolios in translators’ training and assessment

Translator’s training and assessment has used more and more tools and innovative strategies over the years. The goals and results to achieve haven’t changed much, however: translation quality. In order to accomplish it, the translator and all the tasks and processes he develops appear as crucial, being pre-translation and post-translation processes equally important as the translation itself, namely as far as autonomy, reflexive and critical skills are concerned. Finally, the need and relevance of collaborative tasks and networks amongst virtual translation communities, led us to the decision of implementing ePortfolios as a tool to develop the requested skills and extend the use of Internet in translation. In this paper we describe a case-study of a pilot experiment on the using of e-portfolios as a translation training tool and discuss their role in the definition of a clear set of objectives and phases for the completion of each task, by helping students in the management of the projects deadlines, improving their knowledge on the construction and management of translation resources and deepening their awareness about the concepts related to the development of eportfolios.

Multilingualism and interpreting: training for the EU

AGM and Conference in Mechelen 27 – 30 April 2010

Evidências de validade da versão brasileira do Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 em contexto de academia e personal training

Este estudo teve como objetivos verificar a validade fatorial e a validade interna da versão brasileira do Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) e comparar os principais motivos para prática de exercício tendo em conta os contextos de academia e personal training. Um total de 588 praticantes de exercício da cidade de Pelotas/RS/Brasil (405 de academia e 183 de personal training) preencheram o EMI-2, o qual é constituído por 51 itens, agrupados em 14 motivos (fatores) para prática de exercício físico. A validade fatorial do EMI-2 foi testada através da realização de análises fatoriais confirmatórias e a validade interna através do alfa de Cronbach. Para a verificar o efeito do contexto nos motivos foi utilizada a MANOVA e calculado o tamanho do efeito. Os resultados obtidos dão suporte à estrutura original do EMI-2 com 14 fatores, nesta amostra. Verificou-se um efeito multivariado significativo do contexto sobre os motivos de prática [Wilks’ λ = 0.912, F (14, 573.000) = 3.9, p < 0.001, η² = 0.088]. Os motivos de “Prazer”, “Força e resistência”, “Desafio”, “Socialização”, “Competição” e “Reconhecimento Social” foram significativamente superiores no contexto de academia e os motivos de “Agilidade” e “Prevenção de Doenças” foram significativamente superiores no contexto de personal training.

Intelligent behavior in a Cyber-Ambient training system for control center operators

This paper deals with the application of an intelligent tutoring approach to delivery training in diagnosis procedures of a Power System. In particular, the mechanisms implemented by the training tool to support the trainees are detailed. This tool is part of an architecture conceived to integrate Power Systems tools in a Power System Control Centre, based on an Ambient Intelligent paradigm. The present work is integrated in the CITOPSY project which main goal is to achieve a better integration between operators and control room applications, considering the needs of people, customizing requirements and forecasting behaviors.

Using an ambient intelligent architecture for developing an intelligent tutoring system for training operators of power system control centres

This paper describes an architecture conceived to integrate Power Sys-tems tools in a Power System Control Centre, based on an Ambient Intelligent (AmI) paradigm. This architecture is an instantiation of the generic architecture proposed in [1] for developing systems that interact with AmI environments. This architecture has been proposed as a consequence of a methodology for the inclu-sion of Artificial Intelligence in AmI environments (ISyRAmI - Intelligent Sys-tems Research for Ambient Intelligence). The architecture presented in the paper will be able to integrate two applications in the control room of a power system transmission network. The first is SPARSE expert system, used to get diagnosis of incidents and to support power restoration. The second application is an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) incorporating two training tools. The first tutoring tool is used to train operators to get the diagnosis of incidents. The second one is another tutoring tool used to train operators to perform restoration procedures.

Training control centers' operators in incident diagnosis and power restoration using intelligent tutoring systems

The activity of Control Center operators is important to guarantee the effective performance of Power Systems. Operators’ actions are crucial to deal with incidents, especially severe faults like blackouts. In this paper, we present an Intelligent Tutoring approach for training Portuguese Control Center operators in tasks like incident analysis and diagnosis, and service restoration of Power Systems. Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) approach is used in the training of the operators, having into account context awareness and the unobtrusive integration in the working environment. Several Artificial Intelligence techniques were criteriously used and combined together to obtain an effective Intelligent Tutoring environment, namely Multiagent Systems, Neural Networks, Constraint-based Modeling, Intelligent Planning, Knowledge Representation, Expert Systems, User Modeling, and Intelligent User Interfaces.

Cyber-ambient intelligent training of operators in power systems control centres

Cyber-Physical Systems and Ambient Intelligence are two of the most important and emerging paradigms of our days. The introduction of renewable sources gave origin to a completely different dimension of the distribution generation problem. On the other hand, Electricity Markets introduced a different dimension in the complexity, the economic dimension. Our goal is to study how to proceed with the Intelligent Training of Operators in Power Systems Control Centres, considering the new reality of Renewable Sources, Distributed Generation, and Electricity Markets, under the emerging paradigms of Cyber-Physical Systems and Ambient Intelligence. We propose Intelligent Tutoring Systems as the approach to deal with the intelligent training of operators in these new circumstances.

An intelligent tutoring system for operators’ training in power system control centres

The activity of Control Center operators is important to guarantee the effective performance of Power Systems. Operators’ actions are crucial to deal with incidents, especially severe faults, like blackouts. In this paper we present an Intelligent Tutoring approach for training Portuguese Control Centre operators in tasks like incident analysis and diagnosis, and service restoration of Power Systems. Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) approach is used in the training of the operators, taking into account context awareness and the unobtrusive integration in the working environment.

Intelligent training in control centres based on an ambient intelligence paradigm

This article describes a new approach in the Intelligent Training of Operators in Power Systems Control Centres, considering the new reality of Renewable Sources, Distributed Generation, and Electricity Markets, under the emerging paradigms of Cyber-Physical Systems and Ambient Intelligence. We propose Intelligent Tutoring Systems as the approach to deal with the intelligent training of operators in these new circumstances.

Combining artificial intelligence techniques for the training of power system control centre operators

Control Centre operators are essential to assure a good performance of Power Systems. Operators’ actions are critical in dealing with incidents, especially severe faults, like blackouts. In this paper we present an Intelligent Tutoring approach for training Portuguese Control Centre operators in incident analysis and diagnosis, and service restoration of Power Systems, offering context awareness and an easy integration in the working environment.

The impact of exercise training on liver transplanted familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) patients

Liver transplantation is nowadays the only effective answer to adjourn the outcome of functional limitations associated with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by sensory and motor polyneuropathies. Nevertheless, there is a detrimental impact associated with the after-surgery period on the fragile physical condition of these patients. Exercise training has been proven to be effective on reconditioning patients after transplantation. However, the effects of exercise training in liver transplanted FAP patients have not been scrutinized yet.

Radiographers and radiation protection: education, training and CPD

The increasing use of ionizing radiation for medical purposes emphasizes the concern about safety and justification of using ionizing radiation. This is linked with the use of new and high-dose X-ray technology (particularly CT). According to the UNSCEAR 2010 Report the total number of diagnostic medical examinations (both medical and dental) is estimated to have risen from 2.4 billion (period 1991–1996) to 3.6 billion (period 1997– 2008) - a marked increase in collective doses. An appropriate use of technology aiming diagnostic or therapy and respecting the ALARA principle is a mandatory requisite to safely perform any radiological procedure. Radiation protection is thus, a concern of all specialists in the radiology field ( radiologists, radiographers, medical physicists, among other professional groups). The importance of education and training of these professionals in reducing patients’ doses while maintaining the desired level of quality in medical exposures, as well as precise therapeutic treatments is well recognized. Education, training and continuing professional development (CPD) constitute a triad pointing towards the radiographers’ development of competences in the radiation protection field. This presentation excludes the radiographer role and competences in the fields of ultrasonography and MRI.

Literary translation and quality assessment analysis – its significance in translation training

This paper aims to highlight the role of translation quality assessment in translation training so as to develop students’ translation competence and skills to face translation problems. An analysis to assess literary translation quality is proposed before proceeding to discuss its pedagogical implementation.

Planeamento e balanceamento de uma linha de montagem universal para formação

Este trabalho teve o intuito de criar uma linha de montagem universal através da qual será dada formação aos atuais operadores e a novos que possam vir a pertencer ao departamento de montagem na empresa Grohe Portugal. Para tal era necessário saber realizar um estudo de métodos e um estudo de tempos sobre os vários processos existentes no departamento de montagem. Com esse intuito foi elaborada uma pesquisa sobre as referidas temáticas, onde ficou evidente a sua importância e a sua imprescindibilidade. Inicialmente houve também um acompanhamento das montagens dos produtos nas várias linhas, de forma a adquirir conhecimento sobre as características dos processos de montagem existentes no departamento. Os pontos mais importantes durante o estudo de métodos e tempos realizado foram a definição de toda a estrutura do processo, das ferramentas e materiais a utilizar, não esquecendo a relação entre o operador e as suas ferramentas e a medição de tempos de todas as tarefas necessárias para cada processo de montagem. A linha de montagem, cujo projeto se desenvolveu, é composta por três bancadas e consiste num conjunto de postos de trabalho onde são executadas as operações através de máquinas, do trabalho humano, ou da sua conjugação, dispostos numa determinada sequência, sendo alguns deles amovíveis. Para a realização e conclusão deste projeto foram superadas diversas etapas, sendo que as mais relevantes foram:  a análise dos processos de montagem;  estudo de tempos de todas as famílias de produtos a serem implementados na linha de formação; - Definição da estrutura da linha de montagem; - Definição das rampas e dos tubos de abastecimento da linha; - Desenho da linha de montagem em 3D no software SolidWorks. Paralelamente foram também desenvolvidos estudos de tempos sobre alguns produtos com o intuito de serem implementadas melhorias, ou apenas para o controlo de tempos necessários para a realização das operações Por último, foi também elaborada uma recolha de ferramentas existentes no departamento de montagem para serem elaborados manuais de instruções das ferramentas fabricadas internamente, com o objetivo de obter a certificação OSHAS 180001 e de criar documentos com a listagem de materiais necessários para cada produto.

The influence of experience and training in a group of novice observers: a jackknife alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic analysis

Purpose - The study evaluates the pre- and post-training lesion localisation ability of a group of novice observers. Parallels are drawn with the performance of inexperienced radiographers taking part in preliminary clinical evaluation (PCE) and ‘red-dot’ systems, operating within radiography practice. Materials and methods - Thirty-four novice observers searched 92 images for simulated lesions. Pre-training and post-training evaluations were completed following the free-response the receiver operating characteristic (FROC) method. Training consisted of observer performance methodology, the characteristics of the simulated lesions and information on lesion frequency. Jackknife alternative FROC (JAFROC) and highest rating inferred ROC analyses were performed to evaluate performance difference on lesion-based and case-based decisions. The significance level of the test was set at 0.05 to control the probability of Type I error. Results - JAFROC analysis (F(3,33) = 26.34, p < 0.0001) and highest-rating inferred ROC analysis (F(3,33) = 10.65, p = 0.0026) revealed a statistically significant difference in lesion detection performance. The JAFROC figure-of-merit was 0.563 (95% CI 0.512,0.614) pre-training and 0.677 (95% CI 0.639,0.715) post-training. Highest rating inferred ROC figure-of-merit was 0.728 (95% CI 0.701,0.755) pre-training and 0.772 (95% CI 0.750,0.793) post-training. Conclusions - This study has demonstrated that novice observer performance can improve significantly. This study design may have relevance in the assessment of inexperienced radiographers taking part in PCE or commenting scheme for trauma.