Modeling group decision meeting participants with an Agent-based approach

This paper aims to present a multi-agent model for a simulation, whose goal is to help one specific participant of multi-criteria group decision making process.This model has five main intervenient types: the human participant, who is using the simulation and argumentation support system; the participant agents, one associated to the human participant and the others simulating the others human members of the decision meeting group; the directory agent; the proposal agents, representing the different alternatives for a decision (the alternatives are evaluated based on criteria); and the voting agent responsiblefor all voting machanisms.At this stage it is proposed a two phse algorithm. In the first phase each participantagent makes his own evaluation of the proposals under discussion, and the voting agent proposes a simulation of a voting process.In the second phase, after the dissemination of the voting results,each one ofthe partcipan agents will argue to convince the others to choose one of the possible alternatives. The arguments used to convince a specific participant are dependent on agent knowledge about that participant. This two-phase algorithm is applied iteratively.

Avaliação da satisfação dos utentes dos serviços farmacêuticos da Unidade Local de Saúde do Norte Alentejano

Mestrado em Intervenção Sócio-Organizacional na Saúde - Área de especialização: Políticas de Administração e Gestão de Serviços de Saúde.

Compreender os atributos da qualidade percebida pelos clientes/utentes do Grupo CUF: o caso de três serviços de imagiologia da Região de Lisboa

Mestrado em Intervenção Sócio-Organizacional na Saúde - Área de especialização: Qualidade e Tecnologias da Saúde.

Modeling Allee Effect from Beta(p, 2) Densities

In this work we develop and investigate generalized populational growth models, adjusted from Beta(p, 2) densities, with Allee effect. The use of a positive parameter leads the presented generalization, which yields some more flexible models with variable extinction rates. An Allee limit is incorporated so that the models under study have strong Allee effect.

User modeling and recommendation strategies for tourism

Mestrado em Engenharia Informática

An application of structural equation modeling of test dispositional optimism as mediator or moderator in quality of life in patients with chronic disease

The aim of the present study was to test a hypothetical model to examine if dispositional optimism exerts a moderating or a mediating effect between personality traits and quality of life, in Portuguese patients with chronic diseases. A sample of 540 patients was recruited from central hospitals in various districts of Portugal. All patients completed self-reported questionnaires assessing socio-demographic and clinical variables, personality, dispositional optimism, and quality of life. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the moderating and mediating effects. Results suggest that dispositional optimism exerts a mediator rather than a moderator role between personality traits and quality of life, suggesting that “the expectation that good things will happen” contributes to a better general well-being and better mental functioning.

Determinants of salivary cotinine level: a population-based study in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted to assess, in active smokers, the relationship of number of cigarettes smoked and other characteristics to salivary cotinine concentrations. METHODS: A random sample of active smokers aged 15 years or older was selected using a stepwise cluster sample strategy, in the year 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study included 401 subjects. Salivary cotinine concentration was determined using gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. A standard questionnaire was used to collect demographic and smoking behavioral data. The relation between the number of cigarettes smoked in the last 24h and cotinine level was examined by means of a nonparametric fitting technique of robust locally weighted regression. RESULTS: Significantly (p<0.05) higher adjusted mean cotinine levels were found in subjects smoking their first cigarette within five minutes after waking up, and in those smoking 1-20 cigarettes in the last 24h who reported inhaling more than ½ the time. In those smoking 1-20 cigarettes, the slope was significantly higher for those subjects waiting for more than five minutes before smoking their first cigarette after waking up, and those smoking "light" cigarettes when compared with their counterparts. These heterogeneities became negligible and non-significant when subjects with cotinine >40 ng/mL per cigarette were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: There was found a positive association between self-reporting smoking five minutes after waking up, and inhaling more than ½ the time are consistent and higher cotinine levels. These can be markers of dependence and higher nicotine intake. Salivary cotinine proved to be a useful biomarker of recent smoking and can be used in epidemiological studies and smoking cessation programs.

Monte Carlo modeling and simulations of the High Definition (HD120) micro MLC and validation against measurements for a 6 MV beam

Purpose: The most recent Varian® micro multileaf collimator(MLC), the High Definition (HD120) MLC, was modeled using the BEAMNRCMonte Carlo code. This model was incorporated into a Varian medical linear accelerator, for a 6 MV beam, in static and dynamic mode. The model was validated by comparing simulated profiles with measurements. Methods: The Varian® Trilogy® (2300C/D) accelerator model was accurately implemented using the state-of-the-art Monte Carlo simulation program BEAMNRC and validated against off-axis and depth dose profiles measured using ionization chambers, by adjusting the energy and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the initial electron beam. The HD120 MLC was modeled by developing a new BEAMNRC component module (CM), designated HDMLC, adapting the available DYNVMLC CM and incorporating the specific characteristics of this new micro MLC. The leaf dimensions were provided by the manufacturer. The geometry was visualized by tracing particles through the CM and recording their position when a leaf boundary is crossed. The leaf material density and abutting air gap between leaves were adjusted in order to obtain a good agreement between the simulated leakage profiles and EBT2 film measurements performed in a solid water phantom. To validate the HDMLC implementation, additional MLC static patterns were also simulated and compared to additional measurements. Furthermore, the ability to simulate dynamic MLC fields was implemented in the HDMLC CM. The simulation results of these fields were compared with EBT2 film measurements performed in a solid water phantom. Results: Overall, the discrepancies, with and without MLC, between the opened field simulations and the measurements using ionization chambers in a water phantom, for the off-axis profiles are below 2% and in depth-dose profiles are below 2% after the maximum dose depth and below 4% in the build-up region. On the conditions of these simulations, this tungsten-based MLC has a density of 18.7 g cm− 3 and an overall leakage of about 1.1 ± 0.03%. The discrepancies between the film measured and simulated closed and blocked fields are below 2% and 8%, respectively. Other measurements were performed for alternated leaf patterns and the agreement is satisfactory (to within 4%). The dynamic mode for this MLC was implemented and the discrepancies between film measurements and simulations are within 4%. Conclusions: The Varian® Trilogy® (2300 C/D) linear accelerator including the HD120 MLC was successfully modeled and simulated using the Monte CarloBEAMNRC code by developing an independent CM, the HDMLC CM, either in static and dynamic modes.

Water quality issues in rivers, lakes and reservoirs in Asian countries: an approach to the problems and the methodologies

Water covers over 70% of the Earth's surface, and is vital for all known forms of life. But only 3% of the Earth's water is fresh water, and less than 0.3% of all freshwater is in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the atmosphere. However, rivers and lakes are an important part of fresh surface water, amounting to about 89%. In this Master Thesis dissertation, the focus is on three types of water bodies – rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and their water quality issues in Asian countries. The surface water quality in a region is largely determined both by the natural processes such as climate or geographic conditions, and the anthropogenic influences such as industrial and agricultural activities or land use conversion. The quality of the water can be affected by pollutants discharge from a specific point through a sewer pipe and also by extensive drainage from agriculture/urban areas and within basin. Hence, water pollutant sources can be divided into two categories: Point source pollution and Non-point source (NPS) pollution. Seasonal variations in precipitation and surface run-off have a strong effect on river discharge and the concentration of pollutants in water bodies. For example, in the rainy season, heavy and persistent rain wash off the ground, the runoff flow increases and may contain various kinds of pollutants and, eventually, enters the water bodies. In some cases, especially in confined water bodies, the quality may be positive related with rainfall in the wet season, because this confined type of fresh water systems allows high dilution of pollutants, decreasing their possible impacts. During the dry season, the quality of water is largely related to industrialization and urbanization pollution. The aim of this study is to identify the most common water quality problems in Asian countries and to enumerate and analyze the methodologies used for assessment of water quality conditions of both rivers and confined water bodies (lakes and reservoirs). Based on the evaluation of a sample of 57 papers, dated between 2000 and 2012, it was found that over the past decade, the water quality of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in developing countries is being degraded. Water pollution and destruction of aquatic ecosystems have caused massive damage to the functions and integrity of water resources. The most widespread NPS in Asian countries and those which have the greatest spatial impacts are urban runoff and agriculture. Locally, mine waste runoff and rice paddy are serious NPS problems. The most relevant point pollution sources are the effluents from factories, sewage treatment plant, and public or household facilities. It was found that the most used methodology was unquestionably the monitoring activity, used in 49 of analyzed studies, accounting for 86%. Sometimes, data from historical databases were used as well. It can be seen that taking samples from the water body and then carry on laboratory work (chemical analyses) is important because it can give an understanding of the water quality. 6 papers (11%) used a method that combined monitoring data and modeling. 6 papers (11%) just applied a model to estimate the quality of water. Modeling is a useful resource when there is limited budget since some models are of free download and use. In particular, several of used models come from the U.S.A, but they have their own purposes and features, meaning that a careful application of the models to other countries and a critical discussion of the results are crucial. 5 papers (9%) focus on a method combining monitoring data and statistical analysis. When there is a huge data matrix, the researchers need an efficient way of interpretation of the information which is provided by statistics. 3 papers (5%) used a method combining monitoring data, statistical analysis and modeling. These different methods are all valuable to evaluate the water quality. It was also found that the evaluation of water quality was made as well by using other types of sampling different than water itself, and they also provide useful information to understand the condition of the water body. These additional monitoring activities are: Air sampling, sediment sampling, phytoplankton sampling and aquatic animal tissues sampling. Despite considerable progress in developing and applying control regulations to point and NPS pollution, the pollution status of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in Asian countries is not improving. In fact, this reflects the slow pace of investment in new infrastructure for pollution control and growing population pressures. Water laws or regulations and public involvement in enforcement can play a constructive and indispensable role in environmental protection. In the near future, in order to protect water from further contamination, rapid action is highly needed to control the various kinds of effluents in one region. Environmental remediation and treatment of industrial effluent and municipal wastewaters is essential. It is also important to prevent the direct input of agricultural and mine site runoff. Finally, stricter environmental regulation for water quality is required to support protection and management strategies. It would have been possible to get further information based in the 57 sample of papers. For instance, it would have been interesting to compare the level of concentrations of some pollutants in the diferente Asian countries. However the limit of three months duration for this study prevented further work to take place. In spite of this, the study objectives were achieved: the work provided an overview of the most relevant water quality problems in rivers, lakes and reservoirs in Asian countries, and also listed and analyzed the most common methodologies.

Integração e contextualização de modelos 3D no ensino da área da saúde

Mestrado em Engenharia Informática. Sistemas Gráficos e Multimédia.

Projeto de estrutura variante de um edifício de escritórios em Lisboa

Trabalho de Projecto para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Estruturas

Modelos de simulação em MATSim aplicados à análise de sistemas de transporte

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Vias de Comunicação e Transportes

Exploração do UML para a derivação automática de requisitos arquitecturais. Uma abordagem orientada a modelos

O desenvolvimento de software orientado a modelos defende a utilização dos modelos como um artefacto que participa activamente no processo de desenvolvimento. O modelo ocupa uma posição que se encontra ao mesmo nível do código. Esta é uma abordagem importante que tem sido alvo de atenção crescente nos últimos tempos. O Object Management Group (OMG) é o responsável por uma das principais especificações utilizadas na definição da arquitectura dos sistemas cujo desenvolvimento é orientado a modelos: o Model Driven Architecture (MDA). Os projectos que têm surgido no âmbito da modelação e das linguagens específicas de domínio para a plataforma Eclipse são um bom exemplo da atenção dada a estas áreas. São projectos totalmente abertos à comunidade, que procuram respeitar os standards e que constituem uma excelente oportunidade para testar e por em prática novas ideias e abordagens. Nesta dissertação foram usadas ferramentas criadas no âmbito do Amalgamation Project, desenvolvido para a plataforma Eclipse. Explorando o UML e usando a linguagem QVT, desenvolveu-se um processo automático para extrair elementos da arquitectura do sistema a partir da definição de requisitos. Os requisitos são representados por modelos UML que são transformados de forma a obter elementos para uma aproximação inicial à arquitectura do sistema. No final, obtêm-se um modelo UML que agrega os componentes, interfaces e tipos de dados extraídos a partir dos modelos dos requisitos. É uma abordagem orientada a modelos que mostrou ser exequível, capaz de oferecer resultados práticos e promissora no que concerne a trabalho futuro.

Homicide and impunity: an ecological analysis at state level in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To assess a new impunity index and variables that have been found to predict variation in homicide rates in other geographical levels as predictive of state-level homicide rates in Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional ecological study. Data from the mortality information system relating to the 27 Brazilian states for the years 1996 to 2005 were analyzed. The outcome variables were taken to be homicide victim rates in 2005, for the entire population and for men aged 20-29 years. Measurements of economic and social development, economic inequality, demographic structure and life expectancy were analyzed as predictors. An "impunity index", calculated as the total number of homicides between 1996 and 2005 divided by the number of individuals in prison in 2007, was constructed. The data were analyzed by means of simple linear regression and negative binomial regression. RESULTS: In 2005, state-level crude total homicide rates ranged from 11 to 51 per 100,000; for young men, they ranged from 39 to 241. The impunity index ranged from 0.4 to 3.5 and was the most important predictor of this variability. From negative binomial regression, it was estimated that the homicide victim rate among young males increased by 50% for every increase of one point in this ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Classic predictive factors were not associated with homicides in this analysis of state-level variation in Brazil. However, the impunity index indicated that the greater the impunity, the higher the homicide rate.

Stability of the tree-level vacuum in two Higgs doublet models against charge or CP spontaneous violation

We show that in two Higgs doublet models at tree-level the potential minimum preserving electric charge and CP symmetries, when it exists, is the global one. Furthermore, we derived a very simple condition, involving only the coefficients of the quartic terms of the potential, that guarantees spontaneous CP breaking. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.