Conservation of limpet populations: a heavily exploited resource in Azores, NE-Atlantic

10th International Temperate Reefs Symposium, The University of Western Australia, 12-17 de janeiro.

Towards systematic conservation planning in the Azores

Several field methodologies, analytical measures and theoretical patterns have been explored for conservation planning for arthropods in native forests of the Azores archipelago. Here, the outcomes are assembled to make recommendations on practical strategies to assess arthropod diversity and to select and manage protected native forests in the Azores. Suggestions are made on how to apply similar plans for conservation of other plant and animal groups in these forests. Potential threats to the Azorean native forest are described and measures to minimize them are proposed. Future studies are also suggested that would improve the present knowledge of arthropod diversity and distribution in Azorean native forests and could assist in the identification of suitable conservation strategies.

Mapping multi-species habitat use for marine conservation planning

Tese de Doutoramento, Ciências do Mar (Biologia Marinha)

Comparison of different breast planning techniques and algorithms for radiation therapy treatment

This work aims at investigating the impact of treating breast cancer using different radiation therapy (RT) techniques – forwardly-planned intensity-modulated, f-IMRT, inversely-planned IMRT and dynamic conformal arc (DCART) RT – and their effects on the whole-breast irradiation and in the undesirable irradiation of the surrounding healthy tissues. Two algorithms of iPlan BrainLAB treatment planning system were compared: Pencil Beam Convolution (PBC) and commercial Monte Carlo (iMC). Seven left-sided breast patients submitted to breast-conserving surgery were enrolled in the study. For each patient, four RT techniques – f-IMRT, IMRT using 2-fields and 5-fields (IMRT2 and IMRT5, respectively) and DCART – were applied. The dose distributions in the planned target volume (PTV) and the dose to the organs at risk (OAR) were compared analyzing dose–volume histograms; further statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS v20 software. For PBC, all techniques provided adequate coverage of the PTV. However, statistically significant dose differences were observed between the techniques, in the PTV, OAR and also in the pattern of dose distribution spreading into normal tissues. IMRT5 and DCART spread low doses into greater volumes of normal tissue, right breast, right lung and heart than tangential techniques. However, IMRT5 plans improved distributions for the PTV, exhibiting better conformity and homogeneity in target and reduced high dose percentages in ipsilateral OAR. DCART did not present advantages over any of the techniques investigated. Differences were also found comparing the calculation algorithms: PBC estimated higher doses for the PTV, ipsilateral lung and heart than the iMC algorithm predicted.

Um caso multimédia na formação inicial: contributos para o conhecimento sobre o ensino exploratório da Matemática

Este artigo tem como foco o uso de casos multimédia na formação inicial de professores e procura analisar o seu contributo para o desenvolvimento do conhecimento didático de futuras professoras acerca do ensino exploratório da Matemática, bem como apreciar as suas perspetivas sobre as mais-valias do caso multimédia utilizado como recurso formativo. Analisam-se questionários e relatórios de treze alunas do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo da Universidade de Évora, que trabalharam sobre um caso multimédia que retrata a prática de ensino de uma professora de 1º ciclo. O caso inclui recursos diversificados, sendo os vídeos de sala de aula complementados com o plano da aula, as resoluções da tarefa pelos alunos, as reflexões da professora sobre a sua prática, um quadro de referência sobre o ensino exploratório da Matemática e artigos teóricos sobre ensino de natureza exploratória da Matemática. As alunas em formação apreciaram conhecer e explorar o caso multimédia, ressaltando a possibilidade de através dele conhecerem uma nova prática real de ensino da Matemática; sublinharam a importância de ouvirem as reflexões da professora para dotar de sentido a respetiva prática, revelando as intenções das suas ações; aprenderam também conhecimentos relevantes para pôr em prática o ensino exploratório, nomeadamente relativos ao conhecimento do processo instrucional, tanto no diz respeito à planificação, como à condução da aula.

Energy resource management in smart grids considering an Intensive use of electric vehicles

The introduction of electricity markets and integration of Distributed Generation (DG) have been influencing the power system’s structure change. Recently, the smart grid concept has been introduced, to guarantee a more efficient operation of the power system using the advantages of this new paradigm. Basically, a smart grid is a structure that integrates different players, considering constant communication between them to improve power system operation and management. One of the players revealing a big importance in this context is the Virtual Power Player (VPP). In the transportation sector the Electric Vehicle (EV) is arising as an alternative to conventional vehicles propel by fossil fuels. The power system can benefit from this massive introduction of EVs, taking advantage on EVs’ ability to connect to the electric network to charge, and on the future expectation of EVs ability to discharge to the network using the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capacity. This thesis proposes alternative strategies to control these two EV modes with the objective of enhancing the management of the power system. Moreover, power system must ensure the trips of EVs that will be connected to the electric network. The EV user specifies a certain amount of energy that will be necessary to charge, in order to ensure the distance to travel. The introduction of EVs in the power system turns the Energy Resource Management (ERM) under a smart grid environment, into a complex problem that can take several minutes or hours to reach the optimal solution. Adequate optimization techniques are required to accommodate this kind of complexity while solving the ERM problem in a reasonable execution time. This thesis presents a tool that solves the ERM considering the intensive use of EVs in the smart grid context. The objective is to obtain the minimum cost of ERM considering: the operation cost of DG, the cost of the energy acquired to external suppliers, the EV users payments and remuneration and penalty costs. This tool is directed to VPPs that manage specific network areas, where a high penetration level of EVs is expected to be connected in these areas. The ERM is solved using two methodologies: the adaptation of a deterministic technique proposed in a previous work, and the adaptation of the Simulated Annealing (SA) technique. With the purpose of improving the SA performance for this case, three heuristics are additionally proposed, taking advantage on the particularities and specificities of an ERM with these characteristics. A set of case studies are presented in this thesis, considering a 32 bus distribution network and up to 3000 EVs. The first case study solves the scheduling without considering EVs, to be used as a reference case for comparisons with the proposed approaches. The second case study evaluates the complexity of the ERM with the integration of EVs. The third case study evaluates the performance of scheduling with different control modes for EVs. These control modes, combined with the proposed SA approach and with the developed heuristics, aim at improving the quality of the ERM, while reducing drastically its execution time. The proposed control modes are: uncoordinated charging, smart charging and V2G capability. The fourth and final case study presents the ERM approach applied to consecutive days.

Estratégias e internacionalização na manutenção e produção

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

O Balanced Scorecard como instrumento de gestão estratégica: sua implementação numa empresa de engenharia e construção

Mestrado em Contabilidade e Gestão das Instituições Financeiras

Planning and implementing a new assessment strategy using an e-learning platform

One of the most difficult issues of e-Learning is the students’ assessment. Being this an outstanding task regarding theoretical topics, it becomes even more challenging when the topics under evaluation are practical. ISCAP’s Information Systems Department is composed of about twenty teachers who have been for several years using an e-learning environment (at the moment Moodle 2.3) combined with traditional assessment. They are now planning and implementing a new e-learning assessment strategy. This effort was undertaken in order to evaluate a practical topic (the use of spreadsheets to solve management problems) common to shared courses of several undergraduate degree programs. The same team group is already experienced in the assessment of theoretical information systems topics using the b-learning platform. Therefore, this project works as an extension to previous experiences being the team aware of the additional difficulties due to the practical nature of the topics. This paper describes this project and presents two cycles of the action research methodology, used to conduct the research. The first cycle goal was to produce a database of questions. When it was implemented in order to be used with a pilot group of students, several problems were identified. Subsequently, the second cycle consisted in solving the identified problems preparing the database and all the players to a broader scope implementation. For each cycle, all the phases, its drawbacks and achievements are described. This paper suits all those who are or are planning to be in the process of shifting their assessment strategy from a traditional to one supported by an e-learning platform.

Comparison of inverse planning systems based on biological or physical factors: Pinnacle®, Corvus® and Monaco®

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most important approaches in the treatment of cancer and its performance can be improved in three different ways: through the optimization of the dose distribution, by the use of different irradiation techniques or through the study of radiobiological initiatives. The first is purely physical because is related to the physical dose distributiuon. The others are purely radiobiological because they increase the differential effect between the tumour and the health tissues. The Treatment Planning Systems (TPS) are used in RT to create dose distributions with the purpose to maximize the tumoral control and minimize the complications in the healthy tissues. The inverse planning uses dose optimization techniques that satisfy the criteria specified by the user, regarding the target and the organs at risk (OAR’s). The dose optimization is possible through the analysis of dose-volume histograms (DVH) and with the use of computed tomography, magnetic resonance and other digital image techniques.

Helical tomotherapy versus 3D conformal radiotherapy in dosimetric planning for patients with localized prostate cancer

Radiotherapy is one of the therapeutics selected for localized prostate cancer, in cases where the tumour is confined to the prostate, penetrates the prostatic capsule or has reached the seminal vesicles (T1 to T3 stages). The radiation therapy can be administered through various modalities, being historically used the 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT). Other modality of radiation administration is the intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), that allows an increase of the total dose through modulation of the treatment beams, enabling a reduction in toxicity. One way to administer IMRT is through helical tomotherapy (TH). With this study we intent to analyze the advantages of helical tomotherapy when compared with 3DCRT, by evaluating the doses in the organs at risk (OAR) and planning target volumes (PTV).

Modelo de competências dos enfermeiros com funções de gestão em Portugal: estudo exploratório

Nas últimas décadas assistimos a transformações económicas, tecnológicas, políticas e sociais, que influenciaram diretamente o modo de pensar e agir nas organizações. O conceito de competências, com uma valorização crescente, surge como uma alternativa à abordagem da gestão de recursos humanos por funções, respondendo aos desafios atuais do mercado: necessidade de flexibilidade, de adaptação a mudanças contínuas, exigências crescentes do mercado e competitividade das organizações nesse mercado. A área da saúde, e concretamente a profissão de Enfermagem também tem evoluído, surgindo em 2009, uma nova forma de operacionalizar a carreira destes profissionais. No que diz respeito aos enfermeiros com funções de gestão, o conteúdo funcional está descrito, contudo, não existe uma definição clara das competências requeridas para estes profissionais. Este trabalho de investigação, de cariz exploratório, utilizando uma metodologia qualitativa, pretendeu propor uma estratégia de definição de um modelo de competências para os enfermeiros com funções de gestão em Portugal. Para isso, definimos categorias de competências, através da análise da literatura e da legislação. Seguiu-se a realização de entrevistas a um painel de doze peritos, e uma análise de conteúdo dos dados (categorização do tipo misto). Procedemos a uma comparação da recolha empírica de competências com as da recolha teórica, e definimos uma lista de 10 competências para as funções de gestão dos enfermeiros: Competências Técnicas de Gestão; Competências Interpessoais; Comunicação; Gestão de Recursos Humanos; Pensamento Crítico; Conhecimento de Políticas de Saúde; Competências Técnicas de Enfermagem; Organização e Planeamento; Trabalho de Equipa; Preocupação pela Qualidade. De forma a complementar o estudo, pretendemos identificar a perceção das lacunas de competências nos enfermeiros com funções de gestão, e identificar os processos de desenvolvimento de competências considerados mais relevantes para estes profissionais. As lacunas identificadas nas competências dos atuais enfermeiros com funções de gestão, face às mais valorizadas, são reduzidas e dispersas, pelo que consideramos pouco significativas. A forma de desenvolvimento de competências mais valorizado pelo painel de peritos foi a formação (académica e em contexto profissional). Foi também realçada a importância do empenho individual neste processo, assim como a avaliação de competências antes dos enfermeiros assumirem funções de gestão.Consideramos que esta investigação traz contributos quer para a literatura da Gestão por Competências, quer para a literatura da definição de competências das funções dos enfermeiros com funções de gestão, quer para a profissão de enfermagem, (nomeadamente, para as funções de gestão dos enfermeiros), quer para o próprio SNS, já que faz algumas propostas e sugestões para a evolução das práticas de gestão de pessoas.

A new MILP based approach for unit commitment in power production planning

This paper presents a complete, quadratic programming formulation of the standard thermal unit commitment problem in power generation planning, together with a novel iterative optimisation algorithm for its solution. The algorithm, based on a mixed-integer formulation of the problem, considers piecewise linear approximations of the quadratic fuel cost function that are dynamically updated in an iterative way, converging to the optimum; this avoids the requirement of resorting to quadratic programming, making the solution process much quicker. From extensive computational tests on a broad set of benchmark instances of this problem, the algorithm was found to be flexible and capable of easily incorporating different problem constraints. Indeed, it is able to tackle ramp constraints, which although very important in practice were rarely considered in previous publications. Most importantly, optimal solutions were obtained for several well-known benchmark instances, including instances of practical relevance, that are not yet known to have been solved to optimality. Computational experiments and their results showed that the method proposed is both simple and extremely effective.

Distribution system operation supported by contextual energy resource management based on intelligent SCADA

Future distribution systems will have to deal with an intensive penetration of distributed energy resources ensuring reliable and secure operation according to the smart grid paradigm. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is an essential infrastructure for this evolution. This paper proposes a new conceptual design of an intelligent SCADA with a decentralized, flexible, and intelligent approach, adaptive to the context (context awareness). This SCADA model is used to support the energy resource management undertaken by a distribution network operator (DNO). Resource management considers all the involved costs, power flows, and electricity prices, allowing the use of network reconfiguration and load curtailment. Locational Marginal Prices (LMP) are evaluated and used in specific situations to apply Demand Response (DR) programs on a global or a local basis. The paper includes a case study using a 114 bus distribution network and load demand based on real data.

Application-specific modified particle swarm optimization for energy resource scheduling considering vehicle-to-grid

This paper presents a modified Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) methodology to solve the problem of energy resources management with high penetration of distributed generation and Electric Vehicles (EVs) with gridable capability (V2G). The objective of the day-ahead scheduling problem in this work is to minimize operation costs, namely energy costs, regarding he management of these resources in the smart grid context. The modifications applied to the PSO aimed to improve its adequacy to solve the mentioned problem. The proposed Application Specific Modified Particle Swarm Optimization (ASMPSO) includes an intelligent mechanism to adjust velocity limits during the search process, as well as self-parameterization of PSO parameters making it more user-independent. It presents better robustness and convergence characteristics compared with the tested PSO variants as well as better constraint handling. This enables its use for addressing real world large-scale problems in much shorter times than the deterministic methods, providing system operators with adequate decision support and achieving efficient resource scheduling, even when a significant number of alternative scenarios should be considered. The paper includes two realistic case studies with different penetration of gridable vehicles (1000 and 2000). The proposed methodology is about 2600 times faster than Mixed-Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) reference technique, reducing the time required from 25 h to 36 s for the scenario with 2000 vehicles, with about one percent of difference in the objective function cost value.