Autonomic workflow activities: the award framework

Workflows have been successfully applied to express the decomposition of complex scientific applications. This has motivated many initiatives that have been developing scientific workflow tools. However the existing tools still lack adequate support to important aspects namely, decoupling the enactment engine from workflow tasks specification, decentralizing the control of workflow activities, and allowing their tasks to run autonomous in distributed infrastructures, for instance on Clouds. Furthermore many workflow tools only support the execution of Direct Acyclic Graphs (DAG) without the concept of iterations, where activities are executed millions of iterations during long periods of time and supporting dynamic workflow reconfigurations after certain iteration. We present the AWARD (Autonomic Workflow Activities Reconfigurable and Dynamic) model of computation, based on the Process Networks model, where the workflow activities (AWA) are autonomic processes with independent control that can run in parallel on distributed infrastructures, e. g. on Clouds. Each AWA executes a Task developed as a Java class that implements a generic interface allowing end-users to code their applications without concerns for low-level details. The data-driven coordination of AWA interactions is based on a shared tuple space that also enables support to dynamic workflow reconfiguration and monitoring of the execution of workflows. We describe how AWARD supports dynamic reconfiguration and discuss typical workflow reconfiguration scenarios. For evaluation we describe experimental results of AWARD workflow executions in several application scenarios, mapped to a small dedicated cluster and the Amazon (Elastic Computing EC2) Cloud.

Information technology service management: an experimental approach towards IT service prediction

Dissertation presented to obtain a Masters degree in Computer Science

Patterns of Associational Life in Western Europe, 1800-2000

Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of Political and Social Science of the European University Institute

Modelling a network of heterogeneous e-learning systems

In recent years emerged several initiatives promoted by educational organizations to adapt Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) to e-learning. These initiatives commonly named eLearning Frameworks share a common goal: to create flexible learning environments by integrating heterogeneous systems already available in many educational institutions. However, these frameworks were designed for integration of systems participating in business like processes rather than on complex pedagogical processes as those related to automatic evaluation. Consequently, their knowledge bases lack some fundamental components that are needed to model pedagogical processes. The objective of the research described in this paper is to study the applicability of eLearning frameworks for modelling a network of heterogeneous eLearning systems, using the automatic evaluation of programming exercises as a case study. The paper surveys the existing eLearning frameworks to justify the selection of the e-Framework. This framework is described in detail and identified the necessary components missing from its knowledge base, more precisely, a service genre, expression and usage model for an evaluation service. The extensibility of the framework is tested with the definition of this service. A concrete model for evaluation of programming exercises is presented as a validation of the proposed approach.

Optimization of the Pultrusion process

Manufacturing processes need permanently to innovate and optimize because any can be susceptible to continuous improvement. Innovation and commitment to the development of these new solutions resulting from existing expertise and the continuing need to increase productivity, flexibility and ensuring the necessary quality of the manufactured products. To increase flexibility, it is necessary to significantly reduce set-up times and lead time in order to ensure the delivery of products ever faster. This objective can be achieved through a normalization of the pultrusion line elements. Implicitly, there is an increase of productivity by this way. This work is intended to optimize the pultrusion process of structural profiles. We consider all elements of the system from the storehouse of the fibers (rack) to the pultrusion die. Particular attention was devoted to (a) the guidance system of the fibers and webs, (b) the resin container where the fibers are impregnated, (c) standard plates positioning of the fibers towards the entrance to the spinneret and also (d) reviewed the whole process of assembling and fixing the die as well as its the heating system. With the implementation of these new systems was achieved a significant saving of time set-up and were clearly reduced the unit costs of production. Quality assurance was also increased.

Performance management in a family business: a case study

This research, still at an early stage, and then presented in a poster format, intended to explain the management of organizational performance of a family business in the succession process using the case study method. The scripts for semi-structured interviews that will apply to managers, owners and other workers who are deemed suitable for the investigation, which include relatives of the owners of the company are being developed. For this work the model of organizational performance management developed by David Otley in 1999 [1], consisting of five questions that seek to explain the existing performance management in any organization is utilized.

ISO 9001 and business performance: a quantitative study in portuguese organizations

The effects of ISO 9001 quality certification process inside an organization may be considered on a wide range. This article places this phenomenon under a theoretical perspective and aims to analyze the impact of ISO 9001 quality standard on business performance according to the financial information data. More specifically, the impact of ISO 9001on productivity, business value and increase on sales is viewed through an econometric model of analysis concerning a panel data of Portuguese companies from the agro-food and to the construction sector. This analysis has presented interesting different results and in brief revealed that it may not be deterministically ascertained a direct connection between ISO 9001 certification and the improvement on business performance. Many other variables are committed to its success.

Multiple linear and principal component regressions for modelling ecotoxicity bioassay response

The ecotoxicological response of the living organisms in an aquatic system depends on the physical, chemical and bacteriological variables, as well as the interactions between them. An important challenge to scientists is to understand the interaction and behaviour of factors involved in a multidimensional process such as the ecotoxicological response.With this aim, multiple linear regression (MLR) and principal component regression were applied to the ecotoxicity bioassay response of Chlorella vulgaris and Vibrio fischeri in water collected at seven sites of Leça river during five monitoring campaigns (February, May, June, August and September of 2006). The river water characterization included the analysis of 22 physicochemical and 3 microbiological parameters. The model that best fitted the data was MLR, which shows: (i) a negative correlation with dissolved organic carbon, zinc and manganese, and a positive one with turbidity and arsenic, regarding C. vulgaris toxic response; (ii) a negative correlation with conductivity and turbidity and a positive one with phosphorus, hardness, iron, mercury, arsenic and faecal coliforms, concerning V. fischeri toxic response. This integrated assessment may allow the evaluation of the effect of future pollution abatement measures over the water quality of Leça River.

Análise e optimização de processos numa empresa do sector automóvel

Trabalho de Projeto

Media Brokerage: Agent-Based SLA Negotiation

Media content personalisation is a major challenge involving viewers as well as media content producer and distributor businesses. The goal is to provide viewers with media items aligned with their interests. Producers and distributors engage in item negotiations to establish the corresponding service level agreements (SLA). In order to address automated partner lookup and item SLA negotiation, this paper proposes the MultiMedia Brokerage (MMB) platform, which is a multiagent system that negotiates SLA regarding media items on behalf of media content producer and distributor businesses. The MMB platform is structured in four service layers: interface, agreement management, business modelling and market. In this context, there are: (i) brokerage SLA (bSLA), which are established between individual businesses and the platform regarding the provision of brokerage services; and (ii) item SLA (iSLA), which are established between producer and distributor businesses about the provision of media items. In particular, this paper describes the negotiation, establishment and enforcement of bSLA and iSLA, which occurs at the agreement and negotiation layers, respectively. The platform adopts a pay-per-use business model where the bSLA define the general conditions that apply to the related iSLA. To illustrate this process, we present a case study describing the negotiation of a bSLA instance and several related iSLA instances. The latter correspond to the negotiation of the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for a specific end viewer.

Sequencing cutting patterns with colored interval graphs

The problem addressed here originates in the industry of flat glass cutting and wood panel sawing, where smaller items are cut from larger items accordingly to predefined cutting patterns. In this type of industry the smaller pieces that are cut from the patterns are piled around the machine in stacks according to the size of the pieces, which are moved to the warehouse only when all items of the same size have been cut. If the cutting machine can process only one pattern at a time, and the workspace is limited, it is desirable to set the sequence in which the cutting patterns are processed in a way to minimize the maximum number of open stacks around the machine. This problem is known in literature as the minimization of open stacks (MOSP). To find the best sequence of the cutting patterns, we propose an integer programming model, based on interval graphs, that searches for an appropriate edge completion of the given graph of the problem, while defining a suitable coloring of its vertices.

A framework to operate transformations between distinct models differing in modelling concepts

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Engineering Temporal and Spatial Aspects in OWL using Patterns

WWW is a huge, open, heterogeneous system, however its contents data is mainly human oriented. The Semantic Web needs to assure that data is readable and “understandable” to intelligent software agents, though the use of explicit and formal semantics. Ontologies constitute a privileged artifact for capturing the semantic of the WWW data. Temporal and spatial dimensions are transversal to the generality of knowledge domains and therefore are fundamental for the reasoning process of software agents. Representing temporal/spatial evolution of concepts and their relations in OWL (W3C standard for ontologies) it is not straightforward. Although proposed several strategies to tackle this problem but there is still no formal and standard approach. This work main goal consists of development of methods/tools to support the engineering of temporal and spatial aspects in intelligent systems through the use of OWL ontologies. An existing method for ontology engineering, Fonte was used as framework for the development of this work. As main contributions of this work Fonte was re-engineered in order to: i) support the spatial dimension; ii) work with OWL Ontologies; iii) and support the application of Ontology Design Patterns. Finally, the capabilities of the proposed approach were demonstrated by engineering time and space in a demo ontology about football.

Modelling of the kinetics of municipal solid waste composting in full-scale mechanical-biological treatment plants

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sanitary Engineering in the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the New University of Lisbon

Dados de reconhecimento facial em Business Intelligence

Vivemos cada vez mais numa era de crescentes avanços tecnológicos em diversas áreas. O que há uns anos atrás era considerado como praticamente impossível, em muitos dos casos, já se tornou realidade. Todos usamos tecnologias como, por exemplo, a Internet, Smartphones e GPSs de uma forma natural. Esta proliferação da tecnologia permitiu tanto ao cidadão comum como a organizações a sua utilização de uma forma cada vez mais criativa e simples de utilizar. Além disso, a cada dia que passa surgem novos negócios e startups, o que demonstra o dinamismo que este crescimento veio trazer para a indústria. A presente dissertação incide sobre duas áreas em forte crescimento: Reconhecimento Facial e Business Intelligence (BI), assim como a respetiva combinação das duas com o objetivo de ser criado um novo módulo para um produto já existente. Tratando-se de duas áreas distintas, é primeiramente feito um estudo sobre cada uma delas. A área de Business Intelligence é vocacionada para organizações e trata da recolha de informação sobre o negócio de determinada empresa, seguindo-se de uma posterior análise. A grande finalidade da área de Business Intelligence é servir como forma de apoio ao processo de tomada de decisão por parte dos analistas e gestores destas organizações. O Reconhecimento Facial, por sua vez, encontra-se mais presente na sociedade. Tendo surgido no passado através da ficção científica, cada vez mais empresas implementam esta tecnologia que tem evoluído ao longo dos anos, chegando mesmo a ser usada pelo consumidor final, como por exemplo em Smartphones. As suas aplicações são, portanto, bastante diversas, desde soluções de segurança até simples entretenimento. Para estas duas áreas será assim feito um estudo com base numa pesquisa de publicações de autores da respetiva área. Desde os cenários de utilização, até aspetos mais específicos de cada uma destas áreas, será assim transmitido este conhecimento para o leitor, o que permitirá uma maior compreensão por parte deste nos aspetos relativos ao desenvolvimento da solução. Com o estudo destas duas áreas efetuado, é então feita uma contextualização do problema em relação à área de atuação da empresa e quais as abordagens possíveis. É também descrito todo o processo de análise e conceção, assim como o próprio desenvolvimento numa vertente mais técnica da solução implementada. Por fim, são apresentados alguns exemplos de resultados obtidos já após a implementação da solução.