Semana do open access (24 a 30 de Outubro de 2011)

O que é o open access? É a disponibilização livre na Internet de literatura de carácter académico ou científico, permitindo a qualquer utilizador ler, descarregar, copiar, distribuir, imprimir, pesquisar ou referenciar o texto integral dos documentos.

Building intelligence open systems (BIOS)

Os edifícios estão a ser construídos com um número crescente de sistemas de automação e controlo não integrados entre si. Esta falta de integração resulta num caos tecnológico, o que cria dificuldades nas três fases da vida de um edifício, a fase de estudo, a de implementação e a de exploração. O desenvolvimento de Building Automation System (BAS) tem como objectivo assegurar condições de conforto, segurança e economia de energia. Em edifícios de grandes dimensões a energia pode representar uma percentagem significativa da factura energética anual. Um BAS integrado deverá contribuir para uma diminuição significativa dos custos de desenvolvimento, instalação e gestão do edifício, o que pode também contribuir para a redução de CO2. O objectivo da arquitectura proposta é contribuir para uma estratégia de integração que permita a gestão integrada dos diversos subsistemas do edifício (e.g. aquecimento, ventilação e ar condicionado (AVAC), iluminação, segurança, etc.). Para realizar este controlo integrado é necessário estabelecer uma estratégia de cooperação entre os subsistemas envolvidos. Um dos desafios para desenvolver um BAS com estas características consistirá em estabelecer a interoperabilidade entre os subsistemas como um dos principais objectivos a alcançar, dado que o fornecimento dos referidos subsistemas assenta normalmente numa filosofia multi-fornecedor, sendo desenvolvidos usando tecnologias heterogéneas. Desta forma, o presente trabalho consistiu no desenvolvimento de uma plataforma que se designou por Building Intelligence Open System (BIOS). Na implementação desta plataforma adoptou-se uma arquitectura orientada a serviços ou Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) constituída por quatro elementos fundamentais: um bus cooperativo, denominado BIOSbus, implementado usando Jini e JavaSpaces, onde todos os serviços serão ligados, disponibilizando um mecanismo de descoberta e um mecanismo que notificada as entidades interessadas sobre alterações do estado de determinado componente; serviços de comunicação que asseguram a abstracção do Hardware utilizado da automatização das diversas funcionalidades do edifício; serviços de abstracção de subsistemas no acesso ao bus; clientes, este podem ser nomeadamente uma interface gráfica onde é possível fazer a gestão integrada do edifício, cliente de coordenação que oferece a interoperabilidade entre subsistemas e os serviços de gestão energética que possibilita a activação de algoritmos de gestão racional de energia eléctrica.

BAM framework for OMS using open source technologies

No início da década de 90, as empresas começaram a sentir a necessidade de melhorar o acesso à informação das suas actividades para auxiliar na tomada de decisões. Desta forma, no mundo da informática, emergiu o sector Business Intelligence (BI) composto inicialmente por data warehousing e ferramentas de geração de relatórios. Ao longo dos anos o conceito de BI evoluiu de acordo com as necessidades empresariais, tornando a análise das actividades e do desempenho das organizações em aspectos críticos na gestão das mesmas. A área de BI abrange diversos sectores, sendo o de geração de relatórios e o de análise de dados aqueles que melhor preenchem os requisitos pretendidos no controlo de acesso à informação do negócio e respectivos processos. Actualmente o tempo e a informação são vantagens competitivas e por esse mesmo motivo as empresas estão cada vez mais preocupadas com o facto de o aumento do volume de informação estar a tornar-se insustentável na medida que o tempo necessário para processar a informação é cada vez maior. Por esta razão muitas empresas de software, tais como Microsoft, IBM e Oracle estão numa luta por um lugar neste mercado de BI em expansão. Para que as empresas possam ser competitivas, a sua capacidade de previsão e resposta às necessidades de mercado em tempo real é requisito principal, em detrimento da existência apenas de uma reacção a uma necessidade que peca por tardia. Os produtos de BI têm fama de trabalharem apenas com dados históricos armazenados, o que faz com que as empresas não se possam basear nessas soluções quando o requisito de alguns negócios é de tempo quase real. A latência introduzida por um data warehouse é demasiada para que o desempenho seja aceitável. Desta forma, surge a tecnologia Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) que fornece análise de dados e alertas em tempo quase real sobre os processos do negócio, utilizando fontes de dados como Web Services, filas de mensagens, etc. O conceito de BAM surgiu em Julho de 2001 pela organização Gartner, sendo uma extensão orientada a eventos da área de BI. O BAM define-se pelo acesso em tempo real aos indicadores de desempenho de negócios com o intuito de aumentar a velocidade e eficácia dos processos de negócio. As soluções BAM estão a tornar-se cada vez mais comuns e sofisticadas.

Cross-cultural differences in children's concepts of health and illness

INTRODUCTION: In spite of general agreement that cross-cultural research is needed in the health area, most existing investigations of children's development of health and illness-related concepts have involved samples from developed countries. The study examined the development of the concepts of health and illness as a function of subject's age, socio-economic status (SES), gender and grade level in a Brazilian sample of 96 elementary and junior high school students. METHODS: Subjects were interviewed individually and their ideas of health and illness were assessed through open-ended questions. Participants' answers were transcribed verbatim and subjected to content analysis. RESULTS: Chi-square analyses revealed significant age, school grade and SES-related differences in participants' concepts of health and illness. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The themes employed by subjects to define both health and illness were broadly consistent with those found by previous research. The study showed a predictable relationship between subject's age and school grade level and increasingly more highly differentiated and multidimensional concepts of health and illness. This investigation suggests that, for the most part, cross-cultural similarities in children's concepts of health and illness may be more striking than the differences.

Utilization of Interactive Internet in High Education

The present work reports on the practical cooperation between two Universities from Hungary and Portugal. Students from Portugal are remotely accessing an experimental facility, which is physically in Hungary. The cooperation among these Higher Education establishments allowed the development and testing of a Remote Laboratory at the BME. This paper reports on the characteristics and initial testing of the Thermocouples Rise Time Measurement System and provides information on development and students' feedback.

Open and closed positions and stock index futures volatility

In this paper we analyze the relationship between volatility in index futures markets and the number of open and closed positions. We observe that, although in general both positions are positively correlated with contemporaneous volatility, in the case of S&P 500, only the number of open positions has influence over the volatility. Additionally, we observe a stronger positive relationship on days characterized by extreme movements of these contracting movements dominating the market. Finally, our findings suggest that day-traders are not associated to an increment of volatility, whereas uninformed traders, both opening and closing their positions, have to do with it.

Learning management systems usage on higher education institutions

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are used all over Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and the need to know and understand its adoption and usage arises. However, there is a lack of information about how LMSs are being used, which are the most adopted, whether there is a country adoption standard and which countries use more LMSs. A research team is developing a project that tries to fill this lack of information and provide the needed answers. With this purpose, on a first phase, it a survey was taken place. The results of this survey are presented in this paper. Another purpose of this paper is to disseminate the ongoing project.

Accounting education in an action-based learning environment: lessons learned

In the context of the Bologna Declaration a change is taking place in the teaching/learning paradigm. From teaching-centered education, which emphasizes the acquisition and transmission of knowledge, we now speak of learning-centered education, which is more demanding for students. This paradigm promotes a continuum of lifelong learning, where the individual needs to be able to handle knowledge, to select what is appropriate for a particular context, to learn permanently and to understand how to learn in new and rapidly changing situations. One attempt to face these challenges has been the experience of ISCAP regarding the teaching/learning of accounting in the course Managerial Simulation. This paper describes the process of teaching, learning and assessment in an action-based learning environment. After a brief general framework that focuses on education objectives, we report the strengths and limitations of this teaching/learning tool. We conclude with some lessons from the implementation of the project.

Challenges for e-learning and adult students in higher education

This article examines Lifelong Learning, from the perspective of the adult learner in higher education, by presenting some of the results of a project, funded by the European Commission's Socrates Programme, LIHE, Learning in Higher Education. It is structured as follows: first, the background of the project is described, then the experiences of the adult student, concerning their induction and tuition, are presented. Some future trends concerning adults in higher education and lifelong learning are outlined and conclusions drawn.

Adult learners in higher education

Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc., distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI is prohibited.

Environmental sustainability in superior education: case study of Lisbon College of Health Technology

Over the centuries there has been a growing trend of societies and it is possible to verify their economic growth. This growth has provided an increased pressure on natural resources, often over-reaching the boundaries of each country, which has called into question the level of environmental sustainability in different countries. Sustainability is understood as a complex concept involving ecological, social, economic dimensions and temporal urban processes. Therefore, Firmino (2009) suggests that the ecological footprint (EF) allows people to establish dependency relations between human activities and the natural resources required for such activities and for the absorption of waste generated. According to Bergh & Verbruggen (1999) the EF is an objective, impartial and one-dimensional indicator that enables people to assess the sustainability. The Superior Schools have a crucial role in building the vision of a sustainable future as a reality, because in transmitting values and environmental principles to his students, are providing that they, in exercising his professional activity, make decisions weighing the environmental values. This ensures improved quality of life. The present study aims to determine the level of environmental sustainability of the Academic Community of Lisbon College of Health Technology (ESTeSL), by calculating the EF, and describe whether a relation between Footprint and various socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects.

Building a knowledge and learning society in Portugal: adult students in technological schools and higher education institutions

Lifelong learning (LLL) has received increasing attention in recent years. It implies that learning should take place at all stages of the “life cycle and it should be life-wide, that is embedded in all life contexts from the school to the work place, the home and the community” (Green, 2002, p.613). The ‘learning society’, is the vision of a society where there are recognized opportunities for learning for every person, wherever they are and however old they happen to be. Globalization and the rise of new information technologies are some of the driving forces that cause depreciation of specialised competences. This happens very quickly in terms of economic value; consequently, workers of all skills levels, during their working life, must have the opportunity to update “their technical skills and enhance general skills to keep pace with continuous technological change and new job requirements” (Fahr, 2005, p. 75). It is in this context that LLL tops the policy agenda of international bodies, national governments and non-governmental organizations, in the field of education and training, to justify the need for LLL opportunities for the population as they face contemporary employability challenges. It is in this context that the requirement and interest to analyse the behaviour patterns of adult learners has developed over the last few years

Learning in higher education: the ISEGI case

Comunicação apresentada na IRMA Information Resources Management Association International Conference, San Diego, CA, 15 19 May

Knowledge sharing and learning processes: case study of portuguese technological schools and higher education institutions

Paper to be presented at the ESREA Conference Learning to Change? The Role of Identity and Learning Careers in Adult Education, 7-8 December, 2006, Université Catholique Louvain, Louvain–la-Neuve, Belgium

Lifelong learning: case study of adult students in portuguese technological schools and higher education institutions

Paper to be presented in ESREA 2007 ADC Network Seminar - Changing Relationships between the State, Civil Society and the Citizen: Implications for adult education and adult learning, 14 -16 June 2007 - University of Minho - Campus de Gualtar, Braga (Portugal).