Replication in distributed systems using IEC 61499 standard

The international Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61499 architecture incorporated several function block with which distributed control application may be developed, and how these are interpreted and executed. However, due the distributed nature of the control applications, many issues also need to be taken into account. Most of these are due to the new error model and failure modes of the distributed hardware on which the distributed application is executed and also due the incomplete standards definition of the execution models. IEC 61499 frameworks does not clarify how to handle with replication of software and hardware components. In this paper we propose a replication model for IEC 61499 applications and which mechanisms and protocols may be used for their support.

Self-organization and complexity theory to support evolvable production systems

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

Fractional control of dynamic systems

The concepts involved with fractional calculus (FC) theory are applied in almost all areas of science and engineering. Its ability to yield superior modeling and control in many dynamical systems is well recognized. In this article, we will introduce the fundamental aspects associated with the application of FC to the control of dynamic systems.

Control and dynamics of fractional order systems

Fractional Calculus (FC) goes back to the beginning of the theory of differential calculus. Nevertheless, the application of FC just emerged in the last two decades due to the progress in the area of nonlinear dynamics. This article discusses several applications of fractional calculus in science and engineering, namely: the control of heat systems, the tuning of PID controllers based on fractional calculus concepts and the dynamics in hexapod locomotion.

Fixed point transformations in the adaptive control of fractional-order MIMO systems

Though the formal mathematical idea of introducing noninteger order derivatives can be traced from the 17th century in a letter by L’Hospital in which he asked Leibniz what the meaning of D n y if n = 1/2 would be in 1695 [1], it was better outlined only in the 19th century [2, 3, 4]. Due to the lack of clear physical interpretation their first applications in physics appeared only later, in the 20th century, in connection with visco-elastic phenomena [5, 6]. The topic later obtained quite general attention [7, 8, 9], and also found new applications in material science [10], analysis of earth-quake signals [11], control of robots [12], and in the description of diffusion [13], etc.

Hospitalization flow in the public and private systems in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVE To describe the migration flows of demand for public and private hospital care among the health regions of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. METHODS Study based on a database of hospitalizations in the public and private systems of the state of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2006. We analyzed data from 17 health regions of the state, considering people hospitalized in their own health region and those who migrated outwards (emigration) or came from other regions (immigration). The index of migration effectiveness of patients from both systems was estimated. The coverage (hospitalization coefficient) was analyzed in relation to the number of inpatient beds per population and the indexes of migration effectiveness. RESULTS The index of migration effectiveness applied to the hospital care demand flow allowed characterizing health regions with flow balance, with high emigration of public and private patients, and with high attraction of public and private patients. CONCLUSIONS There are differences in hospital care access and opportunities among health regions in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Entropy analysis of integer and fractional dynamical systems

This paper investigates the adoption of entropy for analyzing the dynamics of a multiple independent particles system. Several entropy definitions and types of particle dynamics with integer and fractional behavior are studied. The results reveal the adequacy of the entropy concept in the analysis of complex dynamical systems.

Combining global tabu search with local search for solving systems of equalities and inequalities

This papers aims at providing a combined strategy for solving systems of equalities and inequalities. The combined strategy uses two types of steps: a global search step and a local search step. The global step relies on a tabu search heuristic and the local step uses a deterministic search known as Hooke and Jeeves. The choice of step, at each iteration, is based on the level of reduction of the l2-norm of the error function observed in the equivalent system of equations, compared with the previous iteration.

Extensible metadata repository for information systems

Thesis submitted to Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Computer Science

Methods and challenges for the health impact assessment of vaccination programs in Latin America

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe methods and challenges faced in the health impact assessment of vaccination programs, focusing on the pneumococcal conjugate and rotavirus vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean. METHODS For this narrative review, we searched for the terms "rotavirus", "pneumococcal", "conjugate vaccine", "vaccination", "program", and "impact" in the databases Medline and LILACS. The search was extended to the grey literature in Google Scholar. No limits were defined for publication year. Original articles on the health impact assessment of pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccination programs in Latin America and the Caribbean in English, Spanish or Portuguese were included. RESULTS We identified 207 articles. After removing duplicates and assessing eligibility, we reviewed 33 studies, 25 focusing on rotavirus and eight on pneumococcal vaccination programs. The most frequent studies were ecological, with time series analysis or comparing pre- and post-vaccination periods. The main data sources were: health information systems; population-, sentinel- or laboratory-based surveillance systems; statistics reports; and medical records from one or few health care services. Few studies used primary data. Hospitalization and death were the main outcomes assessed. CONCLUSIONS Over the last years, a significant number of health impact assessments of pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccination programs have been conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean. These studies were carried out few years after the programs were implemented, meet the basic methodological requirements and suggest positive health impact. Future assessments should consider methodological issues and challenges arisen in these first studies conducted in the region.

Collaborative environment to support a professional community

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

Forest cover monitoring in the Bara district (Nepal) with remote sensing and geographic information systems

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies

Economic crisis and counter-reform of universal health care systems: Spanish case

The economic crisis that has been affecting Europe in the 21st century has modified social protection systems in the countries that adopted, in the 20th century, universal health care system models, such as Spain. This communication presents some recent transformations, which were caused by changes in Spanish law. Those changes relate to the access to health care services, mainly in regards to the provision of care to foreigners, to financial contribution from users for health care services, and to pharmaceutical assistance. In crisis situations, reforms are observed to follow a trend which restricts rights and deepens social inequalities.

Spatial analysis of avoidable hospitalizations due to tuberculosis in Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil (2006-2012)

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the spatial distribution of avoidable hospitalizations due to tuberculosis in the municipality of Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil, and to identify spatial and space-time clusters for the risk of occurrence of these events. METHODS This is a descriptive, ecological study that considered the hospitalizations records of the Hospital Information System of residents of Ribeirao Preto, SP, Southeastern Brazil, from 2006 to 2012. Only the cases with recorded addresses were considered for the spatial analyses, and they were also geocoded. We resorted to Kernel density estimation to identify the densest areas, local empirical Bayes rate as the method for smoothing the incidence rates of hospital admissions, and scan statistic for identifying clusters of risk. Softwares ArcGis 10.2, TerraView 4.2.2, and SaTScanTM were used in the analysis. RESULTS We identified 169 hospitalizations due to tuberculosis. Most were of men (n = 134; 79.2%), averagely aged 48 years (SD = 16.2). The predominant clinical form was the pulmonary one, which was confirmed through a microscopic examination of expectorated sputum (n = 66; 39.0%). We geocoded 159 cases (94.0%). We observed a non-random spatial distribution of avoidable hospitalizations due to tuberculosis concentrated in the northern and western regions of the municipality. Through the scan statistic, three spatial clusters for risk of hospitalizations due to tuberculosis were identified, one of them in the northern region of the municipality (relative risk [RR] = 3.4; 95%CI 2.7–4,4); the second in the central region, where there is a prison unit (RR = 28.6; 95%CI 22.4–36.6); and the last one in the southern region, and area of protection for hospitalizations (RR = 0.2; 95%CI 0.2–0.3). We did not identify any space-time clusters. CONCLUSIONS The investigation showed priority areas for the control and surveillance of tuberculosis, as well as the profile of the affected population, which shows important aspects to be considered in terms of management and organization of health care services targeting effectiveness in primary health care.

Comments on ‘‘Modeling fractional stochastic systems as non-random fractional dynamics driven Brownian motions

Applied Mathematical Modelling, Vol.33