Abstract
Medical training is an intricate and long process, which is compulsory to medical practice and often lasts up to twelve years for some specialties. Health stakeholders recognise that an adequate planning is crucial for health systems to deliver necessary care services. However, proper planning needs to account for complexity related with the setting of medical school vacancies and of residency programs, which are highly influenced by multiple stakeholders with diverse perspectives and views, as well as by the specificities of medical training. Aiming at building comprehensive models with a potential to assist health decision-makers, this article develops a multi-methodological framework to assist the planning of medical training under such a complex environment. It combines the structuring of the objectives and specificities of the medical training problem with a Soft Systems Methodology through the CATWOE (Customer, Actor, Transformation, Weltanschauung, Owner, Environment) approach, and the formulation of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model that considers all relevant aspects. Considering the specificities of countries based on a National Health Service structure, a multi -objective planning model emerges, informing on how many vacancies should be opened/closed per year in medical schools and in each specialty. This model aims at (i) minimizing imbalances between medical demand and supply; (ii) minimizing costs; and (iii) maximizing equity across medical specialties. A case study in Portugal is explored so as to illustrate the applicability of the proposed multi-methodology, showing the relevance of proper structuring for planning models having the potential to inform health decision-makers and planners in practice.

Abstract

Abstract
In many companies in the automotive industry there are challenges in some key processes in their logistic departments, mainly in internal logistics. These challenges happen due to poorly defined rules for the transportation of goods, resulting in a great cost associated with the time lost in the process. Also, the optimization of these processes, incrementing the efficiency of internal logistics can bring competitive advantages to the companies. For that matter, this study was developed at a major tire manufacturing company and proposes a model for the optimization of in-bound logistics, viewed as an online vehicle routing problem with soft deadlines (OVRPSD), using multiple depots. The main goal of this study is the increase of efficiency in logistic, optimizing the number of vehicles to supply the machines in order to reduce the stopping time of machines due to the lack of tires to consume. © 2019, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Abstract
The Hospitality industry is one of the main sectors of tourism activity, being important to assess the performance of the hotel companies. The aim of the present paper is to study the financial performance of 570 companies operating hotel units in Portugal, in 2017, allowing for comparison among companies with similar stars rating and market orientation to explore the question of branded and non-branded affiliation. This issue is studied using a methodology based on Data Envelopment Analysis to assess the overall performance for each company. The hotel company performance is assessed through the aggregation of multiple financial indicators using the composite indicator derived from the DEA model. The empirical results show that the hotel branded companies have, on average, significantly, higher overall financial performance than hotel non-branded companies. Although, the best practices are observed in hotel branded and non-branded companies. This analysis can support the strategic decision process of the hotel companies in choosing to operate independently or selecting a brand affiliation.

Abstract
The European Union (EU) has been promoting an integrated approach to climate protection and energy policy, through a set of key objectives for 2020, 2030 and 2050, linking Europe’s green agenda with its need for energy security and competitiveness. This paper aims to evaluate the environmental efficiency of European Countries from 2010 to 2015 towards 2020 targets, through a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. The DEA model assesses the ability of each country in minimizing current resources while maximizing the gross domestic product (GDP) and minimizing undesirable outputs, such as GhG emissions. The DEA model is based on Directional Distance Function (DDF), imposing weak disposability for the undesirable output (UO). Results obtained show that globally, in the period under analysis, the EU has increased its environmental efficiency which is consistent with the analysis of the indicators of the 2020 climate and energy package. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
Jet impingement is widely implemented in a variety of engineering applications and industrial processes where high average heat transfer coefficients and the uniformity of the heat transfer over the impinging surface are required to enhance the process and to avoid local hot (or cold) spots. Multiple jet impingement involves several parameters that interfere with the performance of the process, and there are no universal optimal solutions. To ensure the optimization of the process, it is important to understand the influence of these parameters in the heat transfer over the target surface. To perform this study an experimental research will be performed on a purpose-built test facility which has been commissioned, using a Particle Image Velocimetry system. However, to reduce time and costs associated to the experimental tests, it is important to perform a Design of Experiments, that allows to reduce the number of trials, focusing on the parameters that have a greater influence on the process performance. Taguchi’s method allows the optimization of the process through the selection of the most suitable parameters values. This work presents the method that must be followed before the development of experiments related to the multiple jet impingement over a complex surface, from the design of the experimental setup to the design of the matrix of experiments. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.