Abstract
Performance evaluation increasingly assumes a more important role in any organizational environment. In the transport area, the drivers are the company’s image and for this reason it is important to develop and increase their performance and commitment to the company goals. This evaluation can be used to motivate driver to improve their performance and to discover training needs. This work aims to create a performance appraisal evaluation model of the drivers based on the multi-criteria decision aid methodology. The MMASSI (Multicriteria Methodology to Support Selection of Information Systems) methodology was adapted by using a template supporting the evaluation according to the freight transportation company in study. The evaluation process involved all drivers (collaborators being evaluated), their supervisors and the company management. The final output is a ranking of the drivers, based on their performance, for each one of the scenarios used.

Abstract
In this work, a phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating is proposed for strain sensing at extreme temperatures. The grating structure is written in bare standard single mode fiber, using the point-by-point femtosecond laser technique. Strain measurements are performed at temperatures ranging from room temperature up to 900°C. By subjecting the sensor to such extreme conditions, the wavelength of the grating increases. © 2014 OSA.

Abstract
Over the last three decades, several despeckling filters have been developed to reduce the speckle noise inherently present in ultrasound images without losing the diagnostic information. In this paper, a new intensity and feature preservation evaluation metric for full speckle reduction evaluation is proposed based contrast and feature similarities. A comparison of the despeckling methods is done, using quality metrics and visual interpretation of images profiles to evaluate their performance and show the benefits each one can contribute to noise reduction and feature preservation. To test the methods, noise-free images and simulated B-mode ultrasound images are used. This way, the despeckling techniques can be compared using numeric metrics, taking the noise-free image as a reference. In this study, a total of seventeen different speckle reduction algorithms have been documented based on adaptive filtering, diffusion filtering and wavelet filtering, with sixteen qualitative metrics estimation.

Abstract
Rekindles and false alarms are phenomena that have a significant presence in the Portuguese forest fire management system and an important impact on suppression resources in particular and fire management resources in general. In this paper, we propose a discrete-event simulation model of a forest fire suppression system designed to analyze the joint impact of ignitions, rekindles, and false alarms on the performance of the system. The model is applied to a case study of the district of Porto, Portugal, for the critical period of the forest fire season, between July and September 2010. We study the behavior of the system's point of collapse, comparing the real base scenario with a benchmark scenario built with reference values for rekindles and false alarms, and also as a function of the number of fire incidents, considering historical variations. The results of the analysis are useful for operational decision-making and provide relevant information on the trade-off between prevention and suppression efforts.

Abstract

Abstract
This paper applies genetic algorithms to optimize the operation of a transmission network with energy storage capabilities, to optimize its costs, which include both generation and storage costs, for cases when the data inherent to the system is assumed to be perfectly known. The problem is formulated through the DC optimal power flow equations, including losses across the transmission lines, therefore allowing solutions regarding the network generation costs to be obtained, with and without storage. In this way, the financial impact inherent to the usage of energy storage can be derived. Since we are dealing with a large combinatorial problem, the search throughout the solution space was done by means of the Genetic Algorithms. The solutions consist of the storage device's charging or discharging rate at which it must be operating during each sub-interval considered for the simulations. The results delivered by the GA have proven the profitability of including energy storage capabilities in the transmission network of Sao Miguel (Portugal) and the usefulness of such algorithm in a real world application.