Abstract
The power produced by wind power plants has an extremely random character due to the intermittency of wind. This leads to problems in balancing the power production and demand in the power systems. To overcome this problem, wind power forecast is used. However, as in any prediction tasks, wind power forecasting does not offer perfect results. It is the purpose of this paper to propose a method based on Monte Carlo simulations and artificial intelligence techniques to assess the impact of the deviation of the generated wind power from the predicted values on the power systems when no corrective measures are taken. The method is tested on an IEEE network as well as on a real electric network from the Romanian power system and the results and drawn conclusions are presented here.

Abstract
A new strategy was purposed and is being tested during this year, to increase students' participation and promote continuous learning and students' engagement in master's courses classes. With the implementation of the Bologna Process, the spectra of students has increased, which increases the difficulties faced by the lecturers since these students present different backgrounds and knowledge, thereby increasing the number of hours necessary to assure the completion of the programs. A description of a new approach design to increase students' participation, which is being tested in three different Universities and Polytechnic Institutes in Portugal is presented in this paper and some preliminary results are discussed.

Abstract
A laser scanner is a popular sensor widely used in industry and mobile robots applications that measures the distance to the sensor on a slice of the plan. At the same time, simulation has becoming more and more used in industries and academia since it presents several advantages. It takes the building and rebuilding phase out of the loop by using the model already created in the design phase. Further, simulation time on testing is cheaper and faster than performing the multiple tests of the design each time. Besides, it is easier to measure some variables in simulation than in real scenarios. In this paper, a laser scanner sensor is modeled and implemented in a developed simulator that already has several other sensors and actuators models. The presented simulation reflects the laser model properties such as target color dependences, noise, limits, time constraints, and target angle functions. As a case study, the same scenario is assembled with real components on a conveyer belt and in simulation. Results from both approaches are compared and validate the proposed model methodology. As an example, a 3D object recognition task is addressed highlighting the developed realistic model. Further industrial and R&D implementations based on this sensor could be stressed in simulation before implementation. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013.

Abstract
The cork industry presents itself as one of the most entrepreneurial in the Portuguese industrial sector, contributing significantly to the increase of exports. However, it is an industry in which the use of raw materials is maximised leaving a large volume of waste. The cork industry has tried to take advantage of these residues, mainly through direct energy recovery, despite the technical and safety difficulties presented by the use of such low density material, which complicates and hinders its transportation for industrial uses outside the area in which it is produced. The densification process opens new doors for such use and also for its storage, because it produces better results when compared with other more common products, such as wood sawdust or even forest and agricultural waste. Thus, cork pellets emerge as a safer and more easily transportable alternative for energy recovery from cork dust and other granulated types of cork waste, which offer the prospects for wider use. The results demonstrate that cork pellets have higher calorific value when compared with other biomass pellets; typically, approximately 20 MJ/kg with 3% volume of ashes, which is equivalent to that obtained from the combustion of pellets produced from combined forest and agricultural waste with a bulk density of 750 kg/m(3), which offers real advantages in terms of logistics.

Abstract
In this paper it is proposed an indirect approach to the Dual Mode Adaptive Robust Controller (DMARC), which combines the typical transient and robustness properties of Variable Structure Systems, with a smooth control signal in steady-state, typical of conventional Adaptive Controllers, as Model Reference Adaptive Controller (MRAC). The aim of this indirect version, here named Indirect Dual Mode Adaptive Robust Controller (IDMARC), is to provide a more intuitive controller design, based on physical plant parameters, as resistances, inertia moments, capacitances, etc maintaining DMARC properties. In this paper, it will be presented a stability analysis for the proposed controller and simulations to an unstable second order plant.

Abstract