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This chapter provides implementation of various optimization algorithms to various power system problems that utilize power flow calculations. Determination of the schedule (ON/OFF status and amount of power generated) of generating units within a power system results in great saving for electric utilities. The unit commitment problem can be formulated in order to minimize the total operating cost, satisfying the system, the unit, and several operational constraints. The power transfer limit of overhead transmission lines (OTLs) is an important constraint for power systems’ planning and operation. This constraint plays an essential role in the secure and economic management of power systems. The chapter presents economic dispatch problem by considering GAs and particle swarm optimization (PSO) in complex power system analysis. It uses a hybrid PSO to solve load flow problem while uses artificial bee colony optimization for solving the optimal power flow problem. © 2020 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Abstract
This paper focuses on the drivers, curriculum and Project-Based Learning (PBL) learning strategies applied to the Business Process Modelling course, part of the Master in Services Engineering and Management (MESG), while presenting critical reflections on said course. The curriculum unit aims to develop skills that we consider essential in the analysis, design, management and improvement of processes that support the services provided by an organisation to its customers. Since the creation of the course, the main objective has been to motivate students to look into exploratory approaches to address specific challenges. In this sense, the PBL approaches explored have proved to be quite successful. Students are organised into larger teams and asked to come up with an innovative business idea. Then, they ought to carry out a project focused on the analysis and design of the business processes of the organisation/company, as well as specifying the respective supporting technological elements. The project, carried out as a team, is of medium/high complexity and long duration (throughout the semester). Each team is encouraged to use appropriate digital tools to support the collaborative work, namely, to facilitate information sharing, activity coordination, documentation management and communication. In this paper, we focus on the implementation and evaluation of the PBL practice, as well as on the analysis and consideration of the lecturers and students’ experience. We’ve adopted a cooperative and student-centred teaching and learning strategy since the beginning, in order to provide the right conditions to put into effect the skills of "doing" and "learning", without neglecting “knowledge”. Accordingly, we point out the main challenges, the lessons learned and the future views regarding the PBL practice.

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This paper aims to study the perceptions of Vocational Education and Training (VET) students and VET teachers about the image of vocational education in Portugal and the contributions of VET to the achievement of the goals set in the 2030 Agenda. For this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted in Portugal in 2020 with a sample of 5 former VET students and 12 VET teachers. The objective was for participants to provide their views, experiences, and opinions on the inclusiveness and quality of VET education at the secondary level and how it may contribute to students’ lifelong opportunities, employability, and social inequality reduction. Various perspectives were offered, including divergent views between teachers and students. Topics such as equity, stigma, social status, employability and empowerment resulting from professional recognition, namely due to continuing studies at a higher level, were also discussed. Overall, this study provides valuable insights on the possible roles of VET in what concerns the 2030 Agenda, demonstrating that this topic deserves urgent attention from researchers.

Abstract
Aims: To determine myocardial stiffness by means of measuring the velocity of naturally occurring myocardial shear waves (SWs) at mitral valve closure (MVC) and investigate their changes with myocardial remodelling in patients with hypertensive heart disease. Methods and results: Thirty-three treated arterial hypertension (HT) patients with hypertrophic left ventricular (LV) remodelling (59 ± 14 years, 55% male) and 26 aged matched healthy controls (55±15 years, 77% male) were included. HT patients were further divided into a concentric remodelling (HT1) group (13 patients) and a concentric hypertrophy (HT2) group (20 patients). LV parasternal long-axis views were acquired with an experimental ultrasound scanner at 1266 ± 317 frames per seconds. The SW velocity induced by MVC was measured from myocardial acceleration maps. SW velocities differed significantly between HT patients and controls (5.83 ± 1.20 m/s vs. 4.04 ± 0.96 m/s; P < 0.001). In addition, the HT2 group had the highest SW velocities (P < 0.001), whereas values between controls and the HT1 group were comparable (P = 0.075). Significant positive correlations were found between SW velocity and LV remodelling (interventricular septum thickness: r = 0.786, P < 0.001; LV mass index: r = 0.761, P < 0.001). SW velocity normalized for wall stress indicated that myocardial stiffness in the HT2 group was twice as high as in controls (P < 0.001), whereas values of the HT1 group overlapped with the controls (P = 1.00). Conclusions: SW velocity as measure of myocardial stiffness is higher in HT patients compared with healthy controls, particularly in advanced hypertensive heart disease. Patients with concentric remodelling have still normal myocardial properties whereas patients with concentric hypertrophy show significant stiffening.

Abstract
This paper addresses the problem of the left inversion of switched linear systems from a diagnostics perspective. The problem of left inversion is to reconstruct the input of a system with the knowledge of its output, whose differentiation is usually required. In the case of thiswork, the objective is to reconstruct the system's unknown inputs, based on the knowledge of its outputs, switching sequence and known inputs. With the inverse model of the switched linear system, a real-time Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) algorithm with an integrated Fuzzy Logic System (FLS) that is capable of detecting and isolating abrupt faults occurring in the system is developed. In order to attenuate the effects of unknown disturbances and noise at the output of the inverse model, a smoothing strategy is also used. The results are illustrated with an example. The performance of the method is validated experimentally in a DC-DC boost converter, using a low-cost microcontroller, without any additional components.

Abstract