Abstract
Typical vehicle suspension systems are based on passive energy dissipation devices. This type of systems has proven to be a reliable and economic approach, however they are not capable of modify its behavior in accordance with the road conditions. On the other hand, active systems allow a continuous control of the suspension response although requiring sensors, actuators and controllers which represents a more complex and expensive system, usually demanding high power requirements. A middle- term vibration control approach is to use the so-called semi-active systems with the adaptability of active systems and lower energy consumption. This paper aims to evaluate the comfort ridding of a full suspension bicycle equipped with semi-active open loop control suspension system using a magneto-rheological (MR) damper. The assessment is based on the analysis of real data, collected with an instrumented bicycle prototype, obtained in experimental tests carried out on a smooth indoor pavement and on a cobblestone road.

Abstract
This study focuses on the impact of technology and on the planning of a trip by a Portuguese tourist. From the literature review, studies done at the European level, the technology inherent to tourism is provided to the entire age range, and fundamentally to the planning of accommodation, transport and tourist packs. The absorption of information is always highlighted by the easy and fast access to the Internet increasingly accessible to anyone, promoting behavioral changes in tourism planning. Thus, an online survey (with 180 valid answers) was carried out, which focused mainly on university students, and was restricted to Portuguese citizens. The survey determined that online platforms are most used for accommodation (87.2%), transportation (87,2%) and the demand for information (68.8%) to the detriment of catering (7.3%), and these are mainly being used because of their speed (79.4%) and simplicity (80.7%). To conclude, our study confirms the bibliographic review, and it was determined that practically all respondents assume the influence of digital platforms in the planning of their trips (99.1%), with 89% going further and affirming that in the future all planning will be carried out in an exclusive way online.

Abstract
Introduction: Diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome remains a challenge in clinical endocrinology. Even though late-night salivary cortisol is used as screening tool, individualized cut-off levels for each population must be defined. Material and Methods: Three groups of subjects were studied: normal subjects, suspected and proven Cushing's syndrome. Salivary cortisol was measured using an automated electrochemiluminescence assay. The functional sensitivity of the assay is 0.018 mu g/dL. The diagnostic cut-off level was defined by Receiver Operating Characteristic curve and Youden's J index. Results: We studied 127 subjects: 57 healthy volunteers, 39 patients with suspected and 31 with proven Cushing's syndrome. 2.5 1 h - 97.5th percentile of the late-night salivary cortisol concentrations in normal subjects was 0.054 to 0.1827 mu g/dL. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.9881 (p < 0.0001). A cut-off point of 0.1 mu g/dL provided a sensitivity of 96.77% (95% CI 83.3 - 99.92%) and specificity of 91.23% (95% CI 80.7 - 97.09%). There was a significant correlation between late-night salivary cortisol and late-night serum cortisol (R = 0.6977; p< 0.0001) and urinary free cortisol (R = 0.5404; p= 0.0025) in proven Cushing's syndrome group. Discussion: The mean +/- SD late-night salivary cortisol concentration in patients with proven Cushing's syndrome (0.6798 +/- 0.52 mu g/ dL) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001). In our population, the late-night salivary cortisol cut-off was 0.1 mu g/dL with high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion: Late-night salivary cortisol has excellent diagnostic accuracy, making it a highly reliable, noninvasive, screening tool for outpatient assessment. Given its convenience and diagnostic accuracy, late-night salivary cortisol may be added to other traditional screening tests on hypercortisolism.

Abstract
To overcome the high light-scattering problem that occurs in biological tissues, we present in this chapter the different clearing methods known today. Most of these methods have benefits and downsides, depending on the application for which they are used. The optical immersion method is introduced as a better, reliable, and reversible way to turn tissues clear. The major benefits and advantages of this method such as its reversibility, the lack of side effects, and application in large wavelength range will be presented. A description of the molecular diffusion of optical clearing agents is given to explain the reduction in the refractive index mismatch that natural tissues have. © 2019, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
This paper proposes an adaptation of the Q-Learning reinforcement learning algorithm, for the identification of the most probable scenario that a player may face, under different contexts, when negotiating bilateral contracts. For that purpose, the proposed methodology is integrated in a Decision Support System that is capable to generate several different scenarios for each negotiation context. With this complement, the tool can also identify the most probable scenario for the identified negotiation context. A realistic case study is conducted, based on real contracts data, which confirms the learning capabilities of the proposed methodology. It is possible to identify the most probable scenario for each context over the learned period. Nonetheless, the identified scenario might not always be the real negotiation scenario, given the variable nature of such negotiations. However, this work greatly reduces the frequency of such unexpected scenarios, contributing to a greater success of the supported player over time. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
In conventional hybrid energy storage systems, two storage units complement each other. One low-capacity and fast-response unit as a power supplier, and one high-capacity and low-response unit as an energy supplier. The power supplier mitigates fast fluctuations in generation or demand by transferring energy over seconds or minutes, and the energy supplier transfers energy over hours for managing energy. According to this concept, this paper presents a new model of hybrid energy storage systems, where three energy suppliers are considered as a three-level hybrid energy storage system. Energy storage at level 1 shifts energy from off-peak (or low-cost) hours to the on-peak (or high-cost) hours during one day, the storage unit at level 2 transfers energy from off-peak (or low-cost) days to the on-peak (or high-cost) days for the period of one week, and level 3 transfers energy from off-peak seasons to the on-peak seasons through one year. The proposed planning results in a large-scale optimization programming that optimizes large numbers of design variables at the same time. In order to increase the flexibility of the planning, the initial energy of the storage units is also modeled as a design variable and optimized. The uncertainty of loads is modeled and a stochastic planning is carried out to solve the problem. The introduced three-level hybrid energy storage planning is simulated on two test systems, and the results demonstrate that the proposed planning can reduce the planning cost by about 1.8%.