Abstract
This paper proposes a novel probabilistic model for quantifying the impact of demand flexibility (DF) on the long-term generation system adequacy via Sequential Monte Carlo Simulation (SMCS) method. Unlike load shedding, DF can be considered an important instrument to postpone bulk consumption from periods with limited reserves to periods with more generating capacity available, avoiding load shedding and increasing the integration of variable renewable generation, such as wind power. DF has been widely studied in terms of its contribution to the system's social welfare, resulting in numerous innovative approaches ranging from the flexibility modeling of individual electric loads to the definition of aggregation strategies for optimally deploying this lever in competitive markets. To add to the current state-of-the-art, a new model is proposed to quantify DF impact on the traditional reliability indices, such as the Loss of Load Expectation (LOLE) and the Expected Energy Not Supplied (EENS), enabling a new perspective for the DF value. Given the diverse mechanisms associated with DF of different consumer types, the model considers the uncertainties associated with the demand flexibility available in each hour of the year and with the rebound effect, i.e., the subsequent change of consumption patterns following a DF mobilization event. Case studies based on a configuration of the IEEE-RTS 79 test system with wind power demonstrate that the DF can substantially improve the reliability indices of the static and operational reserve while decreasing the curtailment of variable generation cause by unit scheduling priorities or by short-term generation/demand imbalances.

Abstract

Abstract
Taxi demand prediction in a city is a highly demanded smart city research application for better traffic strategies formulation. It is essential for the interest of the commuters and the taxi companies both to have an accurate measure of taxi demands at different regions of a city and at varying time intervals. This reduces the cost of resources, efforts and meets the customers' satisfaction at its best. Modern predictive models have shown the potency of Deep Neural Networks (DNN) in this domain over any traditional, statistical, or Tensor-Based predictive models in terms of accuracy. The recent DNN models using leading technologies like Convolution Neural Networks (CNN), Graph Convolution Networks (GCN), ConvLSTM, etc. are not able to efficiently capture the existing spatio-temporal characteristics in taxi demand time-series. The feature aggregation techniques in these models lack channeling and uniqueness causing less distinctive but overlapping feature space which results in a compromised prediction performance having high error propagation possibility. The present work introduces Spatio-Temporal Aggregator Predictor (ST-A(G)P), a DNN model which aggregates spatio-temporal features into (1) non-redundant and (2) highly distinctive feature space and in turn helps (3) reduce noise propagation for a high performing multi-step predictive model. The proposed model integrates the effective feature engineering techniques of machine learning approach with the non-linear capability of a DNN model. Consequently, the proposed model is able to use only the informative features responsible for the objective task with reduce noise propagation. Unlike, existing DNN models, ST-A(G)P is able to induce these qualities of feature aggregation without the use of Multi-Task Learning (MTL) approach or any additional supervised attention that existing models need for their notable performance. A considerable high-performance gain of 25 - 37% on two real-world city taxi datasets by ST-A(G)P over the state-of-art models on standard benchmark metrics establishes the efficacy of the proposed model over the existing ones.

Abstract
The aim of this study is to test the multidimensional construct of the Entrepreneurial University (EU), and therefore to confirm whether EU factors make a positive contribution to regional competitiveness. Data were collected from ten Portuguese Public Universities (PPUs) through a self-administered questionnaire. First- and second-order confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed through factor and multiple linear regression analyses. The main findings show that EU related factors-perceived and combined with actual regional metrics-especially entrepreneurial supporting measures, positively contributed to regional competitiveness. This study shows policy makers that universities are not merely cost centres but provide knowledge spillovers that can have a positive influence on regional competitiveness.

Abstract
Despite its worldwide relevance as an invasive plant, there are few studies on Ulex europaeus (gorse) and its allelopathic activity is almost unexplored. The allelochemical profile of gorse was analysed through methanolic extract of pods and roots, and its phytotoxic effects on Lactuca sativa germination. The methanolic extract of pods had no effect in germination, while extract of roots resulted in a U-shaped dose-response curve: reducing the germination at concentration 0.5 mg mL-1. GC-MS analysis detected compounds with proven antimicrobial and antioxidant activities in the pods and cytotoxic compounds in the roots, which could explain the bioassay results. The quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) composition was evaluated to predict possible biological functions. It showed the presence of QAs in gorse that are absent in their native range, indicating broad defense strategies against bacteria, fungi, plants, and insects in the Chilean ecosystem. This could explain the superiority of gorse in the invaded areas.

Abstract
Digital Transformation (DT) has become an important issue for organisations. It is proven that DT fuels Digital Innovation in organisations. It is well-known that technologies and practices such as distributed ledger technologies, open source, analytics, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) enhance DT. Among those technologies, AI provides tools to support decision-making and automatically decide. Cooperatives are organisations with a mutualistic scope and are characterised by having participatory cooperative governance due to the principle of democratic control by the members. In a context where DT is here to stay, where the dematerialisation of processes can bring significant advantages to any organisation, this article presents a critical reflection on the dangers of using AI technologies in cooperatives. We base this reflection on the Portuguese cooperative code. We emphasise that this code is not very different from the ones of other countries worldwide as they are all based on the Statement of Cooperative Identity defined by the International Cooperative Alliance. We understand that we cannot stop the entry of AI technologies into the cooperatives. Therefore, we present a framework for using AI technologies in cooperatives to avoid damaging the principles and values of this type of organisations.