Abstract

Abstract
This paper describes an enhanced model for the Short Term Hydro Scheduling Problem, HSP, that includes the impact of operation decisions on the market prices and the possibility of adjusting the tailwater level. Additionally, the efficiency of hydraulic turbines is treated as a variable dependent on the discharged flows. The developed solution algorithm uses an iterative approach that solves in each iteration a linearized HSP problem using the linprog function of the MATLAB (R) Optimization Toolbox. In each iteration, the value of the head to use in the next iteration is updated. The paper reports results from a realistic Case Study based on the cascade of 9 hydro stations (4 of them with pumping) installed in the Portuguese section of the Douro River.

Abstract
Strong adoption dynamics of private passenger electric vehicles (EV) will require adjustments in the operation and planning of electrical distribution grids. This work proposes a novel approach to assess the impact of electric vehicle charging while considering EV adoption dynamics and commuting patterns. The proposed model uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and is applied to a real-world case study. Results suggest that clustering of EV charging will occur and underline the relevance of accurate spatial and temporal charging pattern estimations for distribution grid planning. Overloading of distribution network elements was observed even under light EV penetration rates.

Abstract
Current mobile revolution is leading to an increase of wearable health devices development and consequently a growth in ambulatory monitoring area. These systems can be applied in ambulatory diseases management and diagnosis, personal health monitoring or sports performance enhancement, providing physiological and body-area ambiance data during daily normal activities. Nowadays several devices in the market have this type of technology, being one of them the VitalJacket (R) (VJ (R)), a product from Biodevices, S.A. This device is a medical certified smart t-shirt with textile embedded electronics for ambulatory monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG), Heart Rate (HR) and Accelerometer (Acc) data that is in the market since 2008. In this work we report the result of a university-company joint R&D effort that aimed to propose a reference extension architecture - called VitalLogger - for VJ (R) wearable health device that enables sensors seamless "plug-in" to the company product. As a proof of concept of this novel adaptable architecture, we jointly implemented a prototype that extends VJ (R) technology to incorporate new sensing modules in a seamless way. Both hardware and firmware were re-designed and extended to create a reference extension architecture, enabling easy integration of different sensing modules according to the user monitoring preference/scenario. Besides the ECG module already incorporated in VJ (R), a module with a Blood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) sensor and an ambiance temperature and relative humidity sensor was developed and added to the extended prototype VitalLogger. This prototype was successfully built and tested, showing excellent results. The VitalLogger adaptable extension architecture has shown its scalability by enabling seamless "plug-in" sensing modules thus creating the possibility of swift creations of new products with different sensors combinations to adapt to different monitoring scenarios.

Abstract

Abstract
To receive a degree from a Higher Education Institution (HEI), the students must successfully undergo the necessary exams, which, most times, require the physical presence of the student in a room where he/she will solve and answer the exams' questions using the traditional pen and paper. This is a well-known and reliable method to evaluate the students, in which the physically presence is a reliable way to diminish the possibilities of fraud. Currently, the modern Learning Management Systems (LMS) are able to provide the necessary features to execute the evaluations activities online, on the software platform. These systems and features can be used in a blended model, in which the students are required to be physically present, in a similar form to a traditional on site exam, and the exam is executed using a LMS. The exam room is equipped with Personal Computers (PC), which are configured with the necessary means to access the LMS and assure that a higher risk of fraud is not introduced by the usage of the PCs and the LMS as support for the exams. We designated this model, as the b-eval model. The adoption of this model requires some changes in the professors' practices, as well as the introduction of more technological means to support the increase in PCs and LMS usage. The professors must design their evaluation process in order to incorporate the features and restrains posed by the PCs and the LMS. In some scenarios, this adoption is advantageous for the professor and for the students, considering that a properly designed exam can easily be executed by the students and instantaneously evaluated and graded. Otherwise, the traditional process takes much longer, as the professor must collect the paper exams, which he will later evaluate and grade. The process can take several days or even weeks. In this position paper we discuss the introduction of the b-eval model, as well as an assessment methodology for its adoption.