Abstract

Abstract
The use of Decision Support Systems (DSS) in the field of Electricity Markets (EM) is essential to provide strategic support to its players. EM are constantly changing, dynamic environments, with many entities which give them a particularly complex nature. There are several simulators for this purpose, including Bilateral Contracting. However, a gap is noticeable in the pre-negotiation phase of energy transactions, particularly in gathering information on opposing negotiators. This paper presents an overview of existing tools for decision support to the Bilateral Contracting in EM, and proposes a new tool that addresses the identified gap, using concepts related to automated negotiation, game theory and data mining.

Abstract
In this paper, a hexagonal structure of ethanol filled solid core photonic crystal fiber having dispersion shifted properties is presented. The guiding properties, like effective mode area and dispersion, of the ethanol filled photonic crystal fiber are studied by using the full vectorial finite element method. The numerical simulation results show that the selectively filling of the ethanol in the cladding holes of photonic crystal fiber shifts the zero dispersion wavelength from near infrared region (0.98 µm) to mid infrared region (1.55 µm). This kind of photonic crystal fiber structure is very useful for dispersion compensating tool, sensing applications, fiber laser devices and non-linear applications like supercontinuum generation. © 2017 Elsevier GmbH

Abstract
Learning contents creation supported on computer tools has triggered the scientific community for a couple of decades. However, teachers have been facing more and different challenges, namely the emergence of other delivery learning approaches besides the traditional educational settings, the diversification of the student target population, and the recognition of different ways of learning. In education domain, diverse recommender systems have been developed so far for recommending learning activities and more specifically, learning objects. This research work is focused on teaching-learning techniques recommendation to assist teachers by providing them recommendation about which teaching-learning techniques should scaffold teaching-learning activities to be carried out by students. This paper presents a recommender model sustained in diverse elements, namely, a hybrid recommender system, an association rules mechanism to infer possible combinations of teaching-learning techniques, and collaborative work among several actors in education. An evaluation is carried out and the preliminary results are very encouraging, revealing that teachers seem very enthusiastic and motivated to rethink their teaching-learning techniques when designing teaching-learning activities.

Abstract

Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the aftermath of business failure (BF) by addressing: how the individual progressed and developed new ventures, how individuals changed business behaviors and practices in light of a failure, and what was the effect of previous failure on the individual's decisions to embark on subsequent ventures. Design/methodology/approach - The authors resort to qualitative methods to understand the aftermath of BF from a retrospective point of a successful entrepreneur. Specifically, the authors undertook semi-structured interviews to six entrepreneurs, three from the north of Europe and three from the south and use interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings - The authors found that previous failure impacted individuals strongly, being shaped by the individual's experience and age, and their perception of blame for the failure. An array of moderator costs was identified, ranging from antecedents to institutions that were present in the individual's lives. The outcomes are directly relatable to the failed experience by the individual. The authors also found that the failure had a significant effect on the individual's career path. Originality/value - While predicting the failure of healthy firms or the discovery of the main determinants that lead to such an event have received increasingly more attention in the last two decades, the focus on the consequences of BF is still lagging behind. The present study fills this gap by analyzing the aftermath of BF.