Abstract
Recent advances in telecommunications created new opportunities for monitoring public transport operations in real-time. This paper presents an automatic control framework to mitigate the Bus Bunching phenomenon in real-time. The framework depicts a powerful combination of distinct Machine Learning principles and methods to extract valuable information from raw location-based data. State-of-the-art tools and methodologies such as Regression Analysis, Probabilistic Reasoning and Perceptron's learning with Stochastic Gradient Descent constitute building blocks of this predictive methodology. The prediction's output is then used to select and deploy a corrective action to automatically prevent Bus Bunching. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using data collected from 18 bus routes in Porto, Portugal over a period of one year. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can potentially reduce bunching by 68% and decrease average passenger waiting times by 4.5%, without prolonging in-vehicle times. The proposed system could be embedded in a decision support system to improve control room operations. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Abstract
In this paper the authors present a meta-model aiming to support decision-makers that wish to know more about how to use systems models to cope with the integration of environmental concerns into the company strategy. This is made by using a General Morphological Analysis (GMA) to bridge the gap between Operations Research (OR) analysts, decision-makers and stake-holders, making all of them part of the problem structuring and formulation process, particularly in societal issues like the environmental ones. The novelty of this approach is two-fold: (i) there are no examples in literature of a GMA research that address a linkage between environmental practices, strategic objectives, and the integration of stakeholders in the decision-making process at the level of a company; (ii) there is no GMA that had covered all the phases of a decision-making problem (problem definition, problem analysis and problem solving) in such a context.

Abstract
Private individual transportation is becoming cumbersome and expensive, as urban traffic turns more chaotic, fuel prices increase and the effects of pollutant emissions become evident. Public buses are an attractive approach to reducing the cars in use, as they mostly depend on preexistent infrastructure. Making these buses electric would mean even less tailpipe emissions and cheaper consumption costs, when compared to conventional vehicle fleets. However, fully electric bus fleets can prove disadvantageous. We can tackle this with a more conservative approach - using mixed bus fleets, comprised by both electric and conventional buses. This work intends on studying how to obtain a good balance of the different vehicle typologies in the fleet. To fulfill these goals, real data of a bus network in Porto, Portugal, is studied and an evolutionary algorithm devises mixed fleet arrangements, with a brief sensitivity analysis giving us an overview of how to improve our results. As a means of decision support, this work contributes not only with an approach to configure optimized mixed bus fleets, but also with general considerations for managing public transit with electric vehicle fleets.

Abstract

Abstract
Considering the many significant challenges faced by higher education in contemporary society, gamification and game-based approaches to Education have been gaining protagonism in research as well as in practice. Application of games can encourage-or require-students to apply deeper levels of knowledge and skills, focusing their knowledge acquisition in more than simple memorization and repetition in tests, allowing them to use their new-found knowledge, skills and abilities in problem solving-even if simulated and fairly accessible ones. Unlike traditional assessments, which typically require students to recall or demonstrate basic levels of skills, games and simulations can present students with more authentic environments to demonstrate strategic and critical thinking, which is highly compatible with the "competency model". Through games, learning can also be made more of a social and collaborative activity, which are important 21st century skills. Hence, a model was developed for applying gamification in a course of Human Resources Management of a Masters in Engineering. This model was based on a state of the art research of gamification in higher education, as well as some guidelines and main features of a gamification framework. This paper presents the game system, platform and strategies implemented by the teaching team, comparing the original project with the one actually implemented. Teacher and student reflections on this experience are presented, and guidelines for future practice are brought out, including the biggest blunders and the best features of the game-based approach used in this experience, their causes and consequences. We believe this work can contribute to further game-based approaches in higher education, stimulating reflection and insight for other researchers and practitioners.

Abstract
Objectives: To understand and build a collective vision of all existing institutions in the Portuguese National Health Service as well as to perceive how and how far the interaction between those multiple institutions is supported by Information Systems (IS). Methods: Upon identification of the institutions involved in the healthcare process, a set of interviews with experienced people from those institutions was conducted, which produced about five hours of tape. The research was focused exclusively on processes involving two different organizations and any internal processes were altogether excluded from it. Results: The study allowed the identification of about 50 recurrent interaction processes, which were classified into four different varieties in accordance with the nature of the information flow: administrative, clinical, identificational and statistical. In addition, these processes were divided in accordance with the way how that integration is achieved, from completely automated to email or telephone-based. Conclusions: Funds/Money related processes are technologically more rigid and standardized, whereas auditing and inspection ones are less supported by automatic systems. There emerged an interesting level of sharing and integration in clinical processes, although the integration is mostly made at the interface level. The authors identified 5 particularly relevant and dominant actors (2 classes of individuals and 3 institutions) with which there is a need for coordination and cooperation. The authors consider that, in future works, an effort should be made to provide the various institutions with guidelines/interfaces and prompt such institutions to elaborate upon these.