Abstract
Cancer is a serious disease that causes significant disability and suffering, so naturally Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is a major concern of patients, families and clinicians. This paper intends to relate biometric indices, in terms of HRV metrics, with self-perceived HRQoL from patients with lymphoma. Patients (N = 12) answered FACT questionnaire and used a smartband that collected biometrical data in real-time along the chemotherapy treatment. Our results revealed that Physical Well-Being, Total, Lymphoma subscale and FACT-Lym Trial Outcome domains seem to have a similar pattern that HRV metrics across the treatment cycles. In specific, the FACT domains and the HRV metrics have the lowest average levels on the first cycle and seem to increase along the following cycles (3 rd and 6 th cycles). This approach of continuous assessment of HRQoL will enable a better accuracy and more supported clinical decision. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

Abstract
Low Power Wide Area Networks (LP-WAN) are receiving a lot of attention because of their ability to communicate using radio frequency in long distances, with low-power consumption and low-cost devices. In this paper, we provide a comparison between the two LP-WAN platforms that are leading the market, the Sigfox and the LoRaWAN, based on the literature. Both platforms are analyzed considering the context of the forest fire detection and verification systems. Many aspects are being considered to identify which LP-WAN is more adequate to be used in this kind of systems, such as battery lifetime, coverage range, business model and costs. The comparison shows that both platforms are very similar in most of the aspects, although LoRaWAN is more flexible than Sigfox on the deployment and management of the network infrastructure. LoRaWAN allows customers to implement and manage their own infrastructure network, which is essential in systems which monitor vast forest areas.

Abstract
There is a great deal of information about caregivers’ suffering. However, there is a lack of scales in Portugal that evaluate this dimension of human behavior. The purpose of this study was to validate and adapt the Caregiver Grief Scale (CGS), developed by Franziska Meichsner, Denise Schinköthe, and Gabriele Wilz (2016) for the German population, to assess the degree of suffering of caregivers. To analyze the instrument’s psychometric properties, we used confirmatory factorial analysis with a sample of 150 caregivers (formal and informal). The results did not confirm the proposal of a 4-factor model (emotional pain, relational loss, complete loss, and loss acceptance), as proposed by the German study. Subsequently, we used the exploratory factorial analysis that suggested a unifactorial model, which confirmatory factorial analysis showed was more adequate for the study sample, with values of: ?² / df = 2.023; CFI = .970; GIF = .923; RMSEA = .083; AIC = 110.724. The internal consistency analysis indicated a Cronbach alpha of .936, and the Composite Reliability was .934. In conclusion, the German Caregiver Grief Scale multifactorial structure was not replicated in the Portuguese sample. For the Portuguese population, the caregivers suffering scale presented a unifactorial construct. In Portugal, it is recommended that future studies be carried out with a differentiated sample of caregivers.

Abstract
The integration of renewable energy resources (RES) (such as wind and photovoltaic (PV)) on large or small scales, in addition to small generation units, and individual producers, has led to a large variation in energy production, adding uncertainty to power systems (PS) due to the inherent stochasticity of natural resources. The implementation of demand-side management (DSM) in distribution grids (DGs), enabled by intelligent electrical devices and advanced communication infrastructures, ensures safer and more economical operation, giving more flexibility to the intelligent smart grid (SG), and consequently reducing pollutant emissions. Consumers play an active and key role in modern SG as small producers, using RES or through participation in demand response (DR) programs. In this work, the proposed DSM model follows a two-stage stochastic approach to deal with uncertainties associated with RES (wind and PV) together with demand response aggregators (DRA). Three types of DR strategies offered to consumers are compared. Nine test cases are modeled, simulated, and compared in order to analyze the effects of the different DR strategies. The purpose of this work is to minimize DG operating costs from the Distribution System Operator (DSO) point-of-view, through the analysis of different levels of DRA presence, DR strategies, and price variations.

Abstract

Abstract
Over the last years, there has been an increase in hearing-impaired students who use sign language as their main form of communication attending higher education institutions around the world. The knowledge that their comprehension of texts is reduced due to sentence structure differences causes a need for more solutions to improve communication and support students in environments where they are unable to be accompanied by sign interpreters. This article details the improvements and current structure of the VirtualSign platform, a bidirectional sign language to text translation tool that has been in development since 2015. The platform is divided into two main parts, sign to text and text to sign, and both components are described and explained. The solution has received positive feedback on several tests and a pilot experiment, and is being developed with partnerships with sign interpreters from six different European countries. Some planned improvements and future functionalities for the tool are also mentioned and detailed.