Abstract
Renewable energies are in constant growth and evolution, being a clean way to provide the energy required for the sustainable development of human society. In this context, energy storage systems are a key factor in the integration of renewable generation, because through them, the flexibility of the power system can be increased. Lead-acid batteries have been extensively used to provide electricity in isolated and rural locations, and could be integrated to the smart grid in order to improve its performance. However, this is a complex element due to its working principle, specifically during charging periods. In this paper, a general purpose model is formulated from a probabilistic point-of-view in order to determine the range of possible values of state-of-charge due to the uncertainty and to estimate the battery efficiency. A case study is analyzed and the results are compared with Monte Carlo Simulation approach in order to evaluate the proposed model. © 2016 IEEE.

Abstract
This paper proposes a robust optimization framework for energy hub management. It is well known that the operation of energy systems can be negatively affected by uncertain parameters, such as stochastic load demand or generation. In this regard, it is of high significance to propose efficient tools in order to deal with uncertainties and to provide reliable operating conditions. On a broader scale, an energy hub includes diverse energy sources for supplying both electrical load and heating/cooling demands with stochastic behaviors. Therefore, this paper utilizes the Information Gap Decision Theory (IGDT) to tackle this uncertainty as an efficient robust optimization tool with low complexity to ensure the optimal operation of the system according to the priorities of the decision maker entity. The proposed optimization framework is also implemented on a benchmark energy hub which includes different energy sources and evaluated under different working conditions. © 2017 IEEE.

Abstract
O Mosteiro da Batalha é uma relevante obra da arquitectura gótica, resultou do cumprimento da promessa feita por D. João I, após vitória na batalha de Aljubarrota. O mosteiro esteve na posse dos dominicanos até à extinção das ordens religiosas, sendo actualmente dependência da DGPC e Património da Humanidade pela UNESCO. Recentemente a Universidade Aveiro caracterizou estrutural do monumento. Entre as técnicas testadas considera-se aqui o potencial espontâneo, anteriormente aplicados na Igreja da Graça em Santarém (Martinho et. al, 2014). Seleccionou-se uma parede com eflorescências na qual se sobrepôs uma grelha de eléctrodos (12×5) espaçados de 0.5m. O mapeamento do potencial espontâneo foi realizado tendo como referência um eléctrodo sobre eflorescências. Concluiu-se que as zonas da parede com sais estão ao mesmo potencial, enquanto as zonas onde as eflorescências não ocorrem apresentam um potencial mais elevado. A composição mineralógica dos sais foi estudada por Difracção de Raios X.

Abstract
Of all the detrimental effects of spinal cord injury (SCI), one of the most devastating is the disruption of the ability to perform functional movement. Very little is known on the recovery of hindlimb joint kinematics after clinically-relevant contusive thoracic lesion in experimental animal models. A new functional assessment instrument, the dynamic feet distance (DFD) was used to describe the distance between the two feet throughout the gait cycle in normal and affected rodents. The purpose of this investigation was the evaluation and characterization of the DFD during treadmill locomotion in normal and T9 contusion injured rats, using three-dimensional (3D) instrumented gait analysis. Despite that normal and injured rats showed a similar pattern in the fifth metatarsal head joints distance excursion, we found a significantly wider distance between the feet during the entire gait cycle following spinal injury. This is the first study to quantify the distance between the two feet, throughout the gait cycle, and the biomechanical adjustments made between limbs in laboratory rodents after nervous system injury.

Abstract
Academic and political interest in Academic Spin-offs (ASOs) has increased significantly in the last few years. In 2007 the Portuguese government established, jointly with the University of Texas at Austin, the University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN), a network of professional Technology Transfer Offices focused on the commercialization and internationalization of Portuguese Science and Technology. The present chapter assesses the role of S&T infrastructures and support on the economic performance of a sample of Portuguese ASOs associated to the UTEN. Econometric estimations revealed that certain types of S&T infrastructures (incubators) and support mechanisms (access to skilled labor business mentoring and counselling) were critical for the economic performance of ASOs. In contrast, other contextual factors, namely the characteristics and endowments of host universities and the level of development of regions where the companies located failed to influence their economic performance. Such results highlight the need for continuing and sustainable public investment/efforts aimed at strengthen technology transfer and commercialization process in Portugal.

Abstract
For the internet of things (IoT) to fully emerge, it is necessary to design a suitable system architecture and specific protocols for this environment. The former to provide horizontal solutions, breaking away the current paradigm of silos solutions, and thus, allowing the creation of open and interoperable systems; while the latter will offer efficient and scalable communications. This paper presents the latest standards and ongoing efforts to develop specific protocols for IoT. Furthermore, this paper presents a new system, with the most recent standards for IoT. Its design, implementation and evaluation will be also described. The proposed system is based on the latest ETSI M2M specification (ETSI TC M2M in ETSI TS 103 093 V2.1.1.http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/103000_103099/103093/02.01.01_60/ts_103093v020101p.pdf, 2013b) and the MQTT protocol (IBM, Eurotech in MQTT V3.1 Protocol Specification pp 1-42, http://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/dw/webservices/ws-mqtt/MQTT_V3.1_Protocol_Specific. pdf, 2010). With this solution it is possible to show how we can create new applications to run over it and the importance of designing specifically tailored for IoT communication protocols in order to support real-time applications.