Abstract
A dual-core fiber in which one of the cores is doped with Germanium and the other with Phosphorus is used as an in-line Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometer to perform high sensitivity strain and temperature sensing. Opposite sensitivities for high and low wavelength peaks were demonstrated when strain was applied. To our knowledge this is the first time that such behavior is demonstrated using this type of in-line MZ interferometer based on a dual-core fiber. A sensitivity of (78 +/- 2) pm/mu epsilon, between 0-950 mu epsilon and (1380 +/- 20) pm/degrees C between 45 and 80 degrees C is demonstrated. It was also demonstrated that it is possible to use this configuration for simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature and a matrix equation to calculate them was given.

Abstract
The extraction of morphometric features from images of biological structures is a crucial task for the study of several diseases. Particularly, concerning neuropathies, the state of the myelination process is vital for neuronal integrity and may be an indicator of the disease type and state. Few approaches exist to automatically analyse nerve morphometry and assist researchers in this time consuming task. The aim of this work is to develop an algorithm to detect axons and myelin contours in myelinated fibres of sciatic nerve images, thus allowing the automated assessment and quantification of myelination through the measurement of the g-ratio. The application of a directional gradient together with an active contour algorithm was able to effectively and accurately determine the degree of myelination in an imagiological dataset of sciatic nerves. It was obtained an average error of 1.80%, in comparison with the manual annotation performed by the specialist in all dataset.

Abstract
A practical electric distribution system is a nonlinear network, which is generally governed by a large number of differential and algebraic equations (DAE). For instance, the ordinary differential equations are defined by the dynamics of the generators (e.g., small-scale hydro generation units) and the loads, as well as distributed generation (DG) units and their controllers. Algebraic equalities are described by the distribution network current balance equations and internal static behaviors of passive devices. In this paper, a rigorous approach is used to convert a semi-explicit DAE system into an explicit ordinary differential equations (ODE) system. In this way, it is possible to apply the robust and well consolidated implicit integration methods to solve the semi-explicit DAE systems as for implicit ODE system. Two applications of the methods are presented. In the first example, the procedure solves the classical Robertson's problem, while in the second case study the dynamic behavior of a simple distribution system with a generator, an induction motor and an admittance load is reported. The results indicate that the proposed procedure is able to reach exactly the same results obtained by applying the classical solution procedure, without any further assumption about the nature of the results obtained.

Abstract
Dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system in critically ill patients with Acute Brain Injury (ABI) lead to changes in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) which appear to be particularly marked in patients subsequently declared in Brain Death (BD). HRV series are non-stationary, exhibit long memory in the mean and time-varying conditional variance (volatility), characteristics that are well modeled by AutoRegressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average (ARFIMA) models with Generalized AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) errors. The long memory is estimated by the parameter d of the ARFIMA-GARCH model, whilst the time-varying conditional variance parameters, u and v characterize, respectively, the short-range and the persistence in the conditional variance. In this work, the ARFIMA-GARCH approach is applied to HRV series of 15 pediatric patients with ABI admitted in a pediatric intensive care unit, 5 of which has BD confirmed and 9 patients survived. The long memory and time-varying conditional variance parameters estimated by ARFIMA-GARCH modeling significantly differ between groups and seem able to contribute to characterize disease severity in children with ABI.

Abstract
This paper proposes a novel method to characterize the availability of household loads to participate in demand response programmes, as well as detailed mathematical models to characterize households loads. The availability of the households results from the flexibility of their controllable loads to increase/reduce consumption. This flexibility is calculated taking into account the comfort levels predefined by the customers and the technical restrictions of the controllable loads. The proposed method was evaluated through a management algorithm developed to perform demand control actions in quasi-real-time, according to the objectives of the distribution system operator or energy aggregator and the availability of the household loads. A scenario with a single household located in a semi-urban area is used to illustrate the application of the algorithm and validate the proposed method.

Abstract
Research datasets in the so-called "long-tail of science" are easily lost after their primary use. Support for preservation, if available, is hard to fit in the research agenda. Our previous work has provided evidence that dataset creators are motivated to spend time on data description, especially if this also facilitates data exchange within a group or a project. This activity should take place early in the data generation process, when it can be regarded as an actual part of data creation. We present the first prototype of the Dendro platform, designed to help researchers use concepts from domain-specific ontologies to collaboratively describe and share datasets within their groups. Unlike existing solutions, ontologies are used at the core of the data storage and querying layer, enabling users to establish meaningful domain-specific links between data, for any domain. The platform is currently being tested with research groups from the University of Porto.