Abstract
This paper, which is part one of a two-part series, presents a general methodology for reducing system complexity by calculating the electrical and reliability equivalent models of low and medium voltage distribution networks. These equivalent models help to reduce calculation times while preserving the accuracy assessment of power system reliability performance. The analysis is applied to typical UK distribution systems, which supply four generic load sectors with different networks and demand compositions (residential, commercial and industrial). This approach allows for a direct correlation between reliability performance and network characteristics, while assessing the most representative aggregate values of failure rates and repair times of power components at each load sector. These are used in the Part 2 paper for assessing the potential benefits of energy storage and demand-side resources on the reliability performance of different generic distribution networks. © 2013 IEEE.

Abstract
Flexible and self-adaptive behaviours in automated quality control systems are features that may significantly enhance the robustness, efficiency and flexibility of the industrial production processes. However, most current approaches on automated quality control are based on rigid inspection methods and are not capable of accommodating to disturbances affecting the image acquisition quality, fact that hast direct consequences on the system's reliability and performance. In an effort to address the problem, this paper presents the development of a self-adaptive software system designed for the pre-processing (quality enhancement) of digital images captured in industrial production lines. The approach introduces the use of scene recognition as a key-feature to allow the execution of customized image pre-processing strategies, increase the system's flexibility and enable self-adapting conducts. Real images captured in a washing machines production line are presented to test and validate the system performance. Experimental results demonstrate significant image quality enhancements and a valuable reliability improvement of the automated quality control procedures.

Abstract
Nowadays the use of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are rapidly increasing in network services, proliferating to almost every environment. This massive appearance of mobile devices creates significant opportunities to leverage these mobile devices to establish novel types of services. However there are also significant concerns about the privacy and security of sensitive data exchanged and stored on these devices. Since these devices are usually embodied with numerous characteristics like camera devices, 3G and NFC connection that can be used to create new alternative authentication schemes in order to guarantee users identity. This paper performs a survey on the current state of the art in alternative authentication mechanisms regarding access and authentication against the traditional login and password scheme by the usage of the mobile devices and their properties.

Abstract
This paper presents a tracking system developed to study the behavior of an oil tanker moored at the Berth ‘‘A’’ of the Leixões Oil Terminal, Porto, Portugal. A brief description of the local environmental conditions and the existing operational conditions at that oil terminal are presented. Due to extreme outdoor working conditions a Kalman filter was implemented to ensure the robustness and reliability of the obtained measurements. Tests were performed in laboratory on a physical model of a moored oil tanker at a scale 1/100. The results were compared with a commercial motion capture system installed in laboratory. The presented measurement system was developed as part of the DOLPHIN project that aims to study the behavior of moored ships in harbors. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013.

Abstract
This paper, which is the second part of a two-part series, considers the influence of distributed energy resource functionalities on reliability performance of active networks. The reliability and network equivalent models defined in the Part 1 paper are used to assess the potential improvements that different demand-side management and energy storage schemes will have on the frequency and duration of customer interruptions. Particular attention is given to energy-related reliability indices which measure the energy and power not supplied to residential and commercial customers. A new theoretical interruption model is also introduced for a more accurate correlation between the different low-voltage and medium-voltage demand profiles and the time when both long and short interruptions are more likely to occur. © 2013 IEEE.

Abstract
In this paper is presented a methodology to identify and evaluate the influence of the external elements on the Transmission System Operator's (TSO) responsibility area. The algorithm is based on the influence factor approach and is described for this purpose. This algorithm offer a concrete support in the determination of the observability area, which at the end remains in the responsibility of a single TSO. The influence factor is a numerical value used to quantify the greatest effect of the outage of an external network component on any internal network branch. The proposed methodology was applied to identify and to assess the influence of the external elements on the Portuguese transmission network. All simulations of the Portuguese and Spanish systems were performed using the computational software package PSS/E of Siemens/PTI. The results obtained with the proposed methodology are compared with the solutions produced by the horizontal network methodology.