Modelação estatística dos índices de sinistralidade, aplicados ao setor da construção

Face ao quadro problemático das estatísticas de sinistralidade e considerando a Segurança na construção uma missão vital e de primordial significado para a sociedade, pretendeu-se com o presente estudo desenvolver modelos matemáticos, com capacidade explicativa do comportamento dos índices de sinistralidade em função de variáveis setoriais e globais como a taxa de desemprego e a taxa de crescimento do PIB de Portugal. Foram utilizados dados oficiais relativos a uma amostra de conveniência composta por 58 empresas do setor da construção, referente ao período de 6 anos. Foi efetuado o tratamento estatístico dos dados e desenhados modelos com base em regressões lineares. No final, dois dos modelos desenvolvidos apresentaram capacidade explicativa. Sendo que nestes aparecem como variáveis relevantes, a taxa de desemprego e os custos de formação por trabalhador. Apesar da capacidade explicativa dos modelos e da possibilidade da sua utilização pelas empresas do setor, como ferramenta potenciadora da Prevenção dos acidentes ocupacionais, é ainda questionada a eventual falta de consistência dos dados e a qualidade da formação ministrada nas empresas

Autonomous platform for distributed sensing and actuation over bluetooth

This paper presents a short range wireless network platform based on Bluetooth technology and on a Round Robin scheduling algotithm. The main goal is to provide an application independent platform in order to support a distributed data acquisition and control system used to control a model of a greenhouse. This platform enables the advantages of wireless communications while assuring low weight, small energy consumption and reliable communications

Fashion brands strategies and contemporaneous consumer behavior on social media in Portugal

This study presents two main analysis focused on Portuguese fashion brands strategies and contemporaneous consumer behavior. The first analysis consisted on the case studied and observation of three Portuguese brands (Patrick de Pádua, Luís Carvalho and Nair Xavier) aiming to understand their behavior on social media. During 4 months, Facebook and Instagram were monitored aiming to understand the strategy of each brand and the consequent results. The second analysis was a online survey with 436 valid answers focused on the understanding of Portuguese fashion consumer behavior. The case studies analysis allowed to understand that to have more followers and thus produce more interactivity on a continuous basis with their public, the brands have to create contents consistent with their markets and publics, with the brand language and also with the brand image. The results obtained on the survey allow to conclude that the number participants that share opinions about fashion products and services are still limited. It was also possible to conclude that the majority of the survey participants know several Portuguese brands, but usually don’t buy their products.“This work is financed by FEDER funds through the Competitivity Factors Operational Programme - COMPETE and by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007136”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A bluetooth-based wireless distributed data acquisition and control system

This paper presents an application independent embedded platform for a wireless distributed data acquisition and control system, and describes its application in the scenario of controlling the information processing and communications between sensors and actuators onboard of an autonomous flying robot, in a “fly-by-wireless” approach. The system, which was designed and implemented, comprises a set of nodes composed by microcontrollers, wireless communication modules based on Bluetooth technology, and sensing/actuation devices. This paper also presents several experimental results which denote encouraging performance characteristics for the developed system, not only in the context of the proposed application, but for other wireless applications as well

A flexible framework for data exchange and presentation between wireless sensor networks and personal devices

This paper presents the framework of an interface between wireless sensor networks and personal devices like PDAs, cellular phones and laptops. It possesses a flexible architecture that can be adapted easily to display any kind of data received from the network sensors using content description. The most relevant properties of this system are: portability (it can be used on any device with a standard browser), expandability (it can act as a gateway for higher systems), adaptability (the information can be presented in many different ways) and scalability (several sensor networks can be controlled at the same time). This system is currently being used display information retrieved from a Bluetooth based wireless sensor network platform which operates onboard of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

The AIVA fly-by-wireless UAV platform

The AIVA project concerns to an UAV aimed to perform aerial surveillance, forest fire detection and also to monitor high voltage cables for stress or failures. The global project involves the design and development of the required aerial platform, as well as the electronics, communications hardware and software, flight control, artificial vision and systems integration, in order to provide an autonomous takeoff, flight mission and landing manoeuvres. Relevant goals, regarding the design and development of the AIVA platform, initiated in September 2004, have already been achieved, and they will be described over next topics. [...

Distributed sensing and actuation over bluetooth for unmanned air vehicles

A short range wireless network platform, based on Bluetooth technology and on a Round Robin scheduling is presented. The objective is to build an application independent platform, to support a distributed sensing and actuation control system, which will be used in an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). This platform provides the advantages of wireless communications while assuring low weight, small energy consumption and reliable communications

Maternal smoking in pregnancy association with childhood adiposity and blood pressure

BACKGROUND: Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk of childhood overweight/obesity defined by body mass index (BMI). We examined its association with a range of adiposity measures and cardiovascular indicators in children aged 3–10 years. METHODS: We used data from a cross‐sectional study of schoolchildren across mainland Portuguese districts (2009–2010). We applied quantile regressions to examine maternal smoking associations with adiposity (n = 17 286), blood pressure (BP) and resting pulse rate (RPR) (n ≈ 2500) measures across the age range, adjusting for prenatal and early life factors. RESULTS: Maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with increases in offspring adiposity levels. The difference in median BMI between children of smokers and non‐smokers was 0.39 kg m(−2) (95% confidence interval: 0.25, 0.53) in boys and 0.46 kg m(−2) (0.31, 0.62) in girls; 0.55 cm (0.24, 0.87) and 0.82 cm (0.45, 1.19), respectively, in median waist circumference; and 0.94 mm (0.49, 1.40) and 1.47 mm (0.87, 2.07) in median sum of (triceps, subscapular, suprailiac) skin‐folds. The associations appeared to be stronger with increasing age. The differences in the 90th centile tended to be greater than those in median. There was no consistent association of maternal smoking with BP and RPR. CONCLUSIONS: Children whose mother smoked during pregnancy had higher adiposity levels than children of non‐smokers, across several measures, particularly among older children. Although there was no consistent association with cardiovascular indicators, maternal smoking association with childhood obesity may have implications for cardiovascular risk factors over the life course