Empirical mode decomposition of wind speed signals

Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is a powerful signal processing technique with diverse applications, particularly in the analysis of non-stationary data. In this study, we assess the capabilities of EMD for wind data analysis, aiming to uncover its effectiveness in capturing intricate temporal patterns and decomposing data into Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) to identify crucial frequency components. Various methods of sifting have been studied as the IMFs and therefore results may vary according to the type. It has been concluded that the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) is the most suitable method for these data. A comparison with Fourier analysis is also conducted to elucidate the strengths and limitations of each method. Furthermore, this investigation examines the Average Diurnal Variation (ADV) and Average Seasonal Variation (ASV) patterns within the wind data. It is found that these patters have a physical significance and interpretation of the IMFs and that it is easier to use EMD than Fourier for wind signals

Behind the Last Line of Defense -- Surviving SoC Faults and Intrusions

Today, leveraging the enormous modular power, diversity and flexibility of manycore systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) requires careful orchestration of complex resources, a task left to low-level software, e.g. hypervisors. In current architectures, this software forms a single point of failure and worthwhile target for attacks: once compromised, adversaries gain access to all information and full control over the platform and the environment it controls. This paper proposes Midir, an enhanced manycore architecture, effecting a paradigm shift from SoCs to distributed SoCs. Midir changes the way platform resources are controlled, by retrofitting tile-based fault containment through well known mechanisms, while securing low-overhead quorum-based consensus on all critical operations, in particular privilege management and, thus, management of containment domains. Allowing versatile redundancy management, Midir promotes resilience for all software levels, including at low level. We explain this architecture, its associated algorithms and hardware mechanisms and show, for the example of a Byzantine fault tolerant microhypervisor, that it outperforms the highly efficient MinBFT by one order of magnitude

Architectural Support for Hypervisor-Level Intrusion Tolerance in MPSoCs

Increasingly, more aspects of our lives rely on the correctness and safety of computing systems, namely in the embedded and cyber-physical (CPS) domains, which directly affect the physical world. While systems have been pushed to their limits of functionality and efficiency, security threats and generic hardware quality have challenged their safety. Leveraging the enormous modular power, diversity and flexibility of these systems, often deployed in multi-processor systems-on-chip (MPSoC), requires careful orchestration of complex and heterogeneous resources, a task left to low-level software, e.g., hypervisors. In current architectures, this software forms a single point of failure (SPoF) and a worthwhile target for attacks: once compromised, adversaries can gain access to all information and full control over the platform and the environment it controls, for instance by means of privilege escalation and resource allocation. Currently, solutions to protect low-level software often rely on a simpler, underlying trusted layer which is often a SPoF itself and/or exhibits downgraded performance. Architectural hybridization allows for the introduction of trusted-trustworthy components, which combined with fault and intrusion tolerance (FIT) techniques leveraging replication, are capable of safely handling critical operations, thus eliminating SPoFs. Performing quorum-based consensus on all critical operations, in particular privilege management, ensures no compromised low-level software can single handedly manipulate privilege escalation or resource allocation to negatively affect other system resources by propagating faults or further extend an adversary’s control. However, the performance impact of traditional Byzantine fault tolerant state-machine replication (BFT-SMR) protocols is prohibitive in the context of MPSoCs due to the high costs of cryptographic operations and the quantity of messages exchanged. Furthermore, fault isolation, one of the key prerequisites in FIT, presents a complicated challenge to tackle, given the whole system resides within one chip in such platforms. There is so far no solution completely and efficiently addressing the SPoF issue in critical low-level management software. It is our aim, then, to devise such a solution that, additionally, reaps benefit of the tight-coupled nature of such manycore systems. In this thesis we present two architectures, using trusted-trustworthy mechanisms and consensus protocols, capable of protecting all software layers, specifically at low level, by performing critical operations only when a majority of correct replicas agree to their execution: iBFT and Midir. Moreover, we discuss ways in which these can be used at application level on the example of replicated applications sharing critical data structures. It then becomes possible to confine software-level faults and some hardware faults to the individual tiles of an MPSoC, converting tiles into fault containment domains, thus, enabling fault isolation and, consequently, making way to high-performance FIT at the lowest level

Developing inclusive education in Portugal: evidence and challenges

This article assesses evidence of and challenges to the development of inclusive education in Portugal, which is built on three pillars: access to, participation in, and achievement in education for all children and young people. It presents an overview of the present policy framework, followed by an analysis of available statistical data on Portuguese students with disabilities in mainstream schools. The article also discusses significant achievements at the policy and practice levels, namely the attempt to align curriculum and pedagogy and the presence of almost 100% of students with disabilities in mainstream schools. It also considers challenges, such as the issue of monitoring achievement (both at the student and system level) and investments in the system and in teacher education

Attachment Strategies and Neuroendocrine Biomarkers in Obese Children

Financial support by FCT, SFRH/SINTD/60115/2009, FSE-UE.Introduction: Quality of the parent-infant relationship influences the mechanisms of development of the child's physiological stress regulation. This study explored associations between attachment strategies and both cortisol and thyroid stimulating hormone, hypothesized to be respectively a potential mediator and a potential intervening variable of the mother-child relationship in obese children. Material and Methods: A sample of 83 obese children (46 boys), aged 10.9 (1.8) years was recruited from a child obesity clinic. Obesity was defined by body mass index percentile adjusted for age and sex. Metabolic biomarkers were measured by routine methods. Attachment strategies were assessed with self and parent-report questionnaires. Family functioning was assessed with parent-reported questionnaires (FACES-III). Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Type A, avoidant attachment strategies, had significant positive association with thyroid stimulating hormone levels and negative association with cortisol levels (R-2 = 0.352). Type B, secure attachment strategies, had significant positive associations with both hypothyroidism and body mass index percentile (R-2 = 0.541). ``Insecure attachment'' (types A and C combined) strategies showed some evidence of positive association with thyroid stimulating hormone (R-2 = 0.250). Discussion: These findings suggest that there may be commonalities in the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axes. Processes involved in development of the type A attachment strategy appear to be associated with effects on the regulatory mechanisms of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Conclusions: In obese children, different attachment strategies are associated with diverse metabolic profiles. How this may contribute to developing differentiated treatment approaches remains to be explored.publishersversionpublishe

Retropupillary iris claw intraocular lens implantation in aphakia for dislocated intraocular lens

© 2016 Faria et al. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/).Background: Nowadays, dislocated intraocular lenses (IOLs) and inadequate capsular support are becoming a challenge for every ophthalmic surgeon. Explantation of dislocated IOL and iris claw IOL (ICIOL) are the techniques that have been used in our ophthalmic department. The aim of this study is to report our technique for retropupillar ICIOL. Methods: This study is a retrospective case series. A total of 105 eyes with dislocated IOL from the patients at the Department of Ophthalmology in Santa Maria Hospital, a tertiary reference hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, from January 2012 until January 2016, had been analyzed. Of these 105 eyes, 66 eyes had dislocated one-piece IOL and 39 eyes had dislocated three-piece IOL. The latter underwent iris suture of the same IOL and were excluded from this study. The remaining 66 eyes with dislocated one-piece IOL underwent pars plana vitrectomy, that is, explantation of dislocated IOL through corneal incision and an implantation of retropupillary ICIOL. Operative data and postoperative outcomes included best corrected visual acuity, IOL position, intraocular pressure, pigment dispersion, clinical signs of endothelial cell loss, and anterior chamber depth. Results: The mean follow-up was 23 months (range: 6–48 months). The mean preoperative best corrected visual acuity was 1.260±0.771 logMAR, and postoperative best corrected visual acuity was 0.352±0.400 logMAR units. Mean vision gain was 0.909 logMar units. The patients had the following complications: 1) retinal detachment was found in one patient, 2) corneal edema was found in three patients, 3) high intraocular pressure was observed in twelve patients, 4) subluxation of the IOL was observed in one patient, and 5) macular edema was found in three eyes. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that retropupillary ICIOL is an easy and effective method for the correction of aphakia in patients not receiving capsule support. The safety of this procedure must be interpreted in the context of a surgery usually indicated in complicated cases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Author preferences for open access in Portugal: survey findings

In its relatively short existence, open access—the free, online, and immediate availability of scientific outputs in journals and repositories—has contributed to the availability and impact of scientific knowledge across the globe. As a result, the authors hypothesize that researchers and students increasingly prefer that their work appears in open access journals or open access repositories, resulting in improved access to quality, peer-reviewed scientific information and faster scientific and technological advances. Surveying authors at doctoral-granting institutions of higher education in Portugal, the authors seek to determine the extent to which this is true among Portuguese university teachers and researchers, to gauge their familiarity with open access, the importance they attach to open access when choosing a publication outlet, and to determine their preferences for achieving open access. The results show that Portuguese researchers are aware of the benefits of open access, regularly publish in open access journals, and deposit their papers in institutional or disciplinary repositories. The authors recommend continued improvement of training on institutional open access policies, European open access goals, and funding body requirements to increase open access to the fruits of Portuguese research still more.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

ESTIMASI SUMBERDAYA MARMER MENGGUNAKAN METODE PENAMPANG TEGAK (CROSS SECTION) DAN PENAMPANG MENDATAR (CONTOUR) DI ALDEIA MARMER,SUCO UMA KADUAK, SUB DISTRITO LACLO, DISTRITO MANATUTO, TIMOR - LESTE

Lokasi penelitian terletak di Aldeia Marmer, Suco Uma Kaduak, Sub Distrito Laclo, Distrito Manatuto, Timor – Leste.luas lokasi penelitian sekitar 100.000 m2 atau 10 Ha. Batas kedalaman perhitungan Sumberdaya Marmer mengikuti permukaan rata – rata tanah datar di sebelah Utara daerah penelitian yang terletak pada ketinggian 50 meter di atas permukaan air laut, sedangkan puncak tertinggi daerah penelitian adalah 350 meter di atas permukaan air laut. Marmer yang terdapat di daerah penelitian terbentuk massif dengan topografi yang berbentuk bukit.perhitungan sumberdaya yang dilakukan di daerah penelitian menggunakan metode Cross Section dan metode Contour. Hasil perhitungan dengan menggunakan metode Cross Section diperoleh sumberdaya marmer sebesar 126.764.035,0 BCM, dimana sayatan yang dihitung luasnya berjumlah 21 buah sayatan dengan jarak antar sayatan 50 meter. Dari 21 sayatan tersebut terbagi dalam 20 blok yang akan dihitung volumenya, dimana semua blok dihitung dengan menggunakan rumus Mean Area.dan dengan metode Contour diperoleh Sumberdaya Marmer sebesar 121.067.265,9 BCM. perhitungan dilakukan dari elevasi 350 mdpal sampai 50 mdpal yang merupakan permukaan rata – rata tanah datar disebelah Utara daerah penelitian. Adanya pengaruh tanah penutup setebal 2 meter dan menjadi faktor koreksinya sebesar 200.000 BCM. faktor koreksi pada metode Cross Section sebesar 126.763,835 BCM, dan pada metode Contour sebesar 121.067.065,9 BCM. Berdasarkan pada klasifikasi Standar Nasional Indonesia (SNI) Amandemen 1 – SNI – 13 – 4726 – 1998 ICS 73.028, maka marmer pada daerah penyelidikan dapat diklasifikasikan sebagai Sumberdaya Terukur (Measured Mineral Resource), volume total sumberdaya setelah dikurangi dari volume total factor koreksi dengan metode Cross Section sebesar 126.763,835 BCM dan dengan metode Contour sebesar 121.067.065,9 BCM

The impact of psychopathology associated with childhood trauma on quality of life in Portuguese adolescents: a two-wave longitudinal study

Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the mediating effect of psychopathology between childhood adversity and trauma and quality of life (QOL) in adolescents. The second aim of the study was testing the moderation by social support of this mediation effect.Methods: Self-reports of childhood adversity and trauma, QOL, social support, and psychopathology were collected from 150 Portuguese adolescents' who had been exposed to at least one traumatic event or one childhood adversity (M-age = 16.89, SD = 1.32). The surveys were administered at two time points with an approximate time interval of 1 year.Results: Indirect effects were observed for depression (B = -0.33, CI [-0.62, -0.11]), somatization (B = -0.52, CI [-0.82, -0.23]), and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) (B = -0.23, CI [-0.45, -0.01]), but not for anxiety (B = 0.20, CI [-0.08, 0.50]). A moderated mediation was found between social support and depression (B = -0.10, CI [-16, -0.04]), and PTSS (B = 0.03, CI [-0.1, -0.05]), but not for somatization (B = -0.02, CI [-0.8, 0.05]).Conclusions: We found that depression and somatization were strong mediators of the relationship between adversity/trauma and QOL, whereas PTSS was moderately mediated this relationship. Anxiety did not mediate this relationship. The moderated-mediation effect of social support was only found for depression and PTSS. The improvement of QOL in adolescents exposed to childhood adversity and trauma should include the assessment of psychopathology symptoms and social support, with the aim of identifying risk and protective factors.- (undefined