Otimização de distribuição de conteúdos multimédia utilizando software-defined networking

The general use of Internet access and user equipments, such as smartphones, tablets and personal computers, is creating a new wave of video content consumption. In the past two decades, the Television broadcasting industry went through several evolutions and changes, evolving from analog to digital distribution, standard definition to high definition TV-channels, form the IPTV method of distribution to the latest set of technologies in content distribution, OTT. The IPTV technology introduced features that changed the passive role of the client to an active one, revolutionizing the way users consume TV content. Thus, the clients’ habits started to shape the services offered, leading to an anywhere and anytime offer of video content. OTT video delivery is a reflection of those habits, meeting the users’ desire, introducing several benefits discussed in this work over the previous technologies. However, the OTT type of delivery poses several challenges in terms of scalability and threatens the Telecommunications Operators business model, because OTT companies use the Telcos infrastructure for free. Consequently, Telecommunications Operators must prepare their infrastructure for future demand while offering new services to stay competitive. This dissertation aims to contribute with insights on what infrastructure changes a Telecommunications Operator must perform with a proposed bandwidth forecasting model. The results obtained from the forecast model paved the way to the proposed video content delivery method, which aims to improve users’ perceived Quality-of-Experience while optimizing load balancing decisions. The overall results show an improvement of users’ experience using the proposed method.A generalização do acesso à Internet e equipamentos pessoais como smartphones, tablets e computadores pessoais, está a criar uma nova onda de consumo de conteúdos multimedia. Nas ultimas duas décadas, a indústria de transmissão de Televisão atravessou várias evoluções e alterações, evoluindo da distribuição analógica para a digital, de canais de Televisão de definição padrão para alta definição, do método de distribuição IPTV, até ao último conjunto de tecnologias na distribuição de conteúdos, OTT. A tecnologia IPTV introduziu novas funcionalidades que mudaram o papel passivo do cliente para um papel activo, revolucionando a forma como os utilizadores consumem conteúdos televisivos. Assim, os hábitos dos clientes começaram a moldar os serviços oferecidos, levando à oferta de consumo de conteúdos em qualquer lugar e em qualquer altura. A entrega de vídeo OTT é um reflexo destes hábitos, indo ao encontro dos desejos dos utilizadores, que introduz inúmeras vantagens sobre outras tecnologias discutidas neste trabalho. No entanto, a entrega de conteúdos OTT cria diversos problemas de escalabilidade e ameaça o modelo de negócio das Operadoras de Telecomunicações, porque os fornecedores de serviço OTT usam a infraestrutura das mesmas sem quaisquer custos. Consequentemente, os Operadores de Telecomunicações devem preparar a sua infraestrutura para o consumo futuro ao mesmo tempo que oferecem novos serviços para se manterem competitivos. Esta dissertação visa contribuir com conhecimento sobre quais alterações uma Operadora de Telecomunicações deve executar com o modelo de previsão de largura de banda proposto. Os resultados obtidos abriram caminho para o método de entrega de conteúdos multimedia proposto, que visa ao melhoramento da qualidade de experiência do utilizador ao mesmo tempo que se optimiza o processo de balanceamento de carga. No geral os testes confirmam uma melhoria na qualidade de experiência do utilizador usando o método proposto.Mestrado em Engenharia de Computadores e Telemátic

Hybrid fuzzy Monte Carlo and logic programming model for distribution network reconfiguration in the presence of outages

This paper presents a methodology for distribution networks reconfiguration in outage presence in order to choose the reconfiguration that presents the lower power losses. The methodology is based on statistical failure and repair data of the distribution power system components and uses fuzzy-probabilistic modelling for system component outage parameters. Fuzzy membership functions of system component outage parameters are obtained by statistical records. A hybrid method of fuzzy set and Monte Carlo simulation based on the fuzzy-probabilistic models allows catching both randomness and fuzziness of component outage parameters. Once obtained the system states by Monte Carlo simulation, a logical programming algorithm is applied to get all possible reconfigurations for every system state. In order to evaluate the line flows and bus voltages and to identify if there is any overloading, and/or voltage violation a distribution power flow has been applied to select the feasible reconfiguration with lower power losses. To illustrate the application of the proposed methodology to a practical case, the paper includes a case study that considers a real distribution network

Are Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Deficiency and Insufficiency Risk Factors for the Incidence of Dynapenia?

Epidemiological evidence showing the association between low 25(OH)D and age-related reduction in neuromuscular strength (dynapenia) is a paucity and controversial and, to date, the effect of osteoporosis and vitamin D supplementation on these associations has not been measured. Thus, we analyze whether serum 25(OH)D deficiency and insufficiency are risk factors for the incidence of dynapenia in individuals aged 50 or older and whether osteoporosis or vitamin D supplementation modify these associations. For that, 3205 participants of the ELSA study who were non-dynapenic at baseline were followed for 4 years. Vitamin D was measured at baseline by the serum concentration of 25(OH)D and classified as sufficient (> 50 nmol/L), insufficient (≥ 30 and ≤ 50 nmol/L) or deficient (< 30 nmol/L). The incidence of dynapenia was determined by a grip strength < 26 kg for men and < 16 kg for women at the end of the 4-year follow-up. Poisson regression models were adjusted by sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical and biochemical characteristics. Serum 25(OH)D deficient was a risk factor for the incidence of dynapenia (IRR = 1.70; 95% CI 1.04-2.79). When only individuals without osteoporosis and those who did not use vitamin D supplementation were analyzed, both serum 25(OH)D deficiency (IRR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.01-3.13) and insufficiency (IRR = 1.77; 95% CI 1.06-2.94) were risk factors for the incidence of dynapenia. In conclusion, a serum level of 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/L is a risk factor for the incidence of dynapenia. Among individuals without osteoporosis and those who do not take vitamin D supplementation, the threshold of risk is higher (≤ 50 nmol/L)

Anatomy Teaching at the School of Health Sciences of University of Minho

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Educomunicação e suas áreas de intervenção: Novos paradigmas para o diálogo intercultural

oai:omp.abpeducom.org.br:publicationFormat/1O material aqui divulgado representa, em essência, a contribuição do VII Encontro Brasileiro de Educomunicação ao V Global MIL Week, da UNESCO, ocorrido na ECA/USP, entre 3&nbsp;e 5 de novembro de 2016. Estamos diante de um conjunto de 104 papers executivos, com uma média de entre 7 e 10 páginas, cada um. Com este rico e abundante material, chegamos ao sétimo e-book publicado pela ABPEducom, em seus seis primeiros anos de existência. A especificidade desta obra é a de trazer as “Áreas de Intervenção” do campo da Educomunicação, colocando-as a serviço de uma meta essencial ao agir educomunicativo: o diálogo intercultural, trabalhado na linha do tema geral do evento internacional: Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for Intercultural Dialogue

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ