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La revolucion de la industria 4.0 proporciona a las maquinas una capacidad sensorial y comunicativa, lo que les permite monitorear y recolectar grandes cantidades de datos. Estes tienen un impacto en la planificacion, el mantenimiento y la gestion de la produccion, permitiendo la reaccion en tiempo real, el aumento de la eficiencia y el desarrollo de modelos predictivos y de mejora de procesos. Las maquinas mas recientes estan preparadas para comunicarse con los sistemas de monitoreo existentes, sin embargo, muchas aun no lo hacen (cerca de 60%). El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar la propuesta de un sistema de monitoreo remoto de equipos en tiempo real que cumpla con los requisitos de bajo costo, sencillez y flexibilidad. El sistema monitorizara de forma sencilla y agil, independientemente de su sofisticacion, limitaciones de instalacion y recursos de la empresa. Se desarrollo y probo un prototipo de un sistema tanto en condiciones de laboratorio como en un entorno productivo. La arquitectura propuesta del sistema consta de un sensor que transmite la senal de la maquina de forma inalambrica a una puerta de enlace que es responsable de recopilar todas las senales circundantes y enviarlas a la nube. Durante la prueba y evaluacion de las herramientas, los resultados validaron el prototipo desarrollado.Como resultado principal, la solucion propuesta ofrece un nuevo sistema de monitoreo de bajo costo basado en tecnologia madura y probada sobre soluciones flexibles y escalables. Industria 4.0, Monitoreo de maquinas, Beacon, Bluetooth BLE, Monitoreo Remoto, Bajo costo, PYME’s, b-Remote

Background Brazil is seeing rapid population ageing, which is leading to new demands on primary health care services. There is a need to develop and assess the effectiveness of new interventions to build the capacity of staff, including community health workers, to meet the needs of groups such as care-dependent older people and their care-givers. This study examines the feasibility of a small training intervention piloted in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza. Methods The study evaluated participants’ own assessments of key knowledge and skills related to the needs of care-dependent older people, both before and after the training intervention. It also assessed their capacity to implement a simple screening tool of geriatric risk factors. Results The participant self-assessments indicate significant improvements in their perceived knowledge and capacity in responding to the health needs of care-dependent older people. Additionally, participants were able to successfully conduct the home visits and screening for risk factors. Conclusions The study demonstrates the feasibility of developing interventions to enhance the capacity of community health workers to meet the needs of dependent older people in countries like Brazil. The evidence of effectiveness, though limited and subjective, provides justification for a larger, formally evaluated intervention. The experience of Fortaleza provides valuable lessons for other cities and countries in the region which are facing similar challenges.

Time, cost, and quality are the three indispensable factors for the realization and success of a project. In this context, we propose a framework composed of a multi-objective approach and multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) to solve time-cost-quality trade-off optimization problems. A multi-objective Simulated Annealing (MOSA) algorithm is used to compute an approximation to the Pareto optimal set. The concept of the exploratory grid is introduced in the MOSA to improve its performance. MCDM are used to assist the decision-making process. The Shannon entropy and AHP methods assign weights to criteria. The first methodology is for the inexperienced decision-makers, and the second concedes a personal and flexible weighting of the criteria weights, based on the project manager’s assessment. The TOPSIS and VIKOR methods are considered to rank the solutions. Although they have the same purpose, the rankings achieved are different. A tool is implemented to solve a time-cost-quality trade-off problem on a project activities network. The computational experiments are analyzed and the results with the exploratory grid in Simulated Annealing (SA) are promising. Despite the framework aims to solve multi-objective trade-off optimization problems, supporting the decisions of the project manager, the methodologies used can also be applied in other areas.

Objectives: to assess factors associated with vulnerability and fragility in the elderly. Methods: crosssectional study with 384 elderly people in Fortaleza, Ceará. The Vulnerable Elders Survey and Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index - 20 were used. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used for associations. In the analysis of the combined influence of risk factors, the stepwise logistic regression and multinomial regression methods were adopted. Results: 251 (65.4%) non-vulnerable and 133 (34.6%) vulnerable elders. From the vulnerable elders analyzed, 42 (30.9%) are at high risk for frailty. Factors associated with vulnerability: age, gender, presence of comorbidities, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis and use of polypharmacy. There is a 30% increase in the chance of vulnerability for each additional drug. Physical activity reduces the chance of vulnerability by 60%. Factors associated with frailty: educational level; self-perception of health; comorbidities; polypharmacy. Conclusions: it is important to pay attention to the presence of arterial hypertension, osteoporosis, polypharmacy, and encourage the practice of physical activity. RESUMEN Objetivos: evaluar factores relacionados a vulnerabilidad y fragilidad en ancianos. Métodos: estudio transversal, con 384 ancianos en Fortaleza, Ceará. Utilizó el Vulnerable Elders Survey e Índice de Vulnerabilidad Clínico-Funcional - 20. Emplearon testes chi-cuadrado y exacto de Fisher para relaciones. En el análisis de la influencia conjunta de los factores de riesgo, adoptó el método de regresión logística stepwise y multinomial stepwise. Resultados: 251 (65,4%) no vulnerables y 133 (34,6%) vulnerables. De los vulnerables analizados, 42 (30,9%) hay alto riesgo para fragilidad. Factores relacionados a vulnerabilidad: edad, sexo, presencia de comorbilidades, hipertensión, diabetes, osteoporosis y uso de polifarmacia. Hay aumento de 30% en la chance de vulnerabilidad para cada medicamento adicional. La actividad física reduce en 60% la chance de vulnerabilidad. Factores relacionados a la fragilidad: escolaridad; autopercepción de salud; comorbilidades; polifarmacia. Conclusiones: Atentarse para la presencia en ancianos de hipertensión arterial, osteoporosis, polifarmacia e incentivar la práctica de actividad física. RESUMO Objetivos: avaliar fatores associados à vulnerabilidade e fragilidade em idosos. Método: estudo transversal, com 384 idosos em Fortaleza, estado do Ceará. Utilizou-se o Vulnerable Elders Survey e Índice de Vulnerabilidade Clínico-Funcional - 20. Empregaram-se testes qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher para associações. Na análise da influência conjunta dos fatores de risco, adotou-se o método de regressão logística stepwise e multinomial stepwise. Resultados: 251 (65,4%) não vulneráveis e 133 (34,6%) vulneráveis. Dos vulneráveis analisados, 42 (30,9%) têm alto risco para fragilidade. Fatores associados à vulnerabilidade: idade, sexo, presença de comorbidades, hipertensão, diabetes, osteoporose e uso de polifarmácia. Há aumento de 30% na chance de vulnerabilidade para cada medicamento adicional. A atividade física reduz em 60% a chance de vulnerabilidade. Fatores associados à fragilidade: escolaridade; autopercepção de saúde; comorbidades; polifarmácia. Conclusões: atentar-se para a presença em idosos de hipertensão arterial, osteoporose, polifarmácia e incentivar a prática de atividade física.

This article presents a modular automaton-based framework to specify flexible manufacturing systems and to optimize the makespan of product batches. The Batch Makespan Optimization (BMO) problem is NP-Hard and optimization can therefore take prohibitively long, depending on the size of the state-space induced by the specification. To tame the state-space explosion problem, we develop an algebra based on automata equivalence and inclusion relations that consider both behavior and structure. The algebra allows us to systematically relate the languages induced by the automata, their state-space sizes, and their solutions to the BMO problem. Further, we introduce a novel constraint-based approach to systematically prune the state-space based on the the notions of nonpermutation-repulsiveness and permutation-attractiveness. We prove that constraining a nonpermutation-repulsing automaton with a permutation-attracting constraint always reduces the state-space. This approach allows us to (i) compute optimal solutions of the BMO problem when the (additional) constraints are taken into account and (ii) compute bounds for the (original) BMO problem (without using the constraints). We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by optimizing an industrial wafer handling controller.

The selection of the resources system (SRS) is an important element in the integration/project of Agile/Virtual Enterprises (A/V E) because its performance is dependent of this selection, and even of its creation. However, it remains a difficult matter to solve because is still a very complex and uncertain problem. We propose that using Value Analysis (VA) in the pre-selection of resources phase represents a significant improvement of the SRS process. The current literature fails to formally address the pre-selection phase and none of the resource selection models incorporate the resources value and its consequence in the complexity of the selection process. Whereby, ours developed model with VA constitutes an innovative approach towards greater sustainability in the configuration of A/V E in the context of Industry 4.0, where a massive interconnection among enterprises is expected and consequently the increase of the selection process complexity. After the construction of a demonstrator tool for a set of the problem formulations, this paper verifies by computational results the thesis regarding the benefits of applying VA to the SRS process: VA reduces the complexity of the SRS process, even ensuring that the final system of resources achieve higher quality/value grade.

Purpose: The study purpose was to analyse the excellence and operational efficiency of Portuguese industrial companies through the measurement of lean practices implementation. Additionally, it intended to propose a new model to assess the lean production system.Design/methodology/approach: The research presents an in-depth lean literature review that served as a basis for the creation of a questionnaire. The survey was addressed to Portuguese industrial companies to obtain data about their lean implementation success. Collected data were analysed, resorting descriptive and exploratory statistics. A principal component analysis was applied to reduce the amount of data and define a new model that characterizes the lean practices adoption level. Some Chi-square tests were used to assess the independence of some variables.Findings: The results indicate that a significant percentage of organizations use lean practices within their activity. Concerning the lean implementation maturity, a plus side revealed by the study concerns the adoption of the teamwork, internal information shared principles, increase of process capability to produce conforming products, and reduction in set up times. On the other hand, responsibilities decentralization, more employees acting as team leaders, implementation of employees’ suggestions, and interconnection with suppliers, are some of the principles that need to be given greater attention by the Portuguese industrial organizations. The key contribution consists of a new model for lean determinants based on three dimensions: work method, productive process elements, and work efficiency.Originality/value: The present research provides a new Lean determinants model that allows understanding the importance of the operational efficiency provided by a mature lean production system, being the key to the competitiveness in the global business market.

Nowadays, companies are facing a constant need to develop and increase coordination between operational functions to respond rapidly and accurately to customer requests. Linked with this need, an increasing number of practitioners are resorting to an established and integrated business management methodology, the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP). The concept of S&OP has gained increased recognition over the years by several authors and companies. This project describes the S&OP implementation in Sogrape Vinhos (wines) S.A., a Portuguese wine producer and distributer. The company was confronted with low accuracy in the establishing the forecast demand plans, especially on a long-term horizon. In order to increase the demand plans accuracy, the company started a S&OP implementation program. This paper describes the company’s current planning process, explains the S&OP’s implementation model presenting the selected parameters adequate to the company’s context, and finally, evaluate the expected outcomes of this project. Preliminary results from the S&OP implementation project at Sogrape indicate significant savings at the operational level and greater effectiveness in developing the company’s demand plans.

Production scheduling is an optimizing problem that can contribute strongly to the competitive capacity of companies producing goods and services. A way to promote the survival and the sustainability of the organizations in this upcoming era of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is the efficient use of the resources. A complete failure to stage tasks properly can easily lead to a waste of time and resources, which could result in a low level of productivity and high monetary losses. In view of the above, it is essential to analyse and continuously develop new models of production scheduling. This paper intends to present an I4.0 oriented decision support tool to the dynamic scheduling. After a fist solution has been generated, the developed prototype has the ability to create new solutions as tasks leave the system and new ones arrive, in order to minimize a certain measure of performance. Using a single machine environment, the proposed prototype was validated in an in-depth computational study through several instances of dynamic problems with stochastic characteristics. Moreover, a more robust analysis was done, which demonstrated that there is statistical evidence that the proposed prototype performance is better than single method of scheduling and proved the effectiveness of the prototype., This work has been supported by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2019.

In an increasingly and globally competitive industry like the automotive sector, the continuous improvement of processes assumes a key role in the enhancement of effectiveness and efficiency. In line with this philosophy, the study undertaken of the work method and its inherent activities has pointed to time measurement as a gemba support tool of great potential in the optimization of the production process and the elimination of mudas. The present case study relates to the improvement of productivity of an assembly line dedicated to the manufacture of brake cables for the automotive industry. The application of the A3 methodology to this improvement project aims to monitor the evolution of key indicators as productivity per hour and the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of the assembly line, to define the different improvement actions to be executed, and to achieve the defined target, and to validate the results of its implementation. The measurement of the different activities of the assembly line allowed to identify the major wastes (of material movements, operator movements, among others.) and to identify the most critical workstations that contribute for the unbalancing of the assembly line. The solutions implemented allowed to increase the productivity by 49% and, as a consequence, reduce the cycle time in 33%. The rearrangement and improvement of operations allowed also to increase the efficiency of the assembly line balancing in 11%. As the A3 methodology assumed a key role for this project, allowing the monitoring of the effectiveness of the different improvement actions implemented, it was standardized so that it could be applied to other improvement projects.

The increasing numbers of people at very old ages pose specific policy challenges for health and social care and highlight the need to rethink established models of service provision. The main objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of “avoidable displacement from home” (ADH). The study argues that ADH builds on and adds value to existing concepts, offering a holistic, person-centered framework for integrated health and social care provision for older people. It also demonstrates that this framework can be applied across different levels, ranging from macro policymaking to organizational and individual decision-making. The paper pays attention to the Brazilian context but argues that ADH is a universally applicable concept.

Nas últimas décadas tem-se assistido a um uso intensivo do transporte individual privado, que se destaca pelas suas evidentes vantagens do ponto de vista do utilizador. Tal tendência tem gerado um aumento ao nível de congestionamento, atrasos, acidentes e poluição, principalmente em zonas urbanas, e muitas vezes conduzem à adoção de comportamentos que envolvem algum risco por parte dos condutores. O presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo a análise detalhada de redes viárias em situações de congestionamento e da adoção, por parte dos condutores, de comportamentos inadequados ao tipo de via em que se encontram (como a prática de velocidades excessivas), nomeadamente em situações de atravessamento sistemático de zonas urbanas, aproveitando para isso as potencialidades da microssimulação. A abordagem proposta de avaliação do desempenho de redes viárias assenta em componentes de eficiência em termos de tempos de viagem, ambientais, de ruído e de segurança, e constitui uma ferramenta importante para um processo de planeamento, monitorização, avaliação, definição de estratégia e reorganização, fulcral para uma otimização dos fluxos de tráfego locais. Após a seleção do caso de estudo, foi realizada monitorização experimental por forma a recolher dados tanto de volumes de tráfego, quanto de dinâmica de veículos, para posteriormente, calibrar e validar o modelo de tráfego. As emissões de poluentes foram estimadas usando uma metodologia baseada no conceito de potência específica do veículo (VSP - Vehicle Specific Power). A abordagem de avaliação do desempenho da rede é baseada na atribuição de custos externos relacionados com o tráfego rodoviário a cada segmento da rede. Com recurso aos softwares Matlab e VISSIM (modelo microscópico de simulação de tráfego), desenvolveu-se uma ferramenta que devolve a distribuição ótima de tráfego na rede de forma dinâmica e procurando minimizar externalidades negativas associadas ao tráfego rodoviário. Para além da análise do cenário corrente, foram definidos e simulados cenários alternativos por forma a avaliar o impacto da implementação de possíveis medidas mitigadoras, que visam diminuir o volume de tráfego na via secundária. Os resultados deste estudo mostram que a implementação de uma medida de intervenção/reformulação da rede pode não ser suficiente, e que a adoção de soluções defensivas a nível local pode minimizar as externalidades. Assim, procurando a minimização de custos económicos, é recomendada uma avaliação com recurso a simulação microscópica dos fenómenos de atravessamento sistemático com vista a melhorar o desempenho da rede. In recent decades there has been an intensive use of private individual transport, which stands out for its obvious advantages from the user's point of view. Such a trend has led to an increase in traffic congestion, delays, crashes and pollution, especially in urban areas, and often leads to behaviour that involves some risk from drivers. The main objective of this dissertation is the detailed analysis of road networks in situations of congestion and the use, by drivers, of inadequate behaviour to the type of road they are in (such as the practice of excessive speed), namely in situations of systematic crossing of urban areas, taking advantage of the potential of microsimulation. The proposed approach to road network performance assessment is based on the efficiency in terms of travel times, environmental, noise and safety components and is an important tool for a planning, monitoring, evaluation, strategy and reorganization process, which is central to optimizing local traffic flows. After the selection of the case study, experimental monitoring was performed to collect data on both traffic volumes and vehicle dynamics, to subsequently calibrate and validate the traffic model. Pollutant emissions were estimated using the VSP methodology (Vehicle Specific Power). The network performance assessment approach is based on the allocation of external costs related to road traffic to each network link. Using Matlab and VISSIM software (microscopic traffic simulation model), a tool that dynamically returns the optimal distribution of network traffic and seeks to minimize negative externalities associated with road traffic was developed. In addition to the analysis of the current scenario, alternative scenarios were defined and simulated in order to evaluate the impact of the implementation of possible mitigating measures aimed at reducing the traffic volume on the secondary road. The results of this study show that the implementation of a network intervention/redesign measure may not be enough, and that the adoption of local defensive solutions can be able to minimize externalities. Thus, seeking to minimize economic costs, an evaluation using microscopic simulation of systematic crossing phenomena to improve network performance is recommended. Mestrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Production scheduling in the presence of real-time events is of great importance for the successful implementation of real-world scheduling systems. Most manufacturing systems operate in dynamic environments vulnerable to various stochastic real-time events which continuously forces reconsideration and revision of pre-established schedules. In an uncertain environment, efficient ways to adapt current solutions to unexpected events, are preferable to solutions that soon become obsolete. This reality motivated us to develop a tool that attempts to start filling the gap between scheduling theory and practice. The developed prototype is connected to the MRP software and uses meta heuristics to generate a predictive schedule. Then, whenever disruptions happen, like arrival of new tasks or cancelation of others, the tool starts rescheduling through a dynamic-event module that combines dispatching rules that best fit the performance measures pre-classified by Kano’s model. The proposed tool was tested in an in-depth computational study with dynamic task releases and stochastic execution time. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the model., (undefined)

Consumer needs and expectations of specific target groups – such as elderly, obese, disabled or diabetic persons – are arising as challenging opportunities for European companies which are asked to supply innovative customised goods of high quality at affordable price. This is particularly true in the fashion as well as in the orthopaedic sector where there are many different competences to conjugate to offer dedicated products to the mentioned target groups. This paper aims at proposing a reference model to support companies in defining collaborative supply networks for customised production. In particular, this work describes the implementation of the developed model in a real case highlighting the changes implied at network level to address the need for fashionable and healthy products.

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2019 Submitted by Sofia Amador (sofiamador@fm.ul.pt) on 2020-04-24T10:10:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JoaoBSilva.pdf: 705886 bytes, checksum: 8c5ef90939608eead6b60f78f522be03 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2020-04-24T12:41:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoaoBSilva.pdf: 705886 bytes, checksum: 8c5ef90939608eead6b60f78f522be03 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2019

System design is a difficult process with many design-choices for which the impact may be difficult to foresee. Manufacturing system design is no exception to this. Increased use of flexible manufacturing systems which are able to perform different operations/use-cases further raises the design complexity. One important criterion to consider is the overall makespan and associated critical path for the different use-cases of the system. Stochastic critical path analysis plays a fundamental role in providing useful feedback for system designers to evaluate alternative specifications, which traditional fixed-time analysis cannot. In this paper, we extend our formal model-based framework, for the specification and design of manufacturing systems, with stochastic analysis abilities by associating a criticality index to each action performed by the system. This index can then be visualized and used within the framework such that a system designer can make better informed decisions. We propose a Monte-Carlo method as an estimation algorithm and we explicitly define and use confidence intervals to achieve an acceptable estimation error. We further demonstrate the use of the extended framework and stochastic analysis with an example manufacturing system.

In the ambit of Distribute/Agile/Virtual Enterprises, the resources/partners selection process is a critical issue in order to guarantee the success of such enterprises. The selection process is complex in the large sense of the word and for that we advocate the necessity of a broker to perform that task, conveniently assisted by a tool. In order to contribute to its construction, this paper presents the resolution of a resources system selection problem, designated by Dependent or Integral Selection Method without Pre-selection of Transport Resources, with two algorithms, an exact solution algorithm and an approximate one. The results demonstrate that the exact solution algorithm limitations can be covered by the approximate algorithm. With those results, the broker has the knowledge to perform the selection with the most adequate algorithm for each case of the problem (depending of the number of tasks and pre-selected resources) addressed in this paper. This paper brings a contribution to broker performance for the selection process.

Part 10: Advances in Production - Product Personalization; International audience; In nowadays competing market, companies are constantly challenged to reduce the lead time for new products design process by diminishing the time response that goes from the arise of the market opportunity to the satisfaction of the customer need. Simultaneously, companies and networked organizations face a growing number of product configurations, lower product volumes, a continuously growing appetence for personalized products, pressing the decision makers into adopting more efficient product development processes. The present paper addresses the main collaborative product development issues by proposing a responsive and efficient use of knowledge on networked environments through a lean-based framework for collaborative networks. In particular, this work describes the main lean concepts and tools that are enhancers of an efficient and distributed customizable product development process in networked environment.

In order to address the market trends especially footwear companies are now forced to address the market and especially the individual customer with increased attention concerning the fulfillment of specific requirements. In that context, consumer needs and expectations of specific target groups such as diabetic persons are posing challenging opportunities. Reality has shown that the production of shoes for patients with diabetic foot is quite different from traditional footwear production. This occurs because each shoe has to be fully adapted for each patient and in accordance with a set of requirements prescribed by the podiatrist. This reality raises several procedural and information related constraints in the way the orthopedic manufacturer has to deal with the customer demand. Framed in this goal, the present work specifically addresses the information infrastructure support required for the diabetic foot patient's prescription process by proposing an overall approach based on web-based tools and innovative integration of technological solutions.

Human schistosomiasis, the second most devastating parasitic disease, is common in developing countries, but rare in Europe. Urogenital tract involvement is mainly due to Schistosoma haematobium infection. Schistosomiasis has long been associated with malignant neoplasia. Some authors have hypothesized a causal relationship between schistosomiasis and carcinoma of the bowel, kidney, bladder and prostate. To data only 17 cases of concomitant prostatic adenocarcinoma and gland schistosomiasis have been described. As an uncommon example of a potential complication of an untreated schistosomiasis, we report a case of an incidentally diagnosed urinary schistosomiasis after a radical prostatectomy for prostate adenocarcinoma in a 62-year-old African man living in a non-endemic area.

Industrial managers are in the expectation that the new generation factories bring more competitiveness to the manufacturing companies through innovative approaches, methods and tools that support the factory planning process. The concept of “factory as a product” perceives the factory as a complex long life product introducing design advantages for factory planning and optimization, seeking to improve quality, reduce ramp-up, product delivery and overall reduce time and costs. In order to attain these objectives, there is an urgent need for an innovative and suitable Virtual Factory Framework to structure the development of new generation factories.

SDRAM is a shared resource in modern multi-core platforms executing multiple real-time (RT) streaming applications. It is crucial to analyze the minimum guaranteed SDRAM bandwidth to ensure that the requirements of the RT streaming applications are always satisfied. However, deriving the worstcase bandwidth (WCBW) is challenging because of the diverse memory traffic with variable transaction sizes. In fact, existing RT memory controllers either do not efficiently support variable transaction sizes or do not provide an analysis to tightly bound WCBW in their presence. We propose a new mode-controlled data-flow (MCDF) model to capture the command scheduling dependencies of memory transactions with variable sizes. The WCBW can be obtained by employing an existing tool to automatically analyze our MCDF model rather than using existing static analysis techniques, which in contrast to our model are hard to extend to cover different RT memory controllers. Moreover, the MCDF analysis can exploit static information about known transaction sequences provided by the applications or by the memory arbiter. Experimental results show that 77% improvement of WCBW can be achieved compared to the case without known transaction sequences. In addition, the results demonstrate that the proposed MCDF model outperforms state-of-the-art analysis approaches and improves the WCBW by 22% without known transaction sequences.