Mariana Gonçalves

Evaluation of transmission congestion impact in market power

Restructuring of electrical market worldwide has brought the issue of market competition to the forefront. This new perspective has given rise to competition with the goal of price fall and technological innovation in the sector. In the last few years a great deal of attention is given to the possibility of a group of producers (agents) exercising market power by means of congestion effects. The possibility of two agents acting in a combined way on the transmission system affecting the accessibility by the others to a specific market is analyzed. This paper describes an algorithm used to detect, quantify and evaluate the impact of these kind of strategic actions on market concentration. The results obtained from the study on two distinct example networks show that this kind of actions can affect strongly market share and must be predicted by the ISO.

Man-machine interaction in power system control centers

User interfaces of power system control centers applications are a key factor for the performance of the whole system. This paper presents the experience of daily use of the Portuguese SCADA applications and points out some important issues to consider in the specification of the user interface for new control center applications. The inclusion of knowledge-based applications in the control centers is considered as an important experience that may help in the evolution towards more intelligent user interfaces. Examples concerning a software package that is being developed for display building and information presentation are included.<<ETX>>

Trafficking in human beings: Portuguese magistrates’ perceptions

ABSTRACT Trafficking in human beings (THB) has been gaining prominence in the political agendas of governments, both nationally and internationally. The fight against this crime involves the entire justice system with it being the job of the police, prosecutors, and magistrates to investigate, try, and convict the violators accordingly. The objective of this study was to access the perceptions of the magistrates regarding the phenomenon, in general, and the legislation and the Portuguese situation, more specifically, including the perceptions of the victims and the traffickers. To this end, a questionnaire on THB was disseminated online. The sample comprised 167 magistrates practicing in Portugal. The results revealed that, on average, the magistrates espoused adequate perceptions about this phenomenon. In addition, it was concluded that the magistrates who presented more acceptable perceptions were those who consolidated their professional practice with information obtained through formal and informal contacts and experiences with those involved in or victims of human trafficking. Nonetheless, there are gaps regarding their perceptions about human trafficking that could be filled with the development of sensitization and training adjusted to the target populations.

Relationship Between HIV and Depressive Symptomatology in Patients From Northern Portugal: Analysis of Individual, Health, and Social Predictors

&NA; Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder in people living with HIV. Our study involved 371 participants in outpatient treatment for HIV in hospitals in northern Portugal. Participants were referred to the study by the attending physician/nurse, and data were collected through an individual interview at a single evaluation moment. Participants were mostly male (70%), with an average age of 46.63 years (SD = 11.77), and a known diagnosis of HIV for an average of 10.13 years (SD = 6.42). Severe depressive symptoms were identified in 18% of participants. We identified several significant predictors of depressive symptoms: being female, being in a situation of social exclusion, having adverse experiences throughout life, infection by sexual contact in a stable marital relationship, daily concerns regarding health, negative family relationships, and dissatisfaction with social support. Findings suggest the need to include regular mental health assessments and referral for specialized psychological support services.

Competência cultural na intervenção com imigrantes: Uma análise comparativa entre profissionais da saúde, da área social e polícias

INTRODUCTION Cultural diversity places increased demands on services to multicultural populations, so the development of cultural competence by help professionals is currently a concern in institutional practices. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study evaluated the perception of cultural competence of help professional of three distinct areas: health services, social services and criminal police. Through an online questionnaire, we questioned the perception of cultural competence, at four dimensions: cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, technical skills, and organizational support. There were 610 participants, mostly female (58%), with a mean age of 39.74 years, developing activity in the social area (37%), health (33%) or the police (30%). RESULTS The professionals showed, in general, a positive perception of their cultural competence. Those who had formative experiences on the subject and had more time service, perceived themselves, significantly, as more culturally competent. Significant differences were found between professionals from different areas: health professionals were more effective in terms of technical skills, the social workers at the level of cultural knowledge and polices at the level of cultural awareness. Health professionals were the ones that showed a lower perception at the level of organizational support. DISCUSSION Despite the positive perception that technicians have about their awareness and knowledge of the values, norms and customs of immigrant communities, they realize technical aptitude as less positive, showing difficulty in practical application of their knowledge. CONCLUSIONS Cultural competence has implications for good professional practice in serving multicultural populations, being urgent to invest in the development of culturally competent interventions to ensure more effective services, namely in hospitals and health centres.