The goal of this paper is to present a comparison among three known metaheuristics: Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Simulated Annealing (SA). For the comparison, the design of an LC - Voltage Controlled Oscillator (LC-VCO) is considered, where the minimization of both VCO phase noise and power consumption is envisaged. The objective of this comparison is to find the algorithm yielding the best solution. The validity of the solution obtained with each metaheuristic algorithm is checked against HSPICE/RF simulation results. Robustness checks for each algorithm are presented at the end of this paper.

The publication of the present work - rightly designated as the book of Arrabida's nomination file for inscription on the World Heritage list - has for all of us a special significance as it represents, in a sense, the culmination of a complex, challenging and rewarding process. As is widely known, the Arrábida is included since 2004 in UNESCO's Portuguese tentative list, with AMRS being one of this process' promoters. It wouldn't be appropriate to describe here all the details, but it is fair to say that since 2004 to the present day, we've come a long way in recovering and valuing the Arrábida. It is with sincere satisfaction that we can say: our knowledge of the Property is now deeper, up to date and much more accurate, doing justice to the exceptional values contained within the Arrábida - which is well expressed in the work now published, based on researches and works of the highest scientific value. This is also a regional development project, to value our lands, people and the natural and cultural heritage. The Setúbal's Peninsula is a region that contains within its territory a vast natural and cultural heritage, being the Arrábida one of the most beautiful and significant natural areas in the Mediterranean. The Arrábida Mountain is a place with its own identity, being the result of a long history of Man's adaptation to Nature. It is a place of unmistakable aesthetic beauty, a unique place where nature and culture intertwine; it is a place of contrasts, of land and sea, sky and mountains, a place of combined actions by Man and Nature. Place of vibrant social practices, of rituals and festivals, of knowledge, of representations and expressions, of instruments, objects and artifacts. Place with a history that must be preserved and bequeathed to future generations. Place with monuments of vanished civilizations, but also of living traditions. These are some of the values supporting the Arrábida's nomination for the World's Heritage list. It is a complex and demanding nomination file, which this work is an illustrative sample of. A mixed application - as it includes both the natural and cultural heritage - which, given the richness and uniqueness of the Property in question, is fully justified. It is our profound conviction that this Nomination streamlines the potential of our region, bringing benefits not only to the local population, but also to the whole country. To that extent, it is also a sign of hope and confidence showing that it is possible to build a different future; that by investing in our people, in their abilities, knowledge and traditions, it is possible to create a sustainable development; that is possible to leave for future generations a legacy of which we are proud of having worked on. To be able enjoy this magnificent edition is a step in that direction.

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A semigroup is amiable if there is exactly one idempotent in each ℛ*-class and in each ℒ*-class. A semigroup is adequate if it is amiable and if its idempotents commute. We characterize adequate semigroups by showing that they are precisely those amiable semigroups that do not contain isomorphic copies of two particular non-adequate semigroups as subsemigroups.

Let \(\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{R}^n)\) be the class of bounded away from one and infinity functions \(p:\mathbb{R}^n\to[1,\infty]\) such that the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator is bounded on the variable Lebesgue space \(L^{p(\cdot)}(\mathbb{R}^n)\). We show that if \(a\) belongs to the Hörmander class \(S_{\rho,\delta}^{n(\rho-1)}\) with \(0<\rho\le 1\), \(0\le\delta<1\), then the pseudodifferential operator \(\operatorname{Op}(a)\) is bounded on the variable Lebesgue space \(L^{p(\cdot)}(\mathbb{R}^n)\) provided that \(p\in\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{R}^n)\). Let \(\mathcal{M}^*(\mathbb{R}^n)\) be the class of variable exponents \(p\in\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{R}^n)\) represented as \(1/p(x)=\theta/p_0+(1-\theta)/p_1(x)\) where \(p_0\in(1,\infty)\), \(\theta\in(0,1)\), and \(p_1\in\mathcal{M}(\mathbb{R}^n)\). We prove that if \(a\in S_{1,0}^0\) slowly oscillates at infinity in the first variable, then the condition \[ \lim_{R\to\infty}\inf_{|x|+|\xi|\ge R}|a(x,\xi)|>0 \] is sufficient for the Fredholmness of \(\operatorname{Op}(a)\) on \(L^{p(\cdot)}(\mathbb{R}^n)\) whenever \(p\in\mathcal{M}^*(\mathbb{R}^n)\). Both theorems generalize pioneering results by Rabinovich and Samko [RS08] obtained for globally log-Hölder continuous exponents \(p\), constituting a proper subset of \(\mathcal{M}^*(\mathbb{R}^n)\).

This work presents a multi-objective optimization methodology that accounts for economic, environmental and social concerns in a supply chain with reverse flows. Environmental impact assessment is considered through the use of Recipe 2008. A social benefit indicator is developed where the creation of employment in less developed regions is preferred. The multi-objective approach is used to reach a solution of compromise between the three sustainability pillars. The model is applied to a case study developed in collaboration with a Portuguese company, leader in battery production.