Abstract
In this paper we study the deviation of bus trip duration and its causes. Deviations are obtained by comparing scheduled times against actual trip duration and are either delays or early arrivals. We use distribution rules, a kind of association rules that may have continuous distributions on the consequent. Distribution rules allow the systematic identification of particular conditions, which we call contexts, under which the distribution of trip time deviations differs significantly from the overall deviation distribution. After identifying specific causes of delay the bus company operational managers can make adjustments to the timetables increasing punctuality without disrupting the service. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.

Abstract
Travel time prediction is an important tool for the planning tasks of mass transit and logistics companies. ID this paper we investigate the use of regression methods for the problem of predicting the travel time of buses in a Portuguese public transportation company. More specifically, we empirically evaluate the impact of varying parameters on the performance of different regression algorithms, such as support vector machines (SVM), random forests (RF) and projection pursuit, regression (PPR). We also evaluate the impact of the focusing tusks (example selection; domain value definition and feature selection) in the accuracy of those algorithms. Concerning the algorithms, we observe that 1) RF is quite robust to the choice of parameters and focusing methods: 2) the choice of parameters for SVM can be made independently of focusing methods while 3) for PPR they should be selected simultaneously. For the focusing methods, we observe that a stronger effect is obtained using example selection, particularly in combination with SVM.

Abstract
The potential value of a market segmentation for a company is usually assessed in terms of six criteria: identifiability, substantiality, accessibility, responsiveness, stability and actionability. These are widely accepted as essential criteria, but they are difficult to quantify. Quantification is particularly important in early stages of the segmentation process, especially when automatic clustering methods are employed. With such methods it is easy to produce a large number of segmentations but only the most interesting ones should be selected for further analysis. In this paper, we address the problem of how to quantify the value of a segmentation according to the criteria above. We propose several measures and test them on a case study, consisting of a segmentation of portal users.

Abstract
We propose a methodology to monitor the quality of the meta-data used to describe content in web portals. It is based on the analysis of the meta-data using statistics, visualization and data mining tools. The methodology enables the site's editor to detect and correct problems in the description of contents, thus improving the quality of the web portal and the satisfaction of its users. We also define a general architecture for a platform to support the proposed methodology. We have implemented this platform and tested it on a Portuguese portal for management; executives. The results validate the methodology proposed.

Abstract
In this paper we describe a platform that enables Web site automation and monitoring. The platform automatically gathers high quality site activity data, both from the server and client sides. Web adapters, such as rec-ommender systems, can be easily plugged into the platform, and take advantage of the up-to-date activity data. The platform also includes a module to support the editor of the site to monitor and assess the effects of automation. We illustrate the features of the platform on a case study, where we show how it can be used to gather information not only to model the behavior of users but also the impact of the personalization mechanism. Copyright © 2008, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

Abstract
The design, production and distribution of small series of health fashionable goods for specific target groups of wide impact in terms of market for the European industry as elderly, disables, diabetics and obese people represents a challenging opportunity for European companies which are asked to supply the demand with affordable price and eco-compatible products. Added to this challenge, textile, clothing and footwear manufactures seek for innovative collaborative networking solutions that could provide an entire digital life-cycle for the products and services required by the market. Aligned with this need, the EU CoReNet project aims to design and develop a new smart collaborative consumer-driven framework with the related services and components. This paper addresses the multidisciplinary complexity of customer-oriented and eco-friendly networks for health fashionable goods in particular addressing business requirements analysis, value chain issues, co-planning production and co-design topics in collaborative business processes tailored for high variability of the consumers demand and expectations.