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Publications

2024

A catalyst for European cloud services in the era of data spaces, high-performance and edge computing: NOUS

Authors
Fernandez, AM; Ronco, EM; Remon, D; Rossini, R; Subic, T; Oliveira, MA; Duarte, CE; Nikoloudakis, N; Moreau, N; Moraitis, P; Hadjidimitriou, NS; Mamei, M; Krokidas, P; Rekatsinas, C; Dimitrakis, P; Giannakopoulos, G; Villaverde, DV; Alonso, RS;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF 4TH ECLIPSE SECURITY, AI, ARCHITECTURE AND MODELLING CONFERENCE ON DATA SPACES, ESAAM 2024

Abstract
Europe's position in the current cloud market needs to be improved. This market is currently dominated by non-European players by 75%, shaping the way that Europe is deploying and using cloud services. Although these players are bound to laws and regulations of foreign powers, such as PR China and USA, generating legitimate concerns for the EU, its businesses and citizens. EU's digital future resides on having installed secure, high-quality data processing capacity. This can only be offered by cloud services both centrally and at the edge. In this context NOUS's ambition is completely in line with the European Strategy for data as aims to create the foundations for a European Cloud Service which exploits the HPC network and tackles specific-to-the-EU-economy requirements as well as leverages different data spaces (Mobility, Energy, Green Deal and Manufacturing).

2024

Optimizing wind farm cable layout considering ditch sharing

Authors
Cerveira, A; de Sousa, A; Pires, EJS; Baptista, J;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH

Abstract
Wind power is becoming an important source of electrical energy production. In an onshore wind farm (WF), the electrical energy is collected at a substation from different wind turbines through electrical cables deployed over ground ditches. This work considers the WF layout design assuming that the substation location and all wind turbine locations are given, and a set of electrical cable types is available. The WF layout problem, taking into account its lifetime and technical constraints, involves selecting the cables to interconnect all wind turbines to the substation and the supporting ditches to minimize the initial investment cost plus the cost of the electrical energy that is lost on the cables over the lifetime of the WF. It is assumed that each ditch can deploy multiple cables, turning this problem into a more complex variant of previously addressed WF layout problems. This variant turns the problem best fitting to the real case and leads to substantial gains in the total cost of the solutions. The problem is defined as an integer linear programming model, which is then strengthened with different sets of valid inequalities. The models are tested with four WFs with up to 115 wind turbines. The computational experiments show that the optimal solutions can be computed with the proposed models for almost all cases. The largest WF was not solved to optimality, but the final relative gaps are small.

2024

A randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of psychoeducation on the quality of life of parents with children with congenital heart defects-Quantitative component

Authors
Rodrigues, MG; Rodrigues, JD; Moreira, JA; Clemente, F; Dias, CC; Azevedo, LF; Rodrigues, PP; Areias, JC; Areias, ME;

Publication
CHILD CARE HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Abstract
PurposeTo develop, implement and assess the results of psychoeducation to improve the QoL of parents with CHD newborns.MethodsParticipants were parents of inpatient newborns with the diagnosis of non-syndromic CHD. We conducted a parallel RCT with an allocation ratio of 1:1 (intervention vs. control), considering the newborns, using mixed methods research. The intervention group received psychoeducation (Parental Psychoeducation in CHD [PPeCHD]) and the usual routines, and the control group received just the regular practices. The allocation concealment was assured. PI was involved in enrolling participants, developing and implementing the intervention, data collection and data analysis. We followed the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines.ResultsParents of eight newborns were allocated to the intervention group (n = 15 parents) and eight to the control group (n = 13 parents). It was performed as an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. In M2 (4 weeks), the intervention group presented better QoL levels in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains of World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-Bref). In M3 (16 weeks), scores in physical and psychological domains maintained a statistically significant difference between the groups.ConclusionsThe PPeCHD, the psychoeducational intervention we developed, positively impacted parental QoL. These results support the initial hypothesis. This study is a fundamental milestone in this research field, adding new essential information to the literature.

2024

Understanding the Impact of Perceived Challenge on Narrative Immersion in Video Games: The Role-Playing Game Genre as a Case Study

Authors
Domingues, JM; Filipe, V; Carita, A; Carvalho, V;

Publication
INFORMATION

Abstract
This paper explores the intricate interplay between perceived challenge and narrative immersion within role-playing game (RPG) video games, motivated by the escalating influence of game difficulty on player choices. A quantitative methodology was employed, utilizing three specific questionnaires for data collection on player habits and experiences, perceived challenge, and narrative immersion. The study consisted of two interconnected stages: an initial research phase to identify and understand player habits, followed by an in-person intervention involving the playing of three distinct RPG video games. During this intervention, selected players engaged with the chosen RPG video games separately, and after each session, responded to two surveys assessing narrative immersion and perceived challenge. The study concludes that a meticulous adjustment of perceived challenge by video game studios moderately influences narrative immersion, reinforcing the enduring prominence of the RPG genre as a distinctive choice in narrative.

2024

Radiological Medical Imaging Annotation and Visualization Tool

Authors
Teiga, I; Sousa, JV; Silva, F; Pereira, T; Oliveira, HP;

Publication
UNIVERSAL ACCESS IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION, PT III, UAHCI 2024

Abstract
Significant medical image visualization and annotation tools, tailored for clinical users, play a crucial role in disease diagnosis and treatment. Developing algorithms for annotation assistance, particularly machine learning (ML)-based ones, can be intricate, emphasizing the need for a user-friendly graphical interface for developers. Many software tools are available to meet these requirements, but there is still room for improvement, making the research for new tools highly compelling. The envisioned tool focuses on navigating sequences of DICOM images from diverse modalities, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT) scans, Ultrasound (US), and X-rays. Specific requirements involve implementing manual annotation features such as freehand drawing, copying, pasting, and modifying annotations. A scripting plugin interface is essential for running Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based models and adjusting results. Additionally, adaptable surveys complement graphical annotations with textual notes, enhancing information provision. The user evaluation results pinpointed areas for improvement, including incorporating some useful functionalities, as well as enhancements to the user interface for a more intuitive and convenient experience. Despite these suggestions, participants praised the application's simplicity and consistency, highlighting its suitability for the proposed tasks. The ability to revisit annotations ensures flexibility and ease of use in this context.

2024

CO2 Emissions Resulting from Large-Scale Integration of Electric Vehicles Using a Macro Perspective

Authors
Monteiro, F; Sousa, A;

Publication
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL

Abstract
Smart grids with EVs have been proposed as a great contribution to sustainability. Considering environmental sustainability is of great importance to humanity, it is essential to assess whether electrical vehicles (EVs) actually contribute to improving it. The objectives of the present study are, from a macro (broad-scope) perspective, to identify the sources of emissions and to create a framework for the calculation of CO2 emissions resulting from large-scale EV use. The results show that V2G mode increases emissions and therefore reduces the benefits of using EVs. The results also show that in the best scenario (NC mode), an EV will have 32.7% less emissions, and in the worst case (V2G mode), it will have 25.6% more emissions than an internal combustion vehicle (ICV), meaning that sustainability improvement is not always ensured. The present study shows that considering a macro perspective is essential to estimate a more comprehensive value of emissions. The main contributions of this work are the creation of a framework for identifying the main contributions to CO2 emissions resulting from large-scale EV integration, and the calculation of estimated CO2 emissions from a macro perspective. These are important contributions to future studies in the area of smart grids and large-scale EV integration, for decision-makers as well as common citizens.

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