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Publications

Publications by CRACS

2024

Implications of seasonal and daily variation on methane and ammonia emissions from naturally ventilated dairy cattle barns in a Mediterranean climate: A two-year study

Authors
Rodrigues, ARF; Silva, ME; Silva, VF; Maia, MRG; Cabrita, ARJ; Trindade, H; Fonseca, AJM; Pereira, JLS;

Publication
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract
Seasonal and daily variations of gaseous emissions from naturally ventilated dairy cattle barns are important figures for the establishment of effective and specific mitigation plans. The present study aimed to measure methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) emissions in three naturally ventilated dairy cattle barns covering the four seasons for two consecutive years. In each barn, air samples from five indoor locations were drawn by a multipoint sampler to a photoacoustic infrared multigas monitor, along with temperature and relative humidity. Milk production data were also recorded. Results showed seasonal differences for CH4 and NH3 emissions in the three barns with no clear trends within years. Globally, diel CH4 emissions increased in the daytime with high intra-hour variability. The average hourly CH4 emissions (g h-1 livestock unit- 1 (LU)) varied from 8.1 to 11.2 and 6.2 to 20.3 in the dairy barn 1, from 10.1 to 31.4 and 10.9 to 22.8 in the dairy barn 2, and from 1.5 to 8.2 and 13.1 to 22.1 in the dairy barn 3, respectively, in years 1 and 2. Diel NH3 emissions highly varied within hours and increased in the daytime. The average hourly NH3 emissions (g h-1 LU-1) varied from 0.78 to 1.56 and 0.50 to 1.38 in the dairy barn 1, from 1.04 to 3.40 and 0.93 to 1.98 in the dairy barn 2, and from 0.66 to 1.32 and 1.67 to 1.73 in the dairy barn 3, respectively, in years 1 and 2. Moreover, the emission factors of CH4 and NH3 were 309.5 and 30.6 (g day- 1 LU-1), respectively, for naturally ventilated dairy cattle barns. Overall, this study provided a detailed characterization of seasonal and daily gaseous emissions variations highlighting the need for future longitudinal emission studies and identifying an opportunity to better adequate the existing mitigation strategies according to season and daytime.

2024

On the Use of VGs for Feature Selection in Supervised Machine Learning - A Use Case to Detect Distributed DoS Attacks

Authors
Lopes, J; Partida, A; Pinto, P; Pinto, A;

Publication
OPTIMIZATION, LEARNING ALGORITHMS AND APPLICATIONS, PT I, OL2A 2023

Abstract
Information systems depend on security mechanisms to detect and respond to cyber-attacks. One of the most frequent attacks is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): it impairs the performance of systems and, in the worst case, leads to prolonged periods of downtime that prevent business processes from running normally. To detect this attack, several supervised Machine Learning (ML) algorithms have been developed and companies use them to protect their servers. A key stage in these algorithms is feature pre-processing, in which, input data features are assessed and selected to obtain the best results in the subsequent stages that are required to implement supervised ML algorithms. In this article, an innovative approach for feature selection is proposed: the use of Visibility Graphs (VGs) to select features for supervised machine learning algorithms used to detect distributed DoS attacks. The results show that VG can be quickly implemented and can compete with other methods to select ML features, as they require low computational resources and they offer satisfactory results, at least in our example based on the early detection of distributed DoS. The size of the processed data appears as the main implementation constraint for this novel feature selection method.

2024

A blockchain architecture with smart contracts for an additive symbiotic network - a case study

Authors
Ferreira, IA; Palazzo, G; Pinto, A; Pinto, P; Sousa, P; Godina, R; Carvalho, H;

Publication
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

Abstract
Adopting innovative technologies such as blockchain and additive manufacturing can help organisations promote the development of additive symbiotic networks, thus pursuing higher sustainable goals and implementing circular economy strategies. These symbiotic networks correspond to industrial symbiosis networks in which wastes and by-products from other industries are incorporated into additive manufacturing processes. The adoption of blockchain technology in such a context is still in a nascent stage. Using the case study method, this research demonstrates the adoption of blockchain technology in an additive symbiotic network of a real-life context. The requirements to use a blockchain network are identified, and an architecture based on smart contracts is proposed as an enabler of the additive symbiotic network under study. The proposed solution uses the Hyperledger Fabric Attribute-Based Access Control as the distributed ledger technology. Even though this solution is still in the proof-of-concept stage, the results show that adopting it would allow the elimination of intermediary entities, keep available tracking records of the resources exchanged, and improve trust among the symbiotic stakeholders (that do not have any trust or cooperation mechanisms established before the symbiotic relationship). This study highlights that the complexity associated with introducing a novel technology and the technology's immaturity compared to other data storage technologies are some of the main challenges related to using blockchain technology in additive symbiotic networks.

2024

Use of Visibility Graphs for the Early Detection of DoS Attacks

Authors
Lopes, J; Pinto, P; Partida, A; Pinto, A;

Publication
2024 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CYBER SECURITY AND RESILIENCE, CSR

Abstract
The world economy depends on information systems. Business value resides in the data stored on Information Technology (IT) systems and on the processes run with those data. Malicious actors target these IT systems to extract value out of them using different cyberattacks. Denial of Service (DoS) attacks are a common and harmful method to render IT systems connected to the Internet and, consequently, business processes running on top of them, unavailable. Cybersecurity researchers in the industry and academia are in search of early warning and detection systems to detect and mitigate these DoS attacks. This article proposes a novel early detection strategy for DoS attacks based on the information provided by Horizontal Visibility Graphs (HVG) and Natural Visibility Graphs (VG) obtained out of the network flows monitored at the receiving end of the attack. From the primary results obtained, this strategy can detect a DoS attack under 70ms and 30 packets. These results point out that the application HVGs and VGs is a relevant and promising research direction to prevent or mitigate the impact of a DoS attack.

2024

Utility Function for Assessing the Cost of Recovering from Ransomware Attacks

Authors
Pinto, L; Pinto, P; Pinto, A;

Publication
OPTIMIZATION, LEARNING ALGORITHMS AND APPLICATIONS, OL2A 2024, PT II

Abstract
Nowadays ransomware attacks have become one of the main problems organizations face. The threat of ransomware attacks, with their capacity to paralyze entire organizations, creates the need to develop a ransomware recovery utility function to help further prepare for the impact of such attacks and enhance the organization's knowledge and perception of risk. This work proposes a ransomware recovery utility function that aims to estimate the impact of a ransomware attack measured in manpower hours till recovery and taking into account different devices and different scenarios.

2024

Integrating Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) into Open 5G Core

Authors
Xavier, R; Silva, RS; Ribeiro, M; Moreira, W; Freitas, L; Oliveira, A Jr;

Publication
TELECOM

Abstract
Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) represents the central concept that enables the creation of new applications and services that bring the benefits of edge computing to networks and users. By implementing applications and services at the edge, close to users and their devices, it becomes possible to take advantage of extremely low latency, substantial bandwidth, and optimized resource usage. However, enabling this approach requires careful integration between the MEC framework and the open 5G core. This work is dedicated to designing a new service that extends the functionality of the Multi-Access Traffic Steering (MTS) API, acting as a strategic bridge between the realms of MEC and the 5G core. To accomplish this objective, we utilize free5GC (open-source project for 5G core) as our 5G core, deployed on the Kubernetes cluster. The proposed service is validated using this framework, involving scenarios of high user density. To conclude whether the discussed solution is valid, KPIs of 5G MEC applications described in the scientific community were sought to use as a comparison parameter. The results indicate that the service effectively addresses the described issues while demonstrating its feasibility in various use cases such as e-Health, Paramedic Support, Smart Home, and Smart Farms.

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