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Publications

2024

Calibration and Modeling of the Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament for Diabetic Foot Management

Authors
Castro-Martins, P; Pinto-Coelho, L; Campilho, RDSG;

Publication
BIOENGINEERING-BASEL

Abstract
Diabetic foot is a serious complication that poses significant risks for diabetic patients. The resulting reduction in protective sensitivity in the plantar region requires early detection to prevent ulceration and ultimately amputation. The primary method employed for evaluating this sensitivity loss is the 10 gf Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test, commonly used as a first-line procedure. However, the lack of calibration in existing devices often introduces decision errors due to unreliable feedback. In this article, the mechanical behavior of a monofilament was analytically modeled, seeking to promote awareness of the impact of different factors on clinical decisions. Furthermore, a new device for the automation of the metrological evaluation of the monofilament is described. Specific testing methodologies, used for the proposed equipment, are also described, creating a solid base for the establishment of future calibration guidelines. The obtained results showed that the tested monofilaments had a very high error compared to the 10 gf declared by the manufacturers. To improve the precision and reliability of assessing the sensitivity loss, the frequent metrological calibration of the monofilament is crucial. The integration of automated verification, simulation capabilities, and precise measurements shows great promise for diabetic patients, reducing the likelihood of adverse outcomes.

2024

Flow Correlation Attacks on Tor Onion Service Sessions with Sliding Subset Sum

Authors
Lopes, D; Dong, JD; Medeiros, P; Castro, D; Barradas, D; Portela, B; Vinagre, J; Ferreira, B; Christin, N; Santos, N;

Publication
31st Annual Network and Distributed System Security Symposium, NDSS 2024, San Diego, California, USA, February 26 - March 1, 2024

Abstract

2024

Modelling Concept Drift in Dynamic Data Streams for Recommender Systems

Authors
Caroprese, L; Pisani, F; Veloso, BM; Konig, M; Manco, G; Hoos, H; Gama, J;

Publication
ACM Transactions on Recommender Systems

Abstract
Recommendation systems play a crucial role in modern e-commerce and streaming services. However, the limited availability of public datasets hampers the rapid development of more efficient and accurate recommendation algorithms within the research community. This work introduces a stream-based data generator designed to generate user preferences for a set of items while accommodating progressive changes in user preferences. The underlying principle involves using user/item embeddings to derive preferences by exploring the proximity of these embeddings. Whether randomly generated or learned from a real finite data stream, these embeddings serve as the basis for generating new preferences. We investigate how this fundamental model can adapt to shifts in user behavior over time; in our framework, changes correspond to alterations in the structure of the tripartite graph, reflecting modifications in the underlying embeddings. Through an analysis of real-life data streams, we demonstrate that the proposed model is effective in capturing actual preferences and the changes that they can exhibit over time. Thus, we characterize these changes and develop a generalized method capable of simulating realistic data, thereby generating streams with similar yet controllable drift dynamics.

2024

The Role of Batteries in Maximizing Green Hydrogen Production with Power Flow Tracing

Authors
Dudkina E.; Villar J.; Bessa R.J.; Crisostomi E.;

Publication
4th International Conference on Smart Grid and Renewable Energy, SGRE 2024 - Proceedings

Abstract
Hydrogen is currently getting more and more attention in the European climate strategy as a promising enabling technology to decarbonize industry, transport sector and to provide a long-term, high-capacity energy storage solution. However, to truly contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, hydrogen must be produced respecting a principle of additionality, to ensure that it is produced using renewable energy sources and that its production does not decrease the green energy supplied to other loads. This study tracks the share of renewables generation in the energy mix used to produce hydrogen by applying a power flow tracing technique integrated with an optimal power flow analysis. This method allows the minimization of the system operation costs, while maximizing the green hydrogen production and considering the additionality principle. The system cost function is also modified to include the sizing and allocation of conventional batteries in the grid, and assess their ability to further increase the share of green energy in hydrogen production.

2024

Points of interest in the city of Barcelos in Portugal through augmented reality

Authors
Pereira M.; Silva J.C.; Pinheiro M.; Carvalho S.; Santos G.;

Publication
Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems

Abstract
Barcelos is a historic city in Portugal with many tourist attractions, attracting more and more visitors who come to the city with the aim of exploring it. The main objective of this article is to boost tourism in the city of Barcelos, specifically highlighting tourist, historical and leisure spots, based on the development of a mobile application using augmented reality technologies and geolocation. This application intends to allow the users to know historical points of interest in Barcelos, as well as interact with a certain point. The results of this investigation were evaluated by testing the application by end users, with the aim of identifying whether the application meets their needs, in particular the promotion of tourist and historical points.

2024

Quantum advantage in temporally flat measurement-based quantum computation

Authors
de Oliveira, M; Barbosa, LS; Galvao, EF;

Publication
QUANTUM

Abstract
Several classes of quantum circuits have been shown to provide a quantum computational advantage under certain assumptions. The study of ever more restricted classes of quantum circuits capable of quantum advantage is motivated by possible simplifications in experimental demonstrations. In this paper we study the efficiency of measurement-based quantum computation with a completely flat temporal ordering of measurements. We propose new constructions for the deterministic computation of arbitrary Boolean functions, drawing on correlations present in multi-qubit Greenberger, Horne, and Zeilinger (GHZ) states. We characterize the necessary measurement complexity using the Clifford hierarchy, and also generally decrease the number of qubits needed with respect to previous constructions. In particular, we identify a family of Boolean functions for which deterministic evaluation using non-adaptive MBQC is possible, featuring quantum advantage in width and number of gates with respect to classical circuits.

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