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Publications

2026

Energy-efficient meta-classifier model for log access anomaly detection in healthcare systems

Authors
Matos, M; Gomes, F; Nogueira, F; Almeida, F;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT COMPUTING AND CYBERNETICS

Abstract
PurposeDetecting anomalous access to electronic health records (EHRs) is critical for safeguarding patient privacy and ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations. Traditional anomaly detection methods often struggle in this domain due to extreme class imbalance, limited labelled data and the subtlety of insider threats. This study proposes a lightweight, hybrid anomaly detection framework that integrates unsupervised, supervised and rule-based approaches using a meta-classifier architecture.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental and model-development approach is employed, combining machine learning techniques with domain-inspired rule modelling to construct a hybrid anomaly detection framework for healthcare access logs. Performance of the algorithm is measured using standard classification metrics such as precision, recall, F1-score and accuracy.FindingsEvaluated on a synthetic but realistic dataset of 50.000 normal and 500 labelled anomalous healthcare access events, the proposed framework achieved superior performance compared to standalone models as well as other hybrid models, with an F1-score of 0.8989 and recall of 0.8180. It also maintained low inference latency (0.028 ms) and energy consumption (4.03e-07 kg CO2), making it suitable for deployment in resource-constrained clinical environments.Originality/valueThis study highlights the potential of a hybrid meta-classifier to enhance anomaly detection in healthcare access logs, capturing both subtle and obvious anomalies while outperforming conventional models and remaining efficient, scalable and practical for real-time monitoring.

2026

ICDAR 2025 Competition on Automatic Classification of Literary Epochs

Authors
Rabaev, I; Litvak, M; Bass, R; Campos, R; Jorge, AM; Jatowt, A;

Publication
DOCUMENT ANALYSIS AND RECOGNITION-ICDAR 2025, PT V

Abstract
This report describes the ICDAR 2025 Competition on Automatic Classification of Literary Epochs (ICDAR 2025 CoLiE), which consisted of two tasks focused on automatic prediction of the time in which a book was written (date of first publication). Both tasks comprised two sub-tasks, where a related fine-grained classification was addressed. Task 1 consisted of the identification of literary epochs, such as Romanticism or Modernism (sub-task 1.1), and a more precise classification of the period within the epoch (sub-task 1.2). Task 2 addressed the chronological identification of century (sub-task 2.1) or decade (sub-task 2.2). The compiled dataset and the reported findings are valuable to the scientific community and contribute to advancing research in the automatic dating of texts and its applications in digital humanities and temporal text analysis.

2026

MAPIC-A NEW COMPREHENSIVE METHODOLOGY FOR PROCESS IM-PROVEMENT

Authors
Avila, P; Monteiro, R; Mota, A; Castro, H; Ferreira, LP; Bastos, J; Fernandes, NO; Moreira, J; Sá, J;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR QUALITY RESEARCH

Abstract
The use of process improvement methodologies to assist and support the improvement of processes has proven to be an important mechanism for effectively implementing these improvements. However, there is difficulty in choosing the best methodology and to ensure that it will lead to the best improvement results. In this sense, the research questions of this work can be formulated as the following: H1-There are differences between the major process improvement methodologies and gaps not covered by them; H2-A new process improving methodology may mitigate the gaps identified in the existing process improvement methodologies. Comparing the main process improvement methodologies available in the literature, namely, PDCA, Six Sigma, DMAIC, QC Story, 8D, TOC and Lean, it was proven the research question H1. To validate the research question H2 a new process improvement methodology, the MAPIC, was then proposed and compared with the other methodologies. From a theoretical view point, the research question H2 was validated, because the MAPIC covers the existed gaps from the others methodologies, namely, that there is no phase to promote proactive continuous improvement, nor to validate the proposed improvement before its implementation. As for its practical validation, the MAPIC is being applied in a case study and the results will be presented in further work.

2026

Overview of the CLEF 2025 JOKER Lab: Humour in Machine

Authors
Ermakova, L; Campos, R; Bosser, AG; Miller, T;

Publication
EXPERIMENTAL IR MEETS MULTILINGUALITY, MULTIMODALITY, AND INTERACTION, CLEF 2025

Abstract
Humour poses a unique challenge for artificial intelligence, as it often relies on non-literal language, cultural references, and linguistic creativity. The JOKER Lab, now in its fourth year, aims to advance computational humour research through shared tasks on curated, multilingual datasets, with applications in education, computer-mediated communication and translation, and conversational AI. This paper provides an overview of the JOKER Lab held at CLEF 2025, detailing the setup and results of its three main tasks: (1) humour-aware information retrieval, which involves searching a document collection for humorous texts relevant to user queries in either English or Portuguese; (2) pun translation, focussed on humour-preserving translation of paronomastic jokes from English into French; and (3) onomastic wordplay translation, a task addressing the translation of name-based wordplay from English into French. The 2025 edition builds upon previous iterations by expanding datasets and emphasising nuanced, manual evaluation methods. The Task 1 results show a marked improvement this year, apparently due to participants' judicious combination of retrieval and filtering techniques. Tasks 2 and 3 remain challenging, not only in terms of system performance but also in terms of defining meaningful and reliable evaluation metrics.

2026

A stable ranking framework using historical Data Envelopment Analysis frontiers and Mahalanobis distance

Authors
Carvalhosa, S; Lucas, A;

Publication
Decision Analytics Journal

Abstract
Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) need performance-based methods to share locally generated energy to prevent free-riding, incentivize consumer behavior, and improve overall social well-being through sector interaction. We tackle the challenge of ranking REC members for local energy allocation factor purposes, based on multidimensional household waste sorting performance, where efficiency changes over time and trade-offs exist among waste streams. We created a ranking system that balances stability (for fairness) with responsiveness (to reward improvement), compensating the REC manager promoter (municipality). The method combines historical frontier analysis with Mahalanobis distance, following: (1) DEA-derived weights to combine inputs, (2) temporal frontiers for each waste stream, (3) projects current performance onto past benchmarks with a customized rolling window, (4) calculates multivariate z-scores through Mahalanobis distance, and (5) ranks members by their statistical distance from historical norms. The proposed methodology enhancement is verified with synthetic data from 30 households over 14 months, with 8 evaluation periods. It shows 71.4% rank category stability compared to 49.0% for monthly DEA, a 22.4 percentage point increase, while still detecting performance changes. The system accounts for output correlations, with mostly positive links between waste streams ((Formula presented) glass-packages, (Formula presented) glass-organic). Mahalanobis distance fairly rewards balanced performance across related dimensions. Sensitivity tests indicate that the approach is robust to variations in parameter choices. The framework provides a straightforward computational method (<1 s per evaluation) that yields rankings with statistical significance for consumer communication. It is the first framework designed specifically for temporal performance ranking in incentive allocation. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

2026

Condition maintenance and prediction system in an injection molding machine: a case study

Authors
Rebelo, D; Moreira, J; Farinha, JT; Nicola, S; Mota, A; Castro, H; Ferreira, LP; Bastos, J; Sá, JC; Avila, P;

Publication
JOURNAL OF QUALITY IN MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING

Abstract
PurposeIn an increasingly competitive market, equipment availability is a strategic variable for the competitiveness and success of companies. The objective of the research in this article is to present contributions to reduce unplanned production stoppages and optimise the operational efficiency of an injection moulding machine. This will be achieved by developing a systematic strategy to integrate predictive and condition-based maintenance systems with maintenance management software.Design/methodology/approachThe model developed is based on the continuous monitoring of electrical signals and vibrations, with the processing of data collected in real time through a script developed in Python. This integrates the information into the maintenance management software, facilitating a quick and accurate response to component wear conditions. The methodology employed was action research, as it was a case study developed in a real context, with active participation in development and implementation, with the aim of continuous improvement.FindingsIn August, a substantial increase was observed in the primary indicators: The mean time between failures (MTBF) increased by 97.36%, the mean time to repair (MTTR) increased by 313.31%, and the downtime was reduced by 65.04%. In December, although the figures were more moderate, significant improvements were maintained: The MTBF increased by 20%, the MTTR increased by 84%, and the downtime was reduced by 79%.Originality/valueThe findings of the study indicated that the implementation of a structured approach for the acquisition and monitoring of electrical signals and vibration data was imperative to achieve substantial gains.

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