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Publications

2026

Outlier Analysis in Personnel Attendance Timesheet Records

Authors
Gonçalo Duarte Nunes; João Pinto da Silva; Leandro Magalhães; Ricardo Sousa;

Publication
SSRN Electronic Journal

Abstract
?Accurate recording of employee working hours is fundamental for workforce management, operational planning, and regulatory compliance. Despite the widespread adoption of digital time-tracking systems, timesheet records remain susceptible to irregularities that can distort labor metrics, productivity indicators, and cost estimations. This study proposes a domain-informed analytical framework for detecting, classifying, and interpreting anomalous entries in employee attendance data.The methodology integrates outlier detection with operational context in a structured workflow. First, six relative deviation features are engineered to capture directional differences between planned and recorded work and lunch periods, including start times, end times, and durations. These features are normalized to ensure comparability across heterogeneous shifts. Second, univariate Tukey’s fences are applied to identify mild and extreme outliers for each deviation feature. Extreme outliers are interpreted as potential measurement errors, whereas mild outliers are classified according to domain-defined directional rules as either operationally acceptable or operationally detrimental deviations. Third, unauthorized deviations are analyzed using Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (HDBSCAN) to reveal recurring behavioral patterns within the multidimensional deviation space. Finally, employee-level behavioral risk is quantified through a normalized Severity Index based on the frequency of unauthorized deviations relative to attendance frequency, enabling both global ranking and temporal monitoring.Applied to 4,726 anonymized timesheet records, the proposed approach effectively distinguishes measurement errors, acceptable deviations, and operationally detrimental behaviors while revealing structured patterns of noncompliance. By integrating robust statistics with domain knowledge, it enables scalable attendance analytics and workforce governance.

2026

An Explosion of the Uses of Immersive Learning Environments: A Mapping of Reviews Update

Authors
Beck, D; Morgado, L; O'Shea, P;

Publication
IMMERSIVE LEARNING RESEARCH NETWORK, ILRN 2025

Abstract
Since the publication of the 2020 paper, Finding the Gaps About Uses of Immersive Learning Environments: A Survey of Surveys, the landscape of immersive learning environments (ILEs) has continued to evolve rapidly. This update aims to revisit the gaps identified in that previous research and explore emerging trends. We conducted an extensive review of new surveys published after that paper's cut date. Our findings reveal a significant amount of new published reviews (n = 64), more than doubling the original corpus (n = 47). The results highlighted novel themes of usage of immersive environments, helping bridge some 2020 research gaps. This paper discusses those developments and presents a consolidated perspective on the uses of immersive learning environments.

2026

A Power-Conditioned Pricing Electricity Tariff to Restore Consumption Incentives under Revenue Neutrality

Authors
Fidalgo, JNM; Saraiva, J;

Publication

Abstract
Current residential electricity tariffs often combine a flat energy price with a fixed charge linked to contracted power, resulting in electricity bills that are weakly responsive to changes in consumption. This lack of proportionality reduces incentives for energy savings and may undermine demand-side efficiency.This paper proposes a novel Power-Conditioned Pricing (PCP) tariff, in which unit energy prices depend on the power level at which electricity is consumed. By associating higher prices with higher consumption intensity, the proposed tariff introduces progressivity while preserving transparency and regulatory feasibility. The tariff is calibrated to ensure revenue neutrality with respect to the current tariff for each contracted power level.Two complementary calibration strategies are analysed: a profile-based approach using representative regulatory load profiles, and an empirical approach based on statistical distributions derived from real consumer data. To assess consumer responsiveness, electricity bills are evaluated under both vertical and horizontal consumption adjustment models.Results show that bill elasticity increases from values between 0.43–0.73 under the current tariff to values close to unity under PCP, while maintaining revenue neutrality across contracted power levels. These findings suggest that power-conditioned pricing constitutes a promising alternative to current residential tariff structures, better aligned with energy-efficiency and conservation objectives.

2026

Reconfiguring Staggered Quantum Walks with ZX

Authors
Jardim, B; Santos, J; Barbosa, LS;

Publication
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AND FORMAL METHODS. SEFM 2024 COLLOCATED WORKSHOPS

Abstract
The staggered model is a recent, very general variant of discrete-time quantum walks which, avoiding the use of a coin to direct the walker evolution, explores the underlying graph structure to build an evolution operator based on local unitaries induced by adjacent vertices. Optimising their implementation to increase resilience to decoherence phenomena motivates their analysis with the ZX-calculus. The whole optimisation can be seen as a graph reconfiguration process along which the original circuit is rewrote, significantly reducing the number of (expensive) gates used. The exercise identified an underlying pattern leading to an alternative, potentially more efficient evolution operator.

2026

Paraconsistent Reactive Graphs

Authors
Cunha, J; Madeira, A; Barbosa, LS;

Publication
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AND FORMAL METHODS. SEFM 2024 COLLOCATED WORKSHOPS

Abstract
This paper introduces Paraconsistent Reactive Graphs, as an extension of Reactive graphs that incorporates paraconsistency into the ground edges to address vagueness and inconsistency within dynamic systems. By assigning pairs of truth values to ground edges, this framework captures the uncertainty and contradictions stemming from incomplete or conflicting information. We explore the semantics of these graphs and provide a practical example to illustrate the proposed approach.

2026

Technological solutions for multiple sclerosis: a scoping review

Authors
Lima, B; Guimaraes, J; Fernandes, CS; Ferreira, MC;

Publication
International Journal of Medical Informatics

Abstract
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects nearly 3 million people worldwide. It can lead to cognitive impairment, physical disability, and a reduced quality of life. Technological innovations have demonstrated significant potential in supporting individuals living with chronic conditions, including MS. Purpose: This study aims to synthesize existing evidence on technological solutions designed to support people with MS across various aspects of disease management and daily living. Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Forty-nine studies were included. These studies investigated a wide range of technologies, such as mobile applications, websites, video games, wearables, and virtual reality, used to support individuals with MS in several domains, including fatigue, cognition, mental health, motor function, physical activity, medication and treatment adherence, and communication and decision-making. Conclusion: This study highlights the growing role of technological solutions in supporting assessment, self- management, health literacy, and telerehabilitation for people with MS. Continued research is essential to enhance the development, adoption, and long-term effectiveness of these technologies in promoting sustainable self-management of the condition. © 2026 The Author(s)

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