Cookies
O website necessita de alguns cookies e outros recursos semelhantes para funcionar. Caso o permita, o INESC TEC irá utilizar cookies para recolher dados sobre as suas visitas, contribuindo, assim, para estatísticas agregadas que permitem melhorar o nosso serviço. Ver mais
Aceitar Rejeitar
  • Menu
Publicações

2025

Is school lunch participation associated with higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and healthier body weight? – a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the R23 project

Autores
Espanhol, R; Jacinto Soares, C; MPM Oliveira, B; Torres, D; João Gregório, M;

Publicação
Acta Portuguesa de Nutrição

Abstract
Introduction: School lunches are essential in promoting a sustainable, healthy diet for children. However, students’ adherence in developed countries is modest. Objectives: A cross-sectional study with the objective of evaluating school lunch participation and exploring the factors influencing participation and its associations with sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, body weight, and adherence to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern. Methodology: Baseline results from the R23 project, collected during the first five weeks of the 2022/23 school year, were used. In total, 806 students, aged 10–16 years, from the 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education in Portugal, Benavente, participated in this study. Using a face-to-face structured questionnaire, students’ sociodemographic data, socioeconomic status, adherence to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern, and school lunch participation were assessed. Daily school lunch participation was obtained via the school lunch booking service. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height and waist circumference) were performed on all students with signed consent forms. Results: The school lunch participation rate was 25.3%. Overall, 39.1% of students reported never attending the school canteen. Only 27% of the students eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meals had an effective adherence to school lunch, and the non-participation rate in this group was 31%. Key barriers included living near to school and dissatisfaction with meal quality. Students' school lunch participation was significantly associated with age, grade, eligibility for Free or Reduced-Price Meals, and adherence to Mediterranean Dietary Pattern. Younger students and students eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meals went to the canteen more often. While school lunch participation was positively and significantly associated with higher adherence to Mediterranean Dietary Pattern, no significant relationship was observed with body mass index or waist-to-height ratio. Students with greater adherence to Mediterranean Dietary Pattern displayed healthier body mass index and waist-to-height ratio. Conclusions: School lunch participation among adolescents was low, but increased participation was associated with higher adherence to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern. These findings highlight the importance of school lunches in promoting healthier eating habits.

2025

JEMA-SINDYc: End-to-end Control using Joint Embedding Multimodal Alignment in Directed Energy Deposition

Autores
Sousa, J; Brandau, B; Hemschik, R; Darabi, R; Sousa, A; Reis, LP; Brueckner, F; Reis, A;

Publicação
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Abstract
Bringing AI models from digital to real-world applications presents significant challenges due to the complexity and variability of physical environments, often leading to unexpected model behaviors. We propose a framework that learns to translate images into control actions by modeling multimodal real-time data and system dynamics. This end-to-end controller offers enhanced explainability and robustness, making it well suited for complex manufacturing processes. This end-to-end framework differs from traditional approaches that rely on manually engineered features by learning complex relationships directly from raw data. Labels are only required during training to define the observable feature to be optimized. This adaptability significantly reduces development time and enhances scalability across varying conditions. This approach was tested in the Directed Energy Deposition (L-DED) process, a laser-based metal additive manufacturing technique that produces near-net-shape parts with exceptional energy efficiency and flexibility in both geometry and material selection. L-DED is inherently complex, involving multiphysics interactions, multiscale phenomena, and dynamic behaviors, which make modeling and optimization difficult. Effective control is crucial to ensure part quality in this dynamic environment. To address these challenges, we introduce Joint Embedding Multimodal Alignment with Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics for control (JEMA-SINDYc). It combines an image-based JEMA monitoring model, which predicts the melt pool size using only the on-axis sensor with labels provided by the off-axis camera, and dynamic modeling using SINDYc, which acts as a World Model by capturing system dynamics within the embedding space. Together, these components enable the development of an advanced controller trained via Behavioral Cloning. This approach improves part quality by minimizing porosity and reducing deformation. Thin-walled cylindrical parts were produced to validate and compare this approach with other control strategies, including both open-loop and JEMA-PID. This framework improves the reliability of AI-driven manufacturing and enhances control of complex industrial processes, potentially enabling wider adoption of the process.

2025

Forecasting Power Demand in Complex Buildings Using Machine Learning: A Shopping Center Case Study

Autores
Palley, B; Bernardo, H; Martins, JP; Rossetti, R;

Publicação
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION FOR AI-POWERED CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS, DOCEIS 2025

Abstract
Recent studies have focused on forecasting power demand in buildings to enhance energy management. However, the literature still lacks comparative analyses of power demand forecasting algorithms. In addition, more case studies involving different building typologies are needed, as each building exhibits distinct behavior and load profiles. This paper aims to develop machine learning models to forecast the power demand of a large shopping center in the northern region of Portugal. The main objective is to compare the performance of several machine learning models. The results are promising, demonstrating adequate performance even during most holidays.

2025

Solving Logistical Challenges in Raw Material Reception: An Optimization and Heuristic Approach Combining Revenue Management Principles with Scheduling Techniques

Autores
Gomes, R; Silva, RG; Amorim, P;

Publicação
MATHEMATICS

Abstract
The cost of transportation of raw materials is a significant part of the procurement costs in the forestry industry. As a result, routing and scheduling techniques were introduced to the transportation of raw materials from extraction sites to transformation mills. However, little to no attention has been given to date to the material reception process at the mill. Another factor that motivated this study was the formation of large waiting queues at the mill gates and docks. Queues increase the reception time and associated costs. This work presents the development of a scheduling and reception system for deliveries at a mill. The scheduling system is based on Trucking Appointment Systems (TAS), commonly used at maritime ports, and on revenue management concepts. The developed system allocates each delivery to a timeslot and to an unloading dock using revenue management concepts. Each delivery is segmented according to its priority. Higher-segment deliveries have priority when there are multiple candidates to be allocated for one timeslot. The developed scheduling system was tested on a set of 120 daily deliveries at a Portuguese paper pulp mill and led to a reduction of 66% in the daily reception cost when compared to a first-in, first-out (FIFO) allocation approach. The average waiting time was also significantly reduced, especially in the case of high-priority trucks.

2025

Optimization of Magnetoplasmonic Behavior in Ag/Fe Bilayer Nanostructures Towards Refractometric Sensing

Autores
Carvalho, JPM; Dias, BS; Coelho, LCC; de Almeida, JMMM;

Publicação
SENSORS

Abstract
Magneto-optic surface plasmon resonances (MOSPRs) rely on the interaction of magnetic fields with surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) to modulate plasmonic bands with magnetic fields and enhance magneto-optical activity. In the present work, a study on the magnetoplasmonic behavior of Ag/Fe bilayers is carried out by VIS-NIR spectroscopy and backed with SQUID measurements, determining the thickness-dependent magnetization of thin-film samples. The MOSPR sensing properties of Ag/Fe planar bilayers are simulated using Berreman's matrix formalism, from which an optimized structure composed of 15 nm of Ag and 12.5 nm of Fe is obtained. The selected structure is fabricated and characterized for refractive index (RI) sensitivity, reaching 4946 RIU-1 and returning an effective enhancement of refractometric sensitivity after magneto-optical modulation. A new optimized and cobalt-free magnetoplasmonic Ag/Fe bilayer structure is studied, fabricated, and characterized for the first time towards refractometric sensing, to the best of our knowledge. This configuration exhibits potential for enhancing refractometric sensitivity via magneto-optical modulation, thus paving the way towards a simpler, more accessible, and safe type of RI sensor with potential applications in chemical sensors and biosensors.

2025

A Novel MCDM Approach to Integrating Human Factors into Evacuation Models: Enhancing Emergency Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations

Autores
Reyes-Norambuena, P; Martinez-Torres, J; Pinto, AA; Yazdi, AK; Hanne, T;

Publicação
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL

Abstract
This research determines how to integrate factors related to evacuation in emergency preparedness using techniques for Multicriteria Decision-Making (MCDM). A distinctive MCDM technique that incorporates human behavior into evacuation models enhances decision-making and safety during emergencies, especially in vulnerable populations. For this purpose, a hybrid combination of MCDM methods-CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS)-is used to rank the vulnerability of Chilean regions by considering various factors. First, the related factors are ranked by CRITIC, and the result is that the psychosocial problem factor has the highest priority and weight. Then, according to the hybrid methods and CRITIC, all regions of Chile are ranked first with TOPSIS, WASPAS, and a combination of them to determine which one has the highest priority. The results show that the Santiago Metropolitan Region has the highest priority for vulnerability in all three methods.

  • 29
  • 4401