Abstract

Abstract
Recent advancements in the IoT domain have been pushing for stronger demands of Quality-of-Service (QoS) and in particular for improved determinism for time-critical wireless communications under power constraints. The IEEE 802.15.4e standard protocol introduced several new MAC behaviors that provide enhanced time-critical and reliable communications. The Deterministic Synchronous Multichannel Extension (DSME) is one of its prominent MAC behaviors that combines contention-based and contention-free communication, guaranteeing bounded delays and improved reliability and scalability by leveraging multi-channel access and CAP reduction. However, DSME has a multi-superframe structure, which is statically defined at the beginning of the network. As the network evolves dynamically by changing its traffic characteristics, these static settings can affect the overall throughput and increase the network delay because of improper allocation of bandwidth. In this paper, we address this problem, and we present a dynamic multi-superframe tuning technique that dynamically adapts the multi-superframe structure based on the size of the network. This technique improves the QoS by providing 15-30% increase in throughput and 15-35% decrease in delay when compared to static DSME networks.

Abstract
Integration in the world of sport is one way for individuals with disabilities or motor disorders to feel more socially integrated, independent, and confident. Boccia is a Paralympic sport, which is increasingly getting more attention around the world. These facts have contributed to the objectives of this work. Including it in the serious games category enables to develop and rehabilitate the cognitive capabilities. The main focus was BC3 classification athletes (users with limited motor characteristics that require the use of an assistive device-a ramp, in this case). This paper describes a realistic Boccia game simulator adapted for people with disabilities that integrates a set of features that includes real physics and social features. These features can be used to enhance the interest of nonpractitioners of the sport and to improve the training conditions. The official Boccia regulation was added to the design of the simulator. The usability and approximation to the reality of the simulator were tested and validated based on the tests performed and data collected via a survey of users with no motor or psychological disorders. Realism and usability rating was almost excellent, and good results were achieved at the assessment of the game experience.

Abstract
Low oil and gas prices have motivated petroleum executives to look into cost reduction in their supply chains more seriously. To this end, a technology considered in hydrocarbon exploration is data science. There are three exploration-related geoscientific domains in which data science is applied: surface geology, structural geology and reservoir property issues. This research provides an in-depth perspective on data science applications in these domains by considering a variety of work in each of them. The result is an understanding of the specific geoscientific problems studied in the literature along with the relative data science models. This way, this work tries to lay the ground for a mutual understanding on oil and gas exploration between the data scientists and geoscientists.

Abstract
Waist circumference (WC) has been associated with cardiometabolic diseases. We aim to develop WC references for age and gender in youngsters in Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal (RAM). A cross-sectional study was developed in two phases. Between May 2004 and May 2005 (in 1st cycle schools) and between October 2007 and June 2009 (in 2nd and 3rd cycle, and secondary and professional schools). A representative sample of 6987 individuals was gathered, with 3532 girls and 3455 boys aged from 6 to 18 years old. WC was measured with a non-elastic tape at the midpoint between the iliac crest and the last rib. To elaborate smoothed percentiles and z-scores curves for age and gender, values were estimated between 72 and 225 months (every three months) using the LMS statistical procedure, with the exponent of the Box-Cox (L), the median (M), and coefficient of variation generalized (S) through LMSChartMaker software, version 2.76. Mean and standard deviation and charts of smoothed percentiles curves (P3, P5, P10, P25, P50, P75, P85, P90, P95 and P97) and z-scores (-2, -1, 0, 1 and 2) are presented by age and gender. These references constitute a new tool to assess cardiometabolic risk of RAM's children and adolescents.

Abstract
The coordination problem in multi-AGV systems can be approached as an optimization problem and aims to make possible the execution of several tasks simultaneously, avoiding collision and deadlock situations and reducing the average execution time. Time Enhanced A* (TEA*) is one of the path planning algorithms developed for this purpose. This paper focus on the implementation of the TEA* for real industrial applications. In that context, a new approach was developed to complement the TEA* with the capacity to approximate the planning of the future positions for differential robots with its real behaviour.