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Publications

2024

Plantar pressure thresholds as a strategy to prevent diabetic foot ulcers: A systematic review

Authors
Castro Martins, P; Marques, A; Coelho, L; Vaz, M; Costa, JT;

Publication
HELIYON

Abstract
Background: The development of ulcers in the plantar region of the diabetic foot originates mainly from sites subjected to high pressure. The monitoring of these events using maximum allowable pressure thresholds is a fundamental procedure in the prevention of ulceration and its recurrence. Objective: The aim of this review was to identify data in the literature that reveal an objective threshold of plantar pressure in the diabetic foot, where pressure is classified as promoting ulceration. The aim is not to determine the best and only pressure threshold for ulceration, but rather to clarify the threshold values most used in clinical practice and research, also considering the devices used and possible applications for offloading plantar pressure. Design: A systematic review. Methods: The search was performed in three electronic databases, by the PRISMA methodology, for studies that used a pressure threshold to minimize the risk of ulceration in the diabetic foot. The selected studies were subjected to eligibility criteria. Results: Twenty-six studies were included in this review. Seven thresholds were identified, five of which are intended for the inside of the shoe: a threshold of average peak pressure of 200 kPa; 25 % and 40-80 % reduction from initial baseline pressure; 32-35 mm Hg for a capillary perfusion pressure; and a matrix of thresholds based on patient risk, shoe size and foot region. Two other thresholds are intended for the barefoot, 450 and 750 kPa. The threshold of 200 kPa of pressure inside the shoe is the most agreed upon among the studies. Regarding the prevention of ulceration and its recurrence, the efficacy of the proposed threshold matrix and the threshold of reducing baseline pressure by 40-80 % has not yet been evaluated, and the evidence for the remaining thresholds still needs further studies. Conclusions: Some heterogeneity was found in the studies, especially regarding the measurement systems used, the number of regions of interest and the number of steps to be considered for the threshold. Even so, this review reveals the way forward to obtain a threshold indicative of an effective steppingstone in the prevention of diabetic foot ulcer.

2024

A Value-Oriented Framework for Return Evaluation of Industry 4.0 Projects

Authors
Tostes, AD; Azevedo, A;

Publication
FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION AND INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING: ESTABLISHING BRIDGES FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS, FAIM 2023, VOL 1

Abstract
Organizations can transform their businesses and create more value by adopting Industry 4.0 initiatives. During evaluating these projects, the decision-maker must assess significant uncertainties (risks) resulting from socio-technical, economic, and financial factors. One of the main objectives of this study was to identify the necessary building blocks to develop a framework for project implementation in high-risk scenarios, as in the case of Industry 4.0. A multi-criteria framework divided into three stages was proposed, integrating knowledge from Front-End-Innovation (FEI), Innovation Decision Process (IDP), Traditional Project Evaluation Methods, and Real Options Valuation (ROV). The first step is to identify an investment opportunity. The second step is the definition of a business model. The third step is the simulation of different implementation strategies to give managerial flexibility to decision-makers to decide the best strategy to mitigate risks. A real case study was used to test the framework. According to the results, managers can use this framework to create different project implementation scenarios and determine the best strategy to mitigate risks. However, we must still understand whether uncertainties behave discretely, dynamically, or both, the interactions between elements, and how to calculate them to improve our model.

2024

Application of vision transformers in the early detection of excavation in the BRSET base

Authors
Ferreira, JS; Fernandes, MM; Leite, DDL; Gonzalez, D; da Camara, JCJCR; Rodrigues, JJR; Cunha, AAC;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY AND FIGHTING INFO-EXCLUSION, DSAI 2024

Abstract
Enlarged excavation of the optic papilla, caused by the loss of fibres that originate in the retina and transmit electrical stimuli to the visual cortex, is a critical indicator in the early detection of glaucoma, a disease that can lead to irreversible blindness. As the optic papilla shows morphological variations in the population, its identification can be a challenge. Methods based on deep learning have shown promise in helping doctors analyse these images more accurately. Recently, models such as Vision Transformers (ViT) have shown significant results in various medical applications, including glaucoma detection. However, the scarcity of quality data remains a major obstacle to training these models. This study evaluated the performance of the Swin Transformer, DeiT and Linformer models in detecting optic papilla excavation, using the new Brazilian Multilabel Ophthalmological Dataset (BRSET). The results showed that the DeiT model obtained the best accuracy, with 0.94, followed by the Swin Transformer, with 0.88, and the Linformer, with 0.85. The findings of this study suggest that ViT models can not only significantly improve the detection of glaucomatous papillary excavation, but also strengthen Human-Machine Collaboration, promoting more effective interaction between doctors and automated systems in medical diagnosis.

2024

Hybrid Energy Storage System Dispatch Optimization for Cost and Environmental Impact Analysis

Authors
Preto, M; Lucas, A; Benedicto, P;

Publication
ENERGIES

Abstract
Incorporating renewables in the power grid presents challenges for stability, reliability, and operational efficiency. Integrating energy storage systems (ESSs) offers a solution by managing unpredictable loads, enhancing reliability, and serving the grid. Hybrid storage solutions have gained attention for specific applications, suggesting higher performance in some respects. This article compares the performance of hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs) to a single battery, evaluating their energy supply cost and environmental impact through optimization problems. The optimization model is based on a MILP incorporating the energy and degradation terms. It generates an optimized dispatch, minimizing cost or environmental impact of supplying energy to a generic load. Seven technologies are assessed, with an example applied to an industrial site combining a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) and lithium battery considering the demand of a local load (building). The results indicate that efficiency and degradation curves have the highest impact in the final costs and environmental functions on the various storage technologies assessed. For the simulations of the example case, a single system only outperforms the hybrid system in cases where lithium efficiency is higher than approximately 87% and vanadium is lower approximately 82%.

2024

15th Workshop on Parallel Programming and Run-Time Management Techniques for Many-Core Architectures and 13th Workshop on Design Tools and Architectures for Multicore Embedded Computing Platforms, PARMA-DITAM 2024, Munich, Germany, January 18, 2024

Authors
Bispo, J; Xydis, S; Curzel, S; Sousa, LM;

Publication
PARMA-DITAM

Abstract

2024

Symbolic Data Analysis to Improve Completeness of Model Combination Methods

Authors
Strecht, P; Mendes Moreira, J; Soares, C;

Publication
ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AI 2023, PT II

Abstract
A growing number of organizations are adopting a strategy of breaking down large data analysis problems into specific sub-problems, tailoring models for each. However, handling a large number of individual models can pose challenges in understanding organization-wide phenomena. Recent studies focus on using decision trees to create a consensus model by aggregating local decision trees into sets of rules. Despite efforts, the resulting models may still be incomplete, i.e., not able to cover the entire decision space. This paper explores methodologies to tackle this issue by generating complete consensus models from incomplete rule sets, relying on rough estimates of the distribution of independent variables. Two approaches are introduced: synthetic dataset creation followed by decision tree training and a specialized algorithm for creating a decision tree from symbolic data. The feasibility of generating complete decision trees is demonstrated, along with an empirical evaluation on a number of datasets.

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