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Publications

2020

The Power of Digitalization: The Netflix Story

Authors
Au Yong Oliveira, M; Marinheiro, M; Costa Tavares, JA;

Publication
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Abstract
The evolution of technology, and mainly the evolution of the Internet, has improved the way business is done. Nowadays, most services are offered through a website or through an app, as it is much more convenient and suitable for the customer. This business transformation made it possible to get a faster and cheaper service, and companies had to adapt to the change, in order to fulfill customers’ requirements. In this context, this paper relates to this digital transformation, focusing on a case study about Netflix, a former DVD rental company and currently an online streaming leader. We aimed to understand Netflix’s behavior alongside this digital wave. Thus, we performed a survey, which had 74 answers, mainly from Portugal, but also from Spain, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, Georgia and Malaysia. Of the people who answered the survey, 90.1% were stream consumers, but only 59.1% had premium TV channels. From those 90.1%, 58.3% also said that they watched streams between two and four times per week, but the majority of premium TV channel subscribers (63.8%) replied that they watch TV less than twice in a week. We see a trend in which the traditional TV industry is in decline and streaming as a service has increased in popularity. Consumer habits are changing, and people are getting used to the digitalization era. Netflix is also confirmed in our survey as the market leader of the entertainment distribution business, as stated in the literature, and the biggest strength of this platform is its content. © 2020, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

2020

Learning path personalization and recommendation methods: A survey of the state-of-the-art

Authors
Nabizadeh, AH; Leal, JP; Rafsanjani, HN; Shah, RR;

Publication
EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS

Abstract
A learning path is the implementation of a curriculum design. It consists of a set of learning activities that help users achieve particular learning goals. Personalizing these paths became a significant task due to differences in users' limitations, backgrounds, goals, etc. Since the last decade, researchers have proposed a variety of learning path personalization methods using different techniques and approaches. In this paper, we present an overview of the methods that are applied to personalize learning paths as well as their advantages and disadvantages. The main parameters for personalizing learning paths are also described. In addition, we present approaches that are used to evaluate path personalization methods. Finally, we highlight the most significant challenges of these methods, which need to be tackled in order to enhance the quality of the personalization.

2020

A Generalized Matlab/ROS/Robotic Platform Framework for Teaching Robotics

Authors
Rosillo, N; Montes, N; Alves, JP; Fonseca Ferreira, NMF;

Publication
ROBOTICS IN EDUCATION: CURRENT RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONS

Abstract
In previous works, an educational platform based on Matlab/Simulink/Lego EV3 has been developed that allows interacting in real time with the robot. However, this platform is limited to the capacity of Simulink to adapt to different robotic devices, limiting its use to LEGO and Arduino or Rasberry Pi robots. In this paper we present a generalization of this platform to any type of robot, based on Matlab/ROS/Robot. Robot Operating System (ROS) is a robotic middleware, that is, a collection of frameworks for software development of robots [4]. Despite not being an operating system, ROS provides standard services such as hardware abstraction, control of low-level devices, etc. MATLAB (R) support for ROS is a library of functions that allows you to exchange data with ROS-enabled physical robots. Matlab/ROS/Robot interaction is tested in a generic robot with Arduino Mega and Raspberry Pi 3, demonstrating the viability of the presented educational robotic platform.

2020

Teaching Cardiopulmonary Auscultation to Medical Students using a Virtual Patient Simulation Technology

Authors
Pereira, D; Ferreira, MJ; Cruz Correia, RJ; Coimbra, MT;

Publication
EMBC

Abstract
The teaching process of auscultation is complex in itself, and difficult to operate since it requires a wide spectrum of patients with the most diverse cardiopulmonary pathologies, readily available during teaching and assessment hours, for an ever-growing number of medical students. In this paper we will focus on how virtual patient technologies can promote the evolution of the current teaching methodologies, promoting better learning. The chosen methodology was: a) a review of available medical simulation technologies for auscultation teaching; b) a case study illustrating how a virtual patient simulation technology has been successfully used to teach and certify auscultation skills. Results show the positive impact and high acceptability of virtual patient simulation technologies in the teaching of auscultation to medical students.

2020

Demonstration of a Filterless, Multi-Point, and Temperature-Independent Fiber Bragg Grating Dynamical Demodulator Using Pulse-Width Modulation

Authors
Rosolem, JB; Argentato, MC; Bassan, FR; Penze, RS; Floridia, C; Silva, AdA; Vasconcelos, D; Ramos Junior, MA;

Publication
Sensors

Abstract
We demonstrated in this work a filterless, multi-point and temperature-independent FBG (fiber Bragg grating) dynamical demodulator using pulse-width-modulation (PWM). In this approach, the FBG interrogation system is composed of a tunable laser and a demodulator that is designed to detect the wavelength shift of the FBG sensor without any optical filter making it very suitable to be used in harsh environments. In this work, we applied the proposed method that uses the PWM technique for FBG sensors placed in high pressure and high-temperature environments. The proposed method was characterized in the laboratory using an FBG sensor modulated in a frequency of 6 Hz, with a 1 kHz sweeping frequency in the wavelength range from 1527 to 1534 nm. Also, the method was evaluated in a field test in an engine of a thermoelectric power plant.

2020

The Use of Social Media in the Recruitment Process

Authors
Sharaburyak, V; Moreira, G; Reis, M; Silva, P; Au Yong Oliveira, M;

Publication
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Abstract
Social media platforms have been increasingly used by companies, over the past few years, in order to make their recruitment and selection process more efficient. The aim is to gather more data about the applicants’ competences and personality traits, assuring that they are hiring the right candidates. Nevertheless, this method may be controversial since it can lead to different legal and ethical issues such as discrimination and invasion of privacy. Additionally, some problems may arise regarding the validity and fairness of the information found in such platforms. As Facebook is the most frequently used social platform among students and recently employed workers, we chose it as the main focus of our survey (which had 212 answers), in order to understand the applicants’ point of view about this subject. The main conclusions were that the majority of the respondents affirmed being aware of this practice, despite not agreeing with it; and, also, they do not believe that this is a good tool to evaluate their potential. Finally, our participants’ answers also led us to conclude that there could be contradictions regarding their judgement about the accessing of personal information by firms on Facebook. 76,9% of our respondents affirmed that they usually assess the profile of people who send them friend requests. Our respondents consider the use of Facebook during the selection process as being unethical, even though they assess others’ profiles and search for information themselves. © 2020, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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