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Publications

2022

Effect of User Expectation on Mobile App Privacy: A Field Study

Authors
Mendes, R; Brandao, A; Vilela, JP; Beresford, AR;

Publication
2022 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PERVASIVE COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATIONS (PERCOM)

Abstract
Runtime permission managers for mobile devices allow requests to be performed at the time in which permissions are required, thus enabling the user to grant/deny requests in context according to their expectations. However, in order to avoid cognitive overload, second and subsequent requests are usually automatically granted without user intervention/awareness. This paper explores whether these automated decisions fit user expectations. We performed a field study with 93 participants to collect their privacy decisions, the surrounding context and whether each request was expected. The collected 65261 permission decisions revealed a strong misalignment between apps' practices and expectation as almost half of requests are unexpected by users. This ratio strongly varies with the requested permission, the category and visibility of the requesting application and the user itself; that is, expectation is subjective to each individual. Moreover, privacy decisions are most strongly correlated with user expectation, but such correlation is also highly personal. Finally, Android's default permission manager would have violated the privacy of our participants 15% of the time.

2022

LiveRef: a Tool for Live Refactoring Java Code

Authors
Fernandes, S; Aguiar, A; Restivo, A;

Publication
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 37TH IEEE/ACM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AUTOMATED SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, ASE 2022

Abstract
Refactoring software can be hard and time-consuming. Several refactoring tools assist developers in reaching more readable and maintainable code. However, most of them are characterized by long feedback loops that impoverish their refactoring experience. We believe that we can reduce this problem by focusing on the concept of Live Refactoring and its main principles: the live recommendation and continuous visualization of refactoring candidates, and the immediate visualization of results from applying a refactoring to the code. Therefore, we implemented a Live Refactoring Environment that identifies, suggests, and applies Extract Method refactorings. To evaluate our approach, we carried out an empirical experiment. Early results showed us that our refactoring environment improves several code quality aspects, being well received, understood, and used by the experiment participants. The source code of our tool is available on: https://github.com/saracouto1318/LiveRef. Its demonstration video can be found at: https://youtu.be/_jxx21ZiQ0o.

2022

Listening plasmas in Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Authors
Cavaco, R; Rodrigues, P; Lopes, T; Capela, D; Ferreira, MFS; Jorge, PAS; Silva, NA;

Publication
Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Abstract
Apart from radiation, which constitutes the primary source of information in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, the process is accompanied by secondary processes such as shock wave generation and sound emission. In this manuscript, we explore the possibility of relating plasma properties with the sound from the shock waves in multiple materials, from metals to minerals. By analyzing the behavior of shock wave sound from homogeneous reference metallic targets, we investigate the relation between plasma properties and sound signal, demonstrating that distinct materials and plasma characteristics correspond to distinct plasma sound fingerprints. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

2022

Dynamic waste collection strategy to optimize routes using open-source tool

Authors
Silva, Adriano S.; Brito, Thadeu; Díaz de Tuesta, Jose Luis; Lima, José; Pereira, Ana I.; Silva, Adrián; Gomes, Helder;

Publication
2nd Symposium of Applied Science for Young Researchers

Abstract

2022

Preserving Privacy of Smart Meter Data in a Smart Grid Environment

Authors
Gough, MB; Santos, SF; AlSkaif, T; Javadi, MS; Castro, R; Catalao, JPS;

Publication
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL INFORMATICS

Abstract
The use of data from residential smart meters can help in the management and control of distribution grids. This provides significant benefits to electricity retailers as well as distribution system operators but raises important questions related to the privacy of consumers' information. In this article, an innovative differential privacy (DP) compliant algorithm is developed to ensure that the data from consumer's smart meters are protected. The effects of this novel algorithm on the operation of the distribution grid are thoroughly investigated not only from a consumer's electricity bill point of view but also from a power systems point of view. This method allows for an empirical investigation into the losses, power quality issues, and extra costs that such a privacy-preserving mechanism may introduce to the system. In addition, severalcost allocation mechanisms based on the cooperative game theory are used to ensure that the extra costs are divided among the participants in a fair, efficient, and equitable manner. Overall, the comprehensive results show that the approach provides privacy preservation in line with the consumer's preferences and does not lead to significant cost or loss increases for the energy retailer. In addition, the novel algorithm is computationally efficient and performs very well with a large number of consumers, thus demonstrating its scalability.

2022

On-line three-dimensional packing problems: A review of off-line and on-line solution approaches

Authors
Ali, S; Ramos, AG; Carravilla, MA; Oliveira, JF;

Publication
COMPUTERS & INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Abstract
Three-Dimensional Packing Problems (3D-PPs) can be applied to effectively reduce logistics costs in various areas, such as airline cargo management and warehouse management. In general, 3D-PP studies can be divided into two different streams: those tackling the off-line problem, where full knowledge about items is available beforehand; and those tackling the on-line (real-time) problem, where items arrive one by one and should be packed immediately without having full prior knowledge about them. During the past decades, off-line and online 3D-PPs have been studied in the literature with various constraints and solution approaches. However, and despite the numerous practical applications of on-line problems in real-world situations, most of the literature to date has focused on off-line problems and is quite sparse when it comes to on-line solution methods. In this regard, and despite the different nature of on-line and off-line problems, some approaches can be applied in both environments. Hence, we conducted an in-depth and updated literature review to identify and structure various constraints and solution methods employed by researchers in off-line and on-line 3D-PPs. Building on this, by bringing together the two separate streams of the literature, we identified several off-line approaches that can be adopted in on-line environments. Additionally, we addressed relevant research gaps and ways to bridge them in the future, which can help to develop this research field.

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