Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco

RC IPCB - Scientific Repository

Repository of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco

The mission of the Repository of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco is to provide Open Access to scientific publications of the Polytechnic. Its main aims are: dissemination of the Polytechnic scientific publications; long-term preservation and archiving of its publications; scientific and technical knowledge sharing in order to promote further research and new production of knowledge; and maximization of scientific publication impact both in academia and different research fields.

Documents are archived under a Creative Commons licence.

Mandatory policy

Newsletter - here

FAQ’s

Useful Links

Tel +351 273 33 99 00

Email repositorio@ipcb.pt

Recent Submissions

A study on acoustic bird detection in the context of smart agriculture

Publication . Cardoso, Fábio; Carvalho, Daniel; Gaspar, Pedro Dinis; Soares, V.N.G.J.; Caldeira, J.M.L.P.

Bird attacks on crops represent one of the main challenges faced by farmers to make a farm profitable and sustainable. This challenge requires a paradigm shift from old, traditional, ineffective methods, towards the incorporation of smart farming technologies. Intelligent or precision agriculture contributes to the effective and efficient management of resources and, consequently, an increase in production. This work first reviews projects, techniques and methods that can be used for bird species detection and identification based on their sound. Then, a performance evaluation study is conducted on two different approaches that can be employed for the development of a smart bird deterrence solution. Their strengths and limitations are highlighted. The findings can be used as a foundation for future research in this area.

2024Research article

Open access

Dynamic energy-aware anchor optimization for contact-based indoor localization in MANETs

Publication . Jesús-Azabal, Manuel; Zheng, Meichun; Soares, V.N.G.J.

Indoor positioning remains a recurrent and significant challenge in research. Unlike outdoor environments, where the Global Positioning System (GPS) provides reliable location information, indoor scenarios lack direct line-of-sight to satellites or cellular towers, rendering GPS inoperative and requiring alternative positioning techniques. Despite numerous approaches, indoor contexts with resource limitations, energy constraints, or physical restrictions continue to suffer from unreliable localization. Many existing methods employ a fixed number of reference anchors, which sets a hard balance between localization accuracy and energy consumption, forcing designers to choose between precise location data and battery life. As a response to this challenge, this paper proposes an energy-aware indoor positioning strategy based on Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). The core principle is a self-adaptive control loop that continuously monitors the network’s positioning accuracy. Based on this real-time feedback, the system dynamically adjusts the number of active anchors, increasing them only when accuracy degrades and reducing them to save energy once stability is achieved. The method dynamically estimates relative coordinates by analyzing node encounters and contact durations, from which relative distances are inferred. Generalized Multidimensional Scaling (GMDS) is applied to construct a relative spatial map of the network, which is then transformed into absolute coordinates using reference nodes, known as anchors. The proposal is evaluated in a realistic simulated indoor MANET, assessing positioning accuracy, adaptation dynamics, anchor sensitivity, and energy usage. Results show that the adaptive mechanism achieves higher accuracy than fixed-anchor configurations in most cases, while significantly reducing the average number of required anchors and their associated energy footprint. This makes it suitable for infrastructure-poor, resource-constrained indoor environments where both accuracy and energy efficiency are critical.

2025Research article

Open access

Modular microservices architecture for generative music integration in digital audio workstations via VST plugin

Publication . Raposo, Adriano N.; Soares, V.N.G.J.

This paper presents the design and implementation of a modular cloud-based architecturethat enables generative music capabilities in Digital audioWorkstations through a MIDI microservices backend and a user-friendly VST plugin frontend. The system comprises a generative harmony engine deployed as a standalone service, a microservice layer that orchestrates communication and exposes an API, and a VST plugin that interacts with the backend to retrieve harmonic sequences and MIDI data. Among the microservices is a dedicated component that converts textual chord sequences into MIDI files. The VST plugin allows the user to drag and drop the generated chord progressions directly into a DAW’sMIDI track timeline. This architecture prioritizes modularity, cloud scalability, and seamless integration into existing music production workflows, while abstracting away technical complexity from end users. The proposed system demonstrates how microservice-based design and cross-platform plugin development can be effectively combined to Support generative music workflows, offering both researchers and practitioners a replicable and extensible framework.

2025Research article

Open access

Phrase-oriented generative rhythmic patterns for jazz solos

Publication . Raposo, Adriano N.; Soares, V.N.G.J.

This study introduces a novel generative approach for crafting phrase-oriented rhythmic patterns in jazz solos, leveraging statistical analyses of a comprehensive corpus, the Weimar Jazz Database. Jazz solos, celebrated for their improvisational complexity, require a delicate interplay between rhythm and melody, making the generation of authentic rhythmic patterns a challenging task. This work systematically explores the relationships among rhythmic elements, including phrases, beats, divisions, and patterns. The generative method employs a Markov chain framework to synthesize rhythmic divisions and patterns, ensuring stylistic coherence and diversity. An extensive evaluation compares original and generated datasets through statistical and machine learning metrics, validating the generative model’s ability to replicate key rhythmic characteristics while fostering innovation. The findings underscore the potential of this approach to contribute significantly to the fields of computational creativity and algorithmic music composition, providing a robust tool for generating compelling jazz solos.

2025Research article

Open access

Enhancing germination of Dianthus lusitanus: a sustainable approach to plant production and biodiversity conservation

Publication . Reis, C.M.G.; Diogo, Maria da Graça

Incorporating native spontaneous flora species into urban landscapes enhances biodiversity, supports ecosystem services, and contributes to sustainable development. Dianthus lusitanus, an Ibero-North African endemic chamaephyte from the Caryophyllaceae family, thrives in full sun exposure and sandy, acidic soils. The aim of this study was to develop a germination protocol for D. lusitanus by evaluating the effects of two seed conservation methods, as well as different treatments with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on germination. Seeds were stored at either 6 °C for three months (lot A) or at room temperature (lot B). Five germination treatments were applied: T1) sterilized water (control); T2) immersion in 1% H2O2 for 30 minutes; T3) immersion in 3% H2O2 for 30 minutes; T4) immersion in 1% H2O2 for 15 hours (overnight); and T5) periodic watering with 50 mM H2O2. Ninety seeds per treatment were tested in a randomized complete block design and incubated at alternating temperatures of 25/22 °C (day/night) with a 16/8 hour photoperiod. Germination percentages were quantified after 20 days. Seeds stored at 6 °C exhibited significantly higher germination rates compared to those stored at room temperature (p = 0.007). A positive effect on seed germination percentage was observed when seeds were soaked in H2O2 solutions. The highest germination percentage (83.3%) was recorded in treatment T4, while the lowest values were observed in treatments T1 and T5 for seeds from Lot B (11.1% and 22.2%, respectively). This protocol has practical applications in ornamental plant production, biodiversity conservation, and the restoration of degraded areas, contributing to sustainability and the preservation of natural resources.

2025Research article

Open access