Tootfinder

Can GPT-4o Evaluate Usability Like Human Experts? A Comparative Study on Issue Identification in Heuristic Evaluation
Guilherme Guerino, Luiz Rodrigues, Bruna Capeleti, Rafael Ferreira Mello, Andr\'e Freire, Luciana Zaina
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.16345

Can GPT-4o Evaluate Usability Like Human Experts? A Comparative Study on Issue Identification in Heuristic Evaluation
Heuristic evaluation is a widely used method in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to inspect interfaces and identify issues based on heuristics. Recently, Large Language Models (LLMs), such as GPT-4o, have been applied in HCI to assist in persona creation, the ideation process, and the analysis of semi-structured interviews. However, considering the need to understand heuristics and the high degree of abstraction required to evaluate them, LLMs may have difficulty conducting heuristic evaluation…

Are Virtual DES Images a Valid Alternative to the Real Ones?
Ana C. Perre, Lu\'is A. Alexandre, Lu\'is C. Freire
https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.15594 https://

Are Virtual DES Images a Valid Alternative to the Real Ones?
Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) is an imaging modality that provides two types of images, commonly known as low-energy (LE) and dual-energy subtracted (DES) images. In many domains, particularly in medicine, the emergence of image-to-image translation techniques has enabled the artificial generation of images using other images as input. Within CESM, applying such techniques to generate DES images from LE images could be highly beneficial, potentially reducing patient exposure to …

BDIViz: An Interactive Visualization System for Biomedical Schema Matching with LLM-Powered Validation
Eden Wu, Dishita G Turakhia, Guande Wu, Christos Koutras, Sarah Keegan, Wenke Liu, Beata Szeitz, David Fenyo, Cl\'audio T. Silva, Juliana Freire
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.16117

BDIViz: An Interactive Visualization System for Biomedical Schema Matching with LLM-Powered Validation
Biomedical data harmonization is essential for enabling exploratory analyses and meta-studies, but the process of schema matching - identifying semantic correspondences between elements of disparate datasets (schemas) - remains a labor-intensive and error-prone task. Even state-of-the-art automated methods often yield low accuracy when applied to biomedical schemas due to the large number of attributes and nuanced semantic differences between them. We present BDIViz, a novel visual analytics sy…

Project-connex Decompositions and Tractability of Aggregate Group-by Conjunctive Queries
Diego Figueira, Cibele Freire
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.14101 htt…

Project-connex Decompositions and Tractability of Aggregate Group-by Conjunctive Queries
We introduce 'project-connex' tree-width as a measure of tractability for counting and aggregate conjunctive queries over semirings with 'group-by' projection (also known as 'AJAR' or 'FAQ' queries). This elementary measure allows to obtain comparable complexity bounds to the ones obtained by previous structural conditions tailored for efficient evaluation of semiring aggregate queries, enumeration algorithms of conjunctive queries, and tractability of counting answers to conjunctive queries. …

Mapping Emotions in the Brain: A Bi-Hemispheric Neural Model with Explainable Deep Learning
David Freire-Obreg\'on, Agnieszka Dubiel, Prasoon Kumar Vinodkumar, Gholamreza Anbarjafari, Dorota Kami\'nska, Modesto Castrill\'on-Santana
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12625

Mapping Emotions in the Brain: A Bi-Hemispheric Neural Model with Explainable Deep Learning
Recent advances have shown promise in emotion recognition from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals by employing bi-hemispheric neural architectures that incorporate neuroscientific priors into deep learning models. However, interpretability remains a significant limitation for their application in sensitive fields such as affective computing and cognitive modeling. In this work, we introduce a post-hoc interpretability framework tailored to dual-stream EEG classifiers, extending the Local Interp…

Absorbance marker: Detection of quantum geometry and spread of Wannier function in disordered 2D semiconductors
Luis F. C\'ardenas-Castillo, Shuai Zhang, Fernando L. Freire Jr., Wei Chen
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.14501

Absorbance marker: Detection of quantum geometry and spread of Wannier function in disordered 2D semiconductors
The optical absorbance of 2D semiconductors is generalized to individual lattice sites through the topological marker formalism, yielding an absorbance marker. This marker allows to investigate the atomic scale variation of absorbance caused by impurities, thereby quantifies the influence of disorder on the quantum geometry and the spread of Wannier functions of valence band states. Applying this marker to transition metal dichalcogenides reveals a very localized suppression of absorbance cause…

Exploring Empathy in Software Engineering: Insights from a Grey Literature Analysis of Practitioners' Perspectives
Lidiany Cerqueira, Jo\~ao Pedro Bastos, Danilo Neves, Glauco Carneiro, Rodrigo Sp\'inola, S\'avio Freire, Jos\'e Amancio Macedo Santos, Manoel Mendon\c{c}a
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.05325

Exploring Empathy in Software Engineering: Insights from a Grey Literature Analysis of Practitioners' Perspectives
Context. Empathy, a key social skill, is essential for communication and collaboration in SE but remains an under-researched topic. Aims. This study investigates empathy in SE from practitioners' perspectives, aiming to characterize its meaning, identify barriers, discuss practices to overcome them, and explore its effects. Method. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on 55 web articles from DEV and Medium, two communities widely used by practitioners. To strengthen our findings, we con…

Millisecond Pulsars in M2: New discoveries and a detailed timing analysis
Baoda Li, Kuo Liu, Lin Wang, Shunyi Lan, P. C. C. Freire, Pinsong Zhao, Liyun Zhang, Zhengwei Liu, Lei Qian, Wu Jiang, Dejiang Yin, Yaowei Li, Yinfeng Dai, Yang Liu, Xiangcun Meng, Zhichen Pan
https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.06726…

Millisecond Pulsars in M2: New discoveries and a detailed timing analysis
Globular clusters (GCs) offer a unique environment for discovering and studying millisecond pulsars. In this paper, we present a multi-epoch search and detailed timing analysis of millisecond pulsars in the GC M2, using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope. We have discovered two new binary millisecond pulsars in M2, designated M2F and M2G, respectively. We provide measurements of the emission properties of all known pulsars in M2, including their polarization profiles, rotation …

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on BBCRadio3's #Breakfast
Fryderyk Chopin & Nelson Freire:
🎵 2 Nocturnes Op.27 (no.2 in D flat major)
#FryderykChopin #NelsonFreire

The Hybrid Elevated Radio Observatory for Neutrinos (HERON) Project
Kumiko Kotera (for the BEACON,GRAND Collaborations), Ingo Allekotte (for the BEACON,GRAND Collaborations), Jaime Alvarez-Mu\~niz (for the BEACON,GRAND Collaborations), Sergio Cabana-Freire (for the BEACON,GRAND Collaborations), Valentin Decoene (for the BEACON,GRAND Collaborations), Ars\`ene Ferri\`ere (for the BEACON,GRAND Collaborations), Olivier Martineau (for the BEACON,GRAND Collaborations), Valentin Niess (for th…

The Hybrid Elevated Radio Observatory for Neutrinos (HERON) Project
Measuring ultra-high energy neutrinos, with energies above $10^{16}$ eV, is the next frontier of the emerging multi-messenger era. Their detection requires building a large-scale detector with 10 times the instantaneous sensitivity of current instruments, sub-degree angular resolution, and wide daily field of view. The Hybrid Elevated Radio Observatory for Neutrinos (HERON) is designed to be that discovery instrument. HERON combines the complementary features of two radio techniques being demon…

A look on equations describing pseudospherical surfaces
Igor Leite Freire
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.23890 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506…

A look on equations describing pseudospherical surfaces
We revisit the notion of equations describing pseudospherical surfaces starting from its roots influenced by the AKNS system until current research topics in the field.

Curvature Rigidity Through Level Sets of Lyapunov Exponents in Geodesic Flows
Sergio Roma\~na
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.02482 https://

Curvature Rigidity Through Level Sets of Lyapunov Exponents in Geodesic Flows
In this paper, we establish new geometric rigidity results through the study of Lyapunov exponent level sets via invariant measures. First, we prove that for a manifold $M$ without focal points, if the zero Lyapunov exponent level set has full measure with respect to a fully supported invariant measure, then $M$ must be flat. This result recovers and extends a result of Freire and Mañé (cf. [9]). Second, we prove that if the level set of the Lyapunov exponents has full measure with respect to…

The FAST Globular Cluster Pulsar Survey (GC FANS)
Yujie Lian, Zhichen Pan, Haiyan Zhang, Shuo Cao, P. C. C. Freire, Lei Qian, Ralph P. Eatough, Lijing Shao, Scott M. Ransom, Duncan R. Lorimer, Dejiang Yin, Yinfeng Dai, Kuo Liu, Lin Wang, Yujie Wang, Zhongli Zhang, Zhonghua Feng, Baoda Li, Minghui Li, Tong Liu, Yaowei Li, Bo Peng, Yu Pan, Yuxiao Wu, Liyun Zhang, Xingnan Zhang, Peng Jiang

The FAST Globular Cluster Pulsar Survey (GC FANS)
By January 2025, 60 pulsars were discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope globular cluster (GC) pulsar survey (GC FANS), with spin periods spanning 1.98 ms to 3960.72 ms. Of these, 55 are millisecond pulsars (MSPs; $P<30$ ms), while 34 are binaries with orbital periods spanning 0.12 days to 466.47 days. This paper describes GC FANS, a deep, thorough search for pulsars in 41 GCs in the FAST sky ($-14^\circ < δ< 65^\circ$) and describes new discoveries in 14 of the…

Psychological safety in software workplaces: A systematic literature review
Beatriz Santana, Lidiv\^anio Monte, Bianca Santana de Ara\'ujo Silva, Glauco Carneiro, S\'avio Freire, Jos\'e Amancio Macedo Santos, Manoel Mendon\c{c}a
https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.03369

Psychological safety in software workplaces: A systematic literature review
Context: Psychological safety (PS) is an important factor influencing team well-being and performance, particularly in collaborative and dynamic domains such as software development. Despite its acknowledged significance, research on PS within the field of software engineering remains limited. The socio-technical complexities and fast-paced nature of software development present challenges to cultivating PS. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic secondary study has synthesized existing kn…

Enriching the Felsenthal index with a priori unions for decision-making processes
Alicia Mascare\~nas-Pazos, Silvia Lorenzo-Freire, Jose Maria Alonso-Meijide
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.01621

Enriching the Felsenthal index with a priori unions for decision-making processes
Within the domain of game theory, power indexes are defined as functions that quantify the influence of individual participants in collective decision-making processes. Felsenthal [D. Felsenthal. A Well-Behaved Index of a Priori P-Power for Simple N-Person Games. Homo Oeconomicus, 33, 2016] proposed a power index with a focus on least size winning coalitions, i.e., those coalitions capable of determining the final outcome and with the smallest number of players among all winning coalitions. How…

TiVy: Time Series Visual Summary for Scalable Visualization
Gromit Yeuk-Yin Chan, Luis Gustavo Nonato, Themis Palpanas, Cl\'audio T. Silva, Juliana Freire
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.18972

TiVy: Time Series Visual Summary for Scalable Visualization
Visualizing multiple time series presents fundamental tradeoffs between scalability and visual clarity. Time series capture the behavior of many large-scale real-world processes, from stock market trends to urban activities. Users often gain insights by visualizing them as line charts, juxtaposing or superposing multiple time series to compare them and identify trends and patterns. However, existing representations struggle with scalability: when covering long time spans, leading to visual clut…

Understanding Mental Models of Generative Conversational Search and The Effect of Interface Transparency
Chadha Degachi, Samuel Kernan Freire, Evangelos Niforatos, Gerd Kortuem
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.03807

Understanding Mental Models of Generative Conversational Search and The Effect of Interface Transparency
The experience and adoption of conversational search is tied to the accuracy and completeness of users' mental models -- their internal frameworks for understanding and predicting system behaviour. Thus, understanding these models can reveal areas for design interventions. Transparency is one such intervention which can improve system interpretability and enable mental model alignment. While past research has explored mental models of search engines, those of generative conversational search re…

Efficient and Robust Semantic Image Communication via Stable Cascade
Bilal Khalid, Pedro Freire, Sergei K. Turitsyn, Jaroslaw E. Prilepsky
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.17416

Efficient and Robust Semantic Image Communication via Stable Cascade
Diffusion Model (DM) based Semantic Image Communication (SIC) systems face significant challenges, such as slow inference speed and generation randomness, that limit their reliability and practicality. To overcome these issues, we propose a novel SIC framework inspired by Stable Cascade, where extremely compact latent image embeddings are used as conditioning to the diffusion process. Our approach drastically reduces the data transmission overhead, compressing the transmitted embedding to just …

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on BBCRadio3's #EssentialClassics
Johannes Brahms, Nelson Freire, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra & Riccardo Chailly:
🎵 Piano Concerto No. 2 (4th mvt)
#JohannesBrahms #NelsonFreire #LeipzigGewandhausOrchestra #RiccardoChailly

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on BBCRadio3's #NightTracks
Sergey Rachmaninov, Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire:
🎵 Suite No. 2 for 2 pianos, Op. 17: III. Romance (Andantino)
#SergeyRachmaninov #MarthaArgerich #NelsonFreire
https://open.spotify.com/track/4GTyANFBwKE79xCt4hwJmp