Sensemaking of Digital Transformation in Organizations - A Case Study

The increasing diffusion of digital technologies throughout industries and dimensions of life is transforming organizations. However, many organizations fail to develop a digital transformation strategy. This paper presents a theoretical sensemaking model of Digital Transformation (DT) and the preliminary outcomes of an ongoing study. The study is supported by socio-cognitive theories, including organizational sensemaking theory and its integration with technological frameworks to understand the development of DT in organizations. The findings of a pilot case study from the hotel industry provide evidence that this study could lead to a framework that could help understand DT from a socio-cognitive perspective. Additionally, the pilot case could be the basis for a broader framework, which could be used for other studies in this field, both for academics and practitioner

Edgar : a platform for hardware/software codesign

Codesign is a unified methodology to develop complex systems with hardware and software components. EDgAR, a platform for hardware/software codesign is described, which is intended to prototype complex digital systems. It employs programmable logic devices (MACHs and FPGAs) and a transputer-based parallel architecture. This platform and its associated methodology reduce the systems production cost, decreasing the time for the design and the test of the prototypes. The EDgAR supporting tools are introduced, which were conceived to specify systems at an high-level of abstraction, with a standard language and to allow a high degree of automation on the synthesis process. This platform was used to emulate an integrated circuit for image processing purposes

Unveiling the Temperature Influence on the Sorptive Behaviour of ZIF-8 Composite Materials Impregnated with [Cn MIM][B(CN)4 ] Ionic Liquids

LA/P/0008/2020 PTDC/CTM-CTM/ 30326/2017Composite sorbent materials (IL@MOF) with a metal-organic framework (MOF) ZIF-8 and [B(CN)4 ]−-based ionic liquids (ILs) were produced for the first time. Characterization results indicate the successful IL impregnation and conservation of the ZIF-8 crystalline structure and morphology. The data collected from the nitrogen (N2 ) physisorption at 77 K suggest that these IL@ZIF-8 materials are nonporous as their textural properties, such as BET specific surface area and total pore volume, are negligible. However, CO2, CH4, and N2 adsorption/desorption measurements in the IL@ZIF-8 composites at 303 and 273 K contradict the N2 data at 77 K, given that the obtained isotherms are Type I, typical of (micro)porous materials. Their gas adsorption capacity and ultramicroporous volume are in the same order of magnitude as the pristine microporous ZIF-8. The case study [C6 MIM][B(CN)4 ] IL revealed a high affinity to both CO2 and CH4 . This compromised the selectivity performance of its respective composite when compared with pristine ZIF-8. This work highlights the importance of accurate experimental gas adsorption/desorption equilibrium measurements to characterize the adsorption uptake and the porous nature of adsorbent materials.publishersversionpublishe

Low temperature dielectric relaxation in ordinary perovskite ferroelectrics: enlightenment from high-energy x-ray diffraction

Ordinary ferroelectrics exhibit a second order phase transition that is characterized by a sharp peak in the dielectric permittivity at a frequency-independent temperature. Furthermore, these materials show a low temperature dielectric relaxation that appears to be a common behavior of perovskite systems. Tetragonal lead zirconate titanate is used here as a model system in order to explore the origin of such an anomaly, since there is no consensus about the physical phenomenon involved in it. Crystallographic and domain structure studies are performed from temperature dependent synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurement. Results indicate that the dielectric relaxation cannot be associated with crystallographic or domain configuration changes. The relaxation process is then parameterized by using the Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann phenomenological equation. Results allow us to hypothesize that the observed phenomenon is due to changes in the dynamic behavior of the ferroelectric domains related to the fluctuation of the local polarization.Postprint (author's final draft

Integration of catalytic wet peroxidation and membrane distillation processes for olive mill wastewater treatment and water recovery

The degradation of organic matter present in olive mill wastewater (OMW) and the recovery of water were studied by the integration of catalytic wet peroxidation (CWPO) and direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) for the first time. The oxidation step was performed in a fixed–bed reactor (FBR) working in continuous mode (pH0 = 4.0 ± 0.2, 60 ◦C, Q = 0.75 mL/min, [H2O2]/[COD]feed = 2.3 ± 0.1 g H2O2/g O2). Samples of OMW diluted by 5– and 7.5–fold were used (OMW–5× and OMW–7.5×, respectively), corresponding to inlet chemical oxygen demand (COD) values of 3562 ± 68 and 2335 ± 54 mg/L, total phenolic content (TPh) of 177 ± 17 and 143 ± 7 mg GAeq/L, and total organic carbon (TOC) of 1258 ± 63 and 842 ± 45 mg/L, respectively. The FBR was loaded with 2.0 g of a Fe–activated carbon derived–catalyst, prepared by using olive stones as the precursor, in line with a circular economy model approach. The catalyst was selected based on the activity and stability towards polyphenolic synthetic solutions shown in previous works of the team, while actual OMW samples were used in this work. CWPO–treated samples of OMW allowed the operation of the DCMD unit at higher fluxes than with the analogous untreated ones, also showing higher rejections of organic matter from the feed solution upon DCMD, highlighting the beneficial effect of this novel configuration. Using a pre-treated sample of OMW–7.5× as feed solution (Q = 100 mL/min, Tpermeate ≈ 18 ◦C, Tfeed ≈ 66 ◦C), the produced permeate water stream presented several parameters well–below the legislated thresholds required for direct discharge for crops irrigation, including total suspended solids (TSS < 10 mg/L), TPh (<0.01 mg GAeq/L), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5 < 40 mg/L), and dissolved Fe (<0.06 mg/L). Moreover, the resulting concentrated OMW–retentate streams could be recirculated to the FBR and maintain the same removal efficiencies obtained previously, despite the increased initial organic loadings of the retentate after DCMD.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology LA/P/0045/2020 UIDB/00511/2020 UIDP/00511/2020European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) through North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000069NORTE 2020 under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement through ERDF NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000069MCIN/AEI/FEDER "Una manera de hacer Europa" RTI2018-099224B-I00Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology BaseUIDB/50020/2020 UIDP/50020/2020Portuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyEuropean Commission SFRH/BD/129235/2017National and the European Social Funds through the Human Capital Operational Programme (POCH) MCIN/AEI RYC-2019026634IEuropean Social Found (FSE) "El FSE invierte en tu futuro" RYC-2019026634

Specific adsorbents for the treatment of OMW phenolic compounds by activation of bio-residues from the olive oil industry

A series of adsorbents was developed by physical (CO2) and chemical (KOH) activation of two bio-residues: olive stones (OS) and wood from olive tree pruning (OTP). The physicochemical properties of such materials were determined and correlated with their adsorptive performance in the removal of phenolic compounds of olive mill wastewater (OMW). Adsorption isotherms and kinetics of single phenolic acids, as well as the kinetics for competitive multi-compound adsorption, were fitted by applying different models, though Langmuir and pseudosecond order models fitted better the experimental results, respectively. The intraparticle diffusion model pointed out that mesoporosity reduces the influence of phenolic compounds' restrictions in the external film diffusion of the adsorbent particle-solution interphase, but adsorption capacity linearly increases with the micropore volume accessible to N-2 at -196 degrees C (and also with BET surface area), while diffusion into ultramicropores (<0.7 nm, determined by CO2-adsorption) is slow and presents minor influence on the total adsorption capacity. After saturation, thermal regeneration of spent adsorbents allows the removal of adsorbed products, enabling the reuse of samples whilst maintaining a significant performance.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology UIDB/00511/2020European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) through North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) NORTE-01-0247-FEDER-39789Project "HealthyWaters -Identification, Elimination, Social Awareness and Education of Water Chemical and Biological Micropollutants with Health and Environmental Implications" - NORTE 2020, under the PORTUGAL2020 Partnership Agreement NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000069MCIN/AEI/FEDER "Una manera de hacer Europa" RTI2018-099224-B-I00Portuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyEuropean Commission SFRH/BD/129235/2017National Fund through the Human Capital Operational Programme (POCH)European Social Fund through the Human Capital Operational Programme (POCH) MCIN/AEI RYC-2019-026634IEuropean Social Found (FSE) "El FSE invierte en tu futuro" RYC-2019-026634IUniversidad de Granada/CBU

Comparative study on pilling resistence standard methods

Textile fabrics are prone to develop balls of fibre on the surface, which are known as pills. The pills are formed during wear and washing, when fibres on the fabric surface “tease out” and become entangled. Under the influence of the rubbing action these loose fibres develop into small spherical bundles anchored to the fabric by a few unbroken fibres. Such a surface deterioration is generally undesirable, but the degree of consumer tolerance for a given level of pilling will depend on the garment type and fabric end use

Biocompatible ammonium-based ionic liquids/ZIF-8 composites for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 separations

The authors thank Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT/ MCTES (Portugal), for financial support through PhD grant SFRH/BD/ 139627/2018 (T. J. F.), FCT Investigator contract (IF/00621/2015 – P. M. R). Additionally, the work was also partially supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry, LAQV, which is funded by national funds from FCT/MCTES (LA/P/0008/2020).The development of sorbent materials with high carbon dioxide (CO2) selectivity is of vital importance to minimize the impact of global warming by separating and capturing this major greenhouse gas. In this work, for the first time five ammonium-based ionic liquids (ILs) were impregnated into the metal-organic framework (MOF) ZIF-8 for gas sorption applications. Characterization results showed that the produced IL@ZIF-8 composites are thermally stable and of microporous nature. IL impregnation was successfully accomplished and did not affect the crystalline structure of ZIF-8. Sorption-desorption equilibrium isotherms of different gases, including CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrogen (N2) were measured at 303 K for the pristine MOF and the composites. Given the careful choice of the ILs, the anion and cation effects were studied in terms of their impact on the sorption capacity and selectivity performance of each composite. Acetate-based composites showed high CO2 selectivity when compared to ZIF-8; specifically, the composite [N2 1 1 4][Ac]@ZIF-8 showed 51% increase, at 1 bar and for flue gas conditions. Because of the good CO2/N2 selectivity of the acetate-based composites, sorption-desorption equilibrium isotherms of the above-mentioned gases were also measured at 323 K, along with ZIF-8. Ideal selectivities were thus calculated to study the temperature impact on the selectivity performance of the materials. It can be observed that the higher the temperature, the less selective the materials are. Nevertheless, at 323 K and when compared to ZIF-8, the composite [N2 1 1 4][Ac]@ZIF-8 showed 56% increase, at 1 bar and for flue gas conditions. Finally, the isosteric heats of adsorption of ZIF-8 and the acetate-based ILs were calculated revealing that all gases are physisorbed by the three materials.publishersversionpublishe

A plataforma EDgAR na prototipagem rápida de sistemas digitais

Comunicação apresentada no Encontro Nacional do Colégio de Engenharia Electrotécnica (ENCEE'95), 2, Lisboa, Portugal, 1995.A metodologia de co-projecto está vocacionada para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de média e grande complexidade. A prototipagem rápida de sistemas digitais é um complemento da simulação, indispensável em certos sistemas de grande complexidade. Esta comunicação apresenta a plataforma EDgAR que permite obter rapidamente protótipos de sistemas digitais de elevada complexidade, recorrendo a componentes lógicos reprogramáveis (MACHs e FPGAs) e a uma arquitectura paralela baseada em transputers. Esta abordagem faz baixar o custo de produção de sistemas, reduzindo o tempo de projecto e de teste dos protótipos. Apresentam-se as ferramentas de suporte do EDgAR, as quais foram concebidas para especificar sistemas com elevado nível de abstracção, numa linguagem normalizada de larga aceitação e tendo em vista permitir o máximo de automatização no processo de síntese. Esta plataforma é validada na emulação dum circuito integrado para processamento de imagem