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Digital transformation is becoming more common in an increasingly digital world, which has contributed to significant changes in business processes around the globe. In the banking industry, this approach allows banking institutions to provide improved customer experiences. However, the determinants of successful banking digitalization are still unclear, as are their cause-and-effect relationships. This article sought to apply problem structuring methods, namely, fuzzy cognitive mapping and system dynamics, to develop a conceptual model that can be applied to analyses of banking industry digitalization. The results are based on two group sessions that were held with a panel of decision makers who deal with banking digitalization processes on a daily basis. The findings were validated by a senior staff member responsible for banking project assessment and development at Caixa Geral de Depósitos S.A.—a Portuguese state-owned banking corporation. The approach adopted in this article is unique because digitalization determinants were collected and analyzed based on the participants’ know-how and experience. Static and dynamic analyses produced a deeper, broader understanding of the dynamic cause-and-effect relationships between the identified determinants of banking digitalization, giving rise to a realistic model that can be used to support relevant decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In electric rotating machines, the stator winding design plays a crucial role on their overall performance. Novel approaches for winding design optimization, including multilayer configurations, stator shifting, and phase shifting, have been presented in recent studies. Most of them focus on a single strategy, which is generally applied to one winding topology only. In this paper, a unified and generalized methodology is proposed to solve a two-objective constrained winding design optimization problem, which can be applied to polyphase winding configurations with any number of slots per pole. The novelty concerns the combination of the phase shifting concept with an enhanced end-winding connection strategy, enabled by multiple coil pitches. The framework developed allows for the customization of the objective functions and constraints to the characteristics of the study. Two application examples are provided for validation purposes of the methodology, where time-step finite-element analysis simulations of a three-phase squirrel-cage induction motor and a six-phase permanent-magnet synchronous motor were carried out. The proposed methodology is capable of generating novel winding designs that can potentially improve the machine efficiency and reduce the amount of copper in the stator windings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization, high city population growth rates, technological development, environmental impacts, and human wellbeing in urban areas have over the years become increasingly challenging concerns. These trends are related to the complex, multiple factors to be considered when evaluating “smart” cities, that is, municipalities that seek to improve residents’ quality of life by combining new technologies and environmentally sustainable practices. The above tendencies thus add to the myriad of indicators that need to be included in smart city assessments, whose intricacy hinders related decision-making processes. Based on the principles of multiple-criteria decision analysis, this paper seeks to integrate cognitive mapping and the Choquet integral to develop an assessment system that facilitates the evaluation of smart cities, which was named “SMART-C.” The research includes a panel of experts on smart cities who identifies the evaluation criteria and their respective interactions. The results of a real-life application of the assessment system developed in this paper are validated both by the panel members and a representative of the Lisboa E-Nova nonprofit association of the Lisbon City Council's Environment and Energy Department. These experts confirm that the proposed evaluation system facilitates making distinctions between cities according to how fully they develop “smartness.” The advantages and limitations of this assessment framework are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open innovation (OI) has captured increasing interest over recent decades as this approach is linked to higher level organizational ambidextrous strategy, and has become a prerequisite for achieving competitive advantages. Assessing firms’ propensity for OI has, however, turned out to be an increasingly challenging endeavor. This is particularly true for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to the myriad of factors that influence these companies’ capability for innovation. To overcome this challenge, this paper sought to integrate two operational research/management science techniques—cognitive mapping and the Choquet integral (CI) (a nonadditive measure and information aggregator)—to identify and prioritize relevant criteria for evaluating SMEs’ propensity for OI, and improving their organizational ambidexterity. To facilitate a real-world application, information was first collected from SME managers and entrepreneurs who agreed to participate in face-to-face group meetings, allowing realism to be incorporated in the decision-making process. The results were validated by both the panel members and project director of COTEC Portugal—a leading think-and-action network for advancing technology diffusion and business innovation cooperation. The findings include that cognitive mapping facilitates the identification and understanding of cause-and-effect relationships between the determinants of OI in SMEs. The CI, in turn, introduces realism into the construction of value functions and the respective assessments of SMEs. The limitations and implications of the proposed system are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for higher efficiency motors is becoming more relevant due to recent policies adopted in most advanced economies, which are adopting new minimum energy performance standards. A great effort to optimize several parts of rotating electric machines is being done to fulfill that requirement. Recent studies focus on stator winding optimization, because of its high loss share. In this paper, a general multilayer winding configuration is proposed for winding design optimization for multiphase symmetrical machines, by combining multilayer integer-slot, fractional-slot, and fractional-slot concentrated windings. The constrained minimization of the airgap magnetomotive force harmonic distortion and winding resistance is solved by the hybridization of differential evolution with a non-dominating sorting algorithm. A framework is provided for replication purposes. An experimental application example of standard and optimized windings is included for performance assessment. The optimized winding leads to a significant motor efficiency gain, while reducing the amount of copper needed for manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, in developed societies, life expectancy is noticeably increasing due to improved healthcare systems and medical advances. Along with a longer aging period, falling birth rates, and other concomitant social factors, the age distribution is evidencing a shift towards the demographic expansion of older population stages. Epidemiological studies about this demographic aging distribution of the world population indicate that older adults are experiencing a variety of age-related problems, including Dementia. Dementia is overwhelming and frightening for both loved persons who live with Dementia, and also their caregivers. The number of people living with Dementia in societies is now rising at an unprecedented rate. Neither decisive treatment, nor effective medicines have been introduced to help society cope with such age associated pathologies. However, one promising alternative to this emerging crisis has been the adoption of Assistive Technologies (AT). Therefore, for this study, a systematic literature review is conducted to provide an overview about recent findings in this field of study and also address some available technologies that have potential application for Dementia sufferers. This work makes a report on existing technologies in the field, thus becoming a survey on existing supportive technologies for People with Dementia (PwD). The findings of this work provide an insight into the types and percentages of suggested technologies for each classification that aim to be useful for those researching the field or who want to know state of the art in this presently relevant domain. Concluding points and discussion are presented subsequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phasing is one of the major causes of motor failure in the industry. The electric motor market is changing fast due to minimum energy performance standards being adopted around the world. In a large number of cases, particularly when the original old motors are retrofitted with motors of higher efficiency classes, the respective overload protection devices are not properly tuned/configured or upgraded/replaced. In this paper, an overview of the motor protective devices and the main results of an experimental study on the behavior of five three-phase 7.5-kW, 400-V, 50-Hz, four-pole motors, namely, four squirrel-cage induction motors including IE1, IE2/EPAct, IE3/National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Premium, and IE4/Super Premium efficiency classes and one line-start permanent-magnet of IE4 class, under single-phasing supply at no-load, locked-rotor, and part-load operation, are presented. On the basis of the obtained results, it can be concluded that, in general, modern commercial thermal overload relays or thermal-magnetic circuit-breakers are able to protect line-operated motors against single-phasing operation, tripping within a safe time window, as long as they have a differential mode mechanism, their trip class is properly selected, and the current setting correctly adjusted as a function of the motor efficiency class, technology, service factor, load, rated power, and rated current. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]