Abstract

Abstract
The overall aim of the Efficiency Framework is to encourage a culture of continuous improvement and sustainability within manufacturing and process industries. The framework presented supports informed decision-making processes and helps to define strategies for continuous performance improvement. The proposed innovative Efficiency Framework, materialized through the integration of concepts and results provided by eco-efficiency methodology, namely Eco-Efficiency Integrated Methodology for Production Systems (ecoPROSYS) and the lean based resource efficiency assessment method, Multi-layer Stream Mapping (MSM). Thus, the framework assesses simultaneously the environmental, economic and efficiency performance of complex production systems, which helps to identify major inefficiencies and circumstances of low eco-efficiency performance, consequently leading to the definition of improvement priorities. Ultimately, this framework aims to facilitate the overall efficiency performance assessment, by an integrated multi-dimensional analysis, presented as the Total Efficiency Index. The logic behind this index is to combine, for each unit process and for the overall production process, two fundamental efficiency aspects, namely eco-efficiency and operations efficiency.

Abstract
Social Network Analysis (SNA) is an important research area. It originated in sociology but has spread to other areas of research, including anthropology, biology, information science, organizational studies, political science, and computer science. This has stimulated research on how to support SNA with the development of new algorithms. One of the critical areas involves calculation of different centrality measures. The challenge is how to do this fast, as many increasingly larger datasets are available. Our contribution is an incremental version of the Laplacian Centrality measure that can be applied not only to large graphs but also to dynamically changing networks. We have conducted several tests with different types of evolving networks. We show that our incremental version can process a given large network, faster than the corresponding batch version in both incremental and full dynamic network setups.

Abstract
The sharp decrease of the remnant ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 (PMNT) thin films close to the Morphotropic Phase Boundary (MPB) respect to their corresponding bulk ceramics is a major drawback for their integration in microdevices. In order to take full advantage of the excellent piezoelectric properties of polycrystalline PMNT in thin film form, a multilayer configuration with PbTiO3 (PT) layers is proposed. The PT layers generate an internal electric bias within the PMNT layer, which anchor an induced polarization in it. This results in a significant improvement of the piezoelectric behavior, obtaining remnant piezoelectric coefficients, d(33) (r), as high as 67 pm V-1. The role of the thickness of the PT layers used is discussed, in order to find the optimum configuration for these multilayers.

Abstract
The Multi-Layer Stream Mapping (MSM) methodology addresses current challenges regarding the applicability of Lean Thinking concepts in the domain of sustainability assessment tools. Therefore, MSM aims to assess the overall performance of a production system, while evaluating the productivity and efficiency of resource utilization as well as evaluate the costs related to missuses and inefficiencies and other process and domains variables. This paper highlights the benefits arising from the application of the MSM methodology in a real industrial case regarding the injection moulding process, namely fostering the quantification of the efficiency of different resources streams, for its improvement, for the several production processes involved. So, it is explained how MSM can contribute for a more sustainable production system with a continuously increasing productivity.

Abstract
Nowadays, many organizations intend to convert their existing production systems towards ones that are terized by adaptability, openness, flexibility and modularity. This requires a redesign of existing information processing systems especially related to control, leading possibly to cyber-physical production systems (CPPS). However, the implementation of new control technologies will have a direct impact on the normal operational status of production while engineers will also face several challenges and obstacles in adopting intelligent automation systems. New step-wise migration strategies are required to holistically support industries in their journey towards CPPS taking into account technical, economic and social aspects. This paper discusses the migration state-of-the-art strategies, analyzing them and providing a first attempt to define a migration approach for innovative production systems. © 2017 IEEE.