Abstract
The Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) was implemented as a first step towards a Banking Union in November 2014. This paper investigates the impact of the SSM on Eurozone banks' efficiency and position of best-practice frontier. It is based on a balanced panel analysis of 931 European bank-year observations from 2011 to 2017 (133 banks, seven years). The study uses Data Envelopment Analysis and a difference-in-differences approach to explore the evolution of banking performance. We found that the SSM had a negative impact on the efficiency levels of Eurozone banks, particularly in the year after the introduction of the mechanism. Additionally, we observed that the frontier formed by non-Eurozone European Union banks is more productive than the frontier of Eurozone banks in all the years analysed. Both efficiency and frontier position show evidence of a recovery trend in more recent years for both groups. We also found that while Equity-to-Asset Ratio, Return on Average Assets and Gross Domestic Product per capita positively impacted banks' efficiency, domestic credit provided by banks expressed as %GDP had a negative impact on efficiency.

Abstract
O artigo apresenta e discute o processo de cocriação da KaTolândia, um planeta de gatos que se encontra em desenvolvimento no metaverso Roblox. O objetivo da KaTolândia é propiciar a aprendizagem imersiva, num habitar engajado que instiga o processo inventivo no desenvolvimento de vivências em rede na Rede ConectaKaT. A pesquisa, fundamentada no conceito de Educação OnLIFE, se desenvolve a partir do Método Cartográfico de Pesquisa-Intervenção. O percurso de cocriação envolve crianças e adolescentes que integram a Rede ConectaKaT, assim como professores e pesquisadores do Brasil e de Portugal. Como resultados preliminares apresenta-se o percurso de invenção da narrativa que dá origem à KaTolândia, bem como vivências de aprendizagem imersiva identificadas no processo de cocriação do próprio espaço/mundo no Roblox, o qual se pretende que seja enriquecido por elementos da gamificação. Evidencia-se ainda, que a gamificação pode contribuir para ampliar as possibilidades de inventar, fazendo emergir novas problematizações. Deste modo, a KaTolândia está configurando-se como um espaço potente para o desenvolvimento de práticas pedagógicas inventivas, contribuindo para um habitar imersivo e engajado do ensinar e do aprender.

Abstract
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) have emerged as key innovations in the industry world, with AMRs offering flexibility a nd adaptability for dynamic environments, while AGVs provide high accuracy for repetitive tasks; thus, this research proposes a study of fleets of both AGVs and AMRs to enhance productivity and efficiency in industrial settings. Several tests were performed where the duration of a mission, the success and collision rate, and the average number of disputes per mission were analyzed in order to obtain results. In conclusion, while AGVs tend to be more reliable and consistent in task completion, AMRs offer greater flexibility a nd speed.

Abstract

Abstract
During the process of software architectural design, numerous questions arise which must be answered. These questions may be about requirements on the proposed system (the problem space) or about how the system should be designed and developed (the solution space). As questions arise they may be answered immediately, deferred until later, or provisionally answered with an assumption about the answer. The objective of this work was to explore the nature of questions that arise during architecture. We explored the types of questions, how they are organized, how they are tracked, and how and when they are answered. We started by surveying highly experienced architects about their practices with respect to architectural questions. We also performed a controlled experiment with master students about organizing architectural questions that clarified and substantiated the survey data. We learned that architectural questions include slightly more questions about the problem space than the solution space, as well as a minority of questions related to the managing of the project. We found that architects often use ad hoc methods to organize and track them, although they typically organize them along more than one dimension. We learned also that, about a third of the time, architects make assumptions about the answers to architectural questions in order to make progress on the architecture. This suggests that some projects may have risks of incorrect design or later costly rework due to inadequate tracking or incorrectly answered architectural questions.

Abstract
In everyday life, the production lines of companies are required to be flexible, rapidly adopting new processes and methods in order to ensure their competitiveness in the market. The main objective of this study was to analyze the impact of automation on a workstation at an industrial company which paints accessories. By means of simulation, one was able to identify several aspects that negatively affect the company’s overall capacity, namely reduced productivity and long cycle times. The digital tools developed through Visual Basic for Applications constituted the starting point for the automation of several repetitive and bureaucratic tasks which support decision-making, initiating the process of Digital Transformation at the organization. In economic terms, this improvement in the workplace can potentially reduce costs in the order of thousands of euros annually, in addition to increasing productivity thus improving the company’s general performance. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.