Abstract
With the proliferation of ODR service providers, there is a critical necessity to establish mechanisms supporting their functioning, particularly while designing ODR processes. This article aims to examine the impact of process modelling using BPMN, and of its relevance in the integration of AI into ODR processes within the EU. BPMN allows a meticulous depiction of all the ODR process steps, stakeholders, and underlying data in structured formats that are readable and interpretable by both humans and AI, which enables its integration. The advantages include predictive analysis, identification of opportunities for continuous improvement, operational efficiency, cost and time reduction, and enhanced accessibility for self-represented litigants. Additionally, the transparency afforded by explicitly incorporating AI in BPMN notation fosters a clearer comprehension of processes, facilitating management and informed decision-making. Nevertheless, it remains imperative to address ethical concerns such as algorithmic bias, fairness, and privacy. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Abstract
As LLMs gain an increasingly relevant role and agency, their alignment with human values, principles and goals is crucial for their responsible deployment and acceptance. The main goal of this study is to assess the alignment of different LLMs regarding the relative importance of AI Ethics principles across different domains. To this end, human experts in different domains were asked, through a questionnaire, to rate the relative importance of six AI Ethics principles in their respective domains, totaling 6 domains. Then, five publicly available LLMs were asked to rate the same Ethics principles in different domains. Multiple prompts were used multiple times, to also evaluate consistency, totaling 90 runs per LLM. Model alignment was measured through the correlation with human experts, and consistency was evaluated through the standard deviation. Results show varying degrees of alignment and consistency, with a couple of models showing satisfactory results. This makes it possible to envisage the use of such models to automatically configure and adapt data pipeline ecosystems and architectures across different domains, selecting processes, dashboard elements or monitored KPIs according to the target domain or the goals of the system.

Abstract
Many of today’s domains of application of Machine Learning (ML) are dynamic in the sense that data and their patterns change over time. This has a significant impact in the ML lifecycle and operations, requiring frequent model (re-)training, or other strategies to deal with outdated models and data. This need for dynamic and responsive solutions also has an impact on the use of computational resources and, consequently, on sustainability indicators. This paper proposes an approach in line with the concept of Frugal AI, whose main aim is to minimize the resources and time spent on training models by re-using models from a pool of past models, when appropriate. Specifically, we present and validate a methodology for similarity-based model selection in data streaming environments with concept drift. Rather than training a new model for each new block of data, this methodology considers a pool with only a subset of the models and, for each new block of data, will select the best model from the pool. The best model is determined based on the distance between its training data and the current block of data. Distance is calculated based on a set of meta-features that characterizes the data, and on the Bray-Curtis distance. We show that it is possible to reuse previous models using this methodology, leading to potentially significant saving of resources and time, while maintaining predictive quality. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Abstract
This paper advocates for Digital Twin (DT) technology as a pivotal solution to address the complexities of Complex Operations Environments (COEs). Recognizing the need for a thorough understanding of COEs and their DTs, a methodology is introduced to bridge existing gaps. Given the lack of a universal definition, the approach leverages the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to extract insights, facilitating the development of a comprehensive definition for COE and DT. The methodology integrates Ontology and Systems Modelling Language (SysML) to provide a semantic and conceptual model of COE and DT. Ontology enriches the semantic understanding, exploring existence and entity relationships, while SysML ensures clear and concise communication through standardized graphical representation. This paper aims to present a methodology to achieve a precise understanding of COEs and their corresponding DTs, providing a robust foundation for addressing operational complexities in dynamic environments.

Abstract
The footwear industry is energy-intensive and, consequently, a source of large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions every year. Issues related to climate change and growing conflicts on a global scale that impact the prices of raw materials and energy prices have led companies in the footwear industry to take actions to mitigate these impacts. Among these actions is the growing focus on producing its energy from energy systems based on renewable sources and battery energy storage units. This paper addresses the energy-efficient manufacturing scheduling in footwear industries with onsite energy production from a photovoltaic system with batteries. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem. Different objectives are presented, depending on the priorities of the entity that owns the footwear factory, namely, minimizing operation costs, minimizing CO2 emissions, or both. The case study is footwear factory located in Portugal that uses a manufacturing process based on injection molding. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach, with active demand side management playing a fundamental role in shifting periods of higher energy consumption to periods of lower prices or lower CO2 emissions. Also, Pareto fronts are depicted to make the trade-off between CO2 emissions and operation costs. As expected, the reduction of CO2 emissions promotes an increase on operation costs. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is carried out on the increase in photovoltaic capacity and battery capacity. The results show that increasing photovoltaic and battery capacity promotes reductions in costs up to 30% and in the emissions up to 37%.

Abstract
Lean and green (L&G) manufacturing in Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has brought many advantages in manufacturing industries by minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency with integration of renewable energy sources and sustainable materials. Multi-layer Stream Mapping (MSM) is a new framework for the performance assessment of complex manufacturing processes. MSM is used for multi-domain analysis of manufacturing processes to assess resources, and processes, that are used to identify Non-ValueAdded (NVA) procedures or steps that consume unnecessary time and resources, and/or release emissions and waste that can no longer be reused or recycled to be eliminated or replaced to create a Value Added (VA) process flow that avoids waste in a clean, green and environmental friendly manner. This paper presents the implementation of the L&G strategy through MSM in metal working production systems. In metalworking production systems, the variables of operational performance and resources consumption considered are process time, number of operators, consumables, raw material, and energy. These can be suitably used for reduction in water emissions, gas emissions, solid waste and scrap generated in metalworking production systems.