A knowledge-based approach to manage information systems interoperability

Interoperability is a key property of enterprise applications, which is hard to achieve due to the large number of interoperating components and semantic heterogeneity. The inherent complexity of interoperability problems implies that there exists no silver bullet to solve them. Rather, the knowledge about how to solve wicked interoperability problems is hidden in the application cases that expose those problems. The paper addresses the question of how to organise and use method knowledge to resolve interoperability problems. We propose the structure of a knowledge-based system that can deliver situation-specific solutions, called method chunks. Situational Method Engineering promotes modularisation and formalisation of method knowledge in the form of reusable method chunks, which can be combined to compose a situation-specific method. The method chunks are stored in a method chunk repository. In order to cater for management and retrieval, we introduce an Interoperability Classification Framework, which is used to classify and tag method chunks and to assess the project situation in which they are to be used. The classification framework incorporates technical as well as business and organisational aspects of interoperability. This is an important feature as interoperability problems typically are multifaceted spanning multiple aspects. We have applied the approach to analyse an industry case from the insurance sector to identify and classify a set of method chunks.     

High biorenewable content acrylate photocurable resins for DLP 3D printing

Green chemistry and green engineering concepts have been combined to develop novel sustainable polymeric materials. Solvent free photocurable acrylate resins with biorenewable carbon content of 75%–82% suitable for application in DLP 3D printing technology were composed by commercially available bio-based materials, acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), isobornyl methacrylate (IBOMA), methacrylic ester (ME), tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate (THFA), and tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate (THFMA). They demonstrated high printing accuracy and good adhesion between layers. The monitoring of photocross-linking kinetics of high biorenewable content acrylate photoresins by the real-time photorheometry and analysis of their rheological parameters was carried out. Synthesized polymers exhibited high yield of insoluble fraction and thermal decomposition temperature at the weight loss of 10% above 300°C. Polymers AESO/IBOMA and AESO/THFMA showed the highest values of tensile modulus and tensile strength. Biodegradability of the synthesized polymers AESO/ME, AESO/THFA, and AESO/THFMA was investigated by measuring oxygen consumption in a closed respirometer. Such AESO-based polymers can be a competitive solution to replace petroleum-derived polymeric materials in additive manufacturing and reduce the environmental impact.     

Approaches to chemical alternatives assessment (CAA) for the substitution of hazardous substances in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Six alternatives assessment frameworks have been reviewed for specific features that might affect the implementation of alternatives assessment and cause regrettable substitution. These features are: the assessments included, the assessment flowchart structure, the inclusion of the assessors with limited resources (e.g., SMEs) in terms of resource intensity, the tools and methods included or guided to, and the indicators. The purpose of this review was to point out the existing important differences among the frameworks and also to stress the possibility of future improvements for the application of frameworks in SMEs. In general, it has been determined that, although there are similar features (e.g., hazard assessment methods) among the reviewed frameworks, there are also serious differences that might affect the assessment outcome, such as the use of physicochemical properties, the scope of life cycle thinking, and decision methods. These differences are caused by the exclusion of particular assessments, as well as the differences among the assessment methods used and the flowchart structure of the framework that incorporates these assessments. Ideally, the frameworks should give the same results under the same circumstances. Also, frameworks usually ignore the follow-up stage of the alternatives assessment, which is an important shortcoming of the frameworks. Common approaches, such as the exclusion of assessments or the use of the sequential elimination method seem to be a temporary solution to the existing problem of the implementation of these frameworks by SMEs. Common principles and methods should be in place to be able to minimize those differences among frameworks toward an optimized framework that enables assessors with limited resources to conduct a comprehensive assessment that is necessary to avoid a regrettable substitution.     

Charge-transporting 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-based hydrazone monomers and oligomers

3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene-based hydrazones, containing reactive functional groups were synthesized and their optical, thermal, photophysical and electrochemical properties were studied. The monomers were subjected to cationic polymerization using boron trifluoride etherate as an initiator. The ionization potentials of the films of the hydrazones, measured by the electron photoemission technique, range from 5.53 to 5.62 eV. Room temperature time-of-flight hole mobilities in the solid solutions of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene hydrazone monomers in bisphenol-Z polycarbonate exceed 10^?5 cm² V^?1 s^?1 at high applied electric fields.     

Camelina oil‐ and linseed oil‐based polymers with bisphosphonate crosslinks

Natural oils are the attractive biobased alternatives for petroleum derived chemicals in the production of polymers. A series of new biodegradable polymers based on epoxidized camelina oil was synthesized and investigated. The thermal, mechanical, swelling properties, hydrolysis, biodegradation, and bioresistance of the camelina oil‐based polymers with bisphosphonate crosslinks were studied and compared with those of the analogous polymers based on epoxidized linseed oil. The dependence of the polymer properties on the density of crosslinks was observed. The obtained results showed that the properties of the camelina oil‐based polymers are comparable with those of the linseed oil‐based polymers and that camelina oil is a promising starting material for the synthesis of polymers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40683.     

Crosslinking of epoxidized natural oils with diepoxy reactive diluents

The different natural oils epoxidized with 3‐chloroperbenzoic acid were crosslinked with diepoxy reactive diluents, bisphenol A propoxylate diglycidyl ether, and 3,4‐epoxycyclohexylmethyl‐3,4‐epoxyclohexane‐carboxylate, using cationic initiator at 60°C and photoinitiators at the room temperature. The insoluble fraction of the polymeric products was 59–90%. The Young modulus of the crosslinked polymer films ranged from 2 to 861 MPa. The 10% weight loss temperatures of the crosslinked polymers estimated by thermogravimetric analysis were in the range from 250 to 420°C. The water vapor transmission rate of the crosslinked biopolymer films ranged from 6 to 49 g/m²/24 h. Biochemical oxygen demand and biodegradation in soil of the crosslinked polymers were studied. The crosslinked polymers showed higher biodegradation rate than cellulose, starch, and polyvinylalcohol. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Constructing the Lyee method with a method engineering approach

This paper proposes an Evolution driven ME approach aiming to support the evolution of an existing method (the As–Is method) in order to obtain a new method (the To–Be method) better adapted to a given engineering situation and/or satisfying new methodogical requirements. The proposed approach is used in order to evolve the existing Lyee method into a Lyee user driven method.¹