Abstract
Organizations aim to achieve operational efficiency capable of responding to high market competitiveness. The implementation of automation systems in organizational processes is a key factor in improving operational efficiency. This paper intends to contribute for a better understanding of the adoption of automation systems in organizations and analyze their impact on employee performance, considering the conditions under which they were implemented. The methodology for this study was qualitative research, in which semi-structured exploratory interviews conducted with employees from the Accounts Receivable department of automotive sector companies were carried out. The main goal was to understand their perception of the use of automation systems in their work tasks. The results of this research led to the conclusion that automation systems, even when underutilized, are beneficial in reducing repetitive and manual tasks. Nevertheless, the way in which they are implemented has a direct impact on the motivation of employees to use them.

Abstract
Energy and materials are increasingly important in industrialized countries, and they impact the economy, sustainability, and people's future. The purpose of this work was to study the relationship between energy and the circular economy using methods such as Pearson's correlation and a principal component analysis. Thus, 12 strong correlations were found, with 5 of them between the following relevant variables from two different subjects: the correlations of the raw material consumption, the domestic material consumption, and the material import dependency with the final energy consumption in transport (0.81, 0.92, and 0.81); the correlation of the circular material use rate with the final energy consumption in households (0.70); and the correlation of the material import dependency with the final energy consumption in industry (0.89). The time series forecast was only conclusive for the waste generated, showing that it will increase in the next 10 years.

Abstract
This paper describes a study developed to analyse the interest in investing in Li-ion batteries to perform price arbitrage in the power system of Portugal. In this context, it was developed a methodology to identify the most suitable hours for charging and discharging the energy, and the new market prices were estimated for these hours. It was concluded that at current investment costs in this storage technology, and current market prices, this investment would not be viable in the lifetime of the batteries despite the recent rise of electricity market prices and also the larger price spread. This spread is now larger given the depression of prices at sunny hours that is getting typical in the Iberian electricity market.

Abstract
Purpose: Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a group of degenerative disorders of the retina, that can be potentially associated with changes in the anterior segment, but their prevalence and impact are not known. Exploring these concomitant ophthalmologic changes with biomechanical assessment may help identify other non-retina causes of vision loss in these patients, such as corneal ectasia or susceptibility to glaucoma. This study aimed to measure and compare corneal biomechanics in patients with and without IRDs. Methods: A total of 77 patients (154 eyes) with IRD were recruited as the study group. The control group consisted of 77 healthy adults (154 eyes) with matched age and sphere equivalents. All participants underwent a comprehensive assessment including corneal tomography (Pentacam (R)) and biomechanical assessment (Corvis ST (R)). A total of 4 second-generation biomechanical parameters and 3 indexes were collected: Ambrosio Relational Thickness (ARTh), Deflection Amplitude Ratio Max (DARM), Integrated Radius (IR) and Stiffness Parameter at Applanation (SP-A1), the final deviation value D of the Belin/Ambrosio Enhanced Ectasia Display (BADResults: For IRD patients, there was a higher DARM (p < 0.001), lower ARTh (p < 0.001), higher CBI (p < 0.001), higher TBI (p<0.001), and higher BAD-D (p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Regarding discrimination of healthy subjects and IRD patients, ARTh was the most sensitive parameter. Conclusion: The results showed that IRD patients tend to have softer corneal behaviour, compared to eyes without pathology, which may predispose patients to corneal ectasia or glaucoma development. ARTh could be used to screen IRD patients if a non-retina cause of vision loss is suspected.

Abstract

Abstract
Virtual assistants offer a new type of solution to handle interaction between human and machine and can be applied in various business contexts such as Industry or Education. When designing and building a virtual assistant the developers must ensure a set of parameters to achieve a good solution. Various platforms and frameworks emerged to allow developers to create virtual assistant solutions easier and faster. This paper provides a review of available platforms and frameworks used by authors to create their own solutions in different areas. Big tech companies like Google with Dialogflow, IBM with Watson Assistant and Microsoft with Bot Framework, present mature solutions to build virtual assistants that provide to the developer all components of the basic architecture to build a fast and solid solution. Open-Source solutions focus on providing to the developer the main components to build a virtual assistant, namely language understanding and response generation.