Transformation Process Research Articles

Digital transformation in incumbent companies: a qualitative study on exploration and exploitation activities in innovation

Digital transformation is a pivotal strategic pillar for companies. Despite its relevance, incumbent companies still face challenges in implementation due to the complex character of transformation processes. We provide a framework serving as guidance for leaders of digital transformations. Based on an explorative research design, we conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with experts of digital transformations of incumbent companies. Our findings indicate that leaders need to understand the terminologies related to exploration, exploitation, and digital transformation, and the complex interaction between all three areas. This includes digital literacy and being aware of differentiated treatment of exploration and exploitation in innovations and the relevance of both. Leaders must acknowledge that industry and organizational characteristics influence organizations’ tendencies towards exploration or exploitation in innovations. Exploration in digital transformation is about using digital technologies to rethink business models. Using digital technologies to optimize existing processes, products, and IT infrastructure is associated with exploitation. In sum, we need different target settings and approaches for the required activities.

A REVIEW OF IMPLEMENTING AI-POWERED DATA WAREHOUSE SOLUTIONS TO OPTIMIZE BIG DATA MANAGEMENT AND UTILIZATION

This review examines the implementation of AI-powered data warehouse solutions to optimize big data management and utilization, analyzing 25 peer-reviewed articles published over the last decade. As organizations increasingly rely on vast amounts of data for strategic decision-making, traditional data warehousing techniques have struggled to keep pace with the volume, variety, and velocity of modern data. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into data warehousing processes has emerged as a critical advancement, enhancing data processing efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. This study synthesizes findings from the literature to highlight key benefits such as automated data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes, real-time analytics, and improved data quality through advanced cleansing and anomaly detection. Additionally, it identifies significant challenges including data security risks, integration complexities, and the need for specialized skills and substantial investments. The review concludes with recommendations for future research and practical applications, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning and robust security measures to fully leverage AI's potential in revolutionizing data warehousing.

The Transformation of Traditional Peasants: An Age–Period–Cohort Analysis of the Modernity of Peasants in China

Using the data of Chinese General Social Survey from 2010 to 2018, this study measured the modernity of Chinese peasants from four dimensions: equality and autonomy, positive attitude, general confidence, and open-mindedness. Hierarchical age–period–cohort models were introduced to assess the effect of age, period, and cohort on modernity and to further explore the heterogeneities in the effect of education and off-farm work experience on modernity among various birth cohorts. Age effects consistently show significance, with the level of individual modernity decreasing as age increases. However, the rate of decline gradually slows down. Period effects are generally significant and contribute to the advancement of modernity. Cohort effects are significant in most cohorts. The modernity of peasants born between 1941 and 1960 show a consistent decline, reaching its lowest point in the cohort 1961–1970 and then increasing steadily among those born after 1970. Possible explanations were proposed from the perspective of changes in the land property system and household registration system in China. We also found that the positive effect of education is stronger for younger cohorts, whereas the positive effect of off-farm experience is stronger for older cohorts. This study enriches Inkeles’s research on individual modernization and reveals the transformation process of traditional peasants in developing countries.

Spatiotemporal distribution patterns of iron, manganese, and arsenic within the river infiltration zone and the potential geochemical activity at key interfaces

The river infiltration zone is a mixed area of surface water and groundwater under the riverbed and along the riverbank, which is greatly affected by river infiltration. Currently, there is a lack of understanding regarding the migration and transformation processes of Fe, Mn, and As, along with their correlation with organic carbon in the river infiltration zone affected by riverbed scouring and siltation processes. In this study, based on techniques such as pore water sampling and the Tessier sequential extraction, the spatiotemporal variations in Fe, Mn, and As concentrations and possible geochemical processes at the riverbed sediment–water interface and along the river infiltration flow path were revealed. The results indicated that the potential geochemical activity of Fe, Mn, and As and the distribution of organic carbon in the riverbed sediment responded to riverbed scouring–siltation processes. Compared to the high water level period, the potential geochemical activity of Fe, Mn, As, and organic carbon in the riverbed sediment generally exhibited an upward trend during the low water level period, indicating more intense Fe and Mn biogeochemical reactions. During river infiltration, the labile organic carbon (LOC) was preferentially utilized, and with increasing depth, the sedimentary organic carbon (SOC) continuously transformed into LOC and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Affected by riverbed scouring processes, the transition time from oxidizing to reducing conditions in the pore water increased, and the Fe, Mn, and As reduction zones moved deeper and farther from the riverbank, resulting in a significant expansion of the groundwater pollution area. The reductive dissolution of iron and manganese oxides/hydroxides and the oxidation of organic matter–bound Fe, Mn, and As were the main biogeochemical processes contributing to the release of Fe, Mn, and As in the river infiltration zone. These research results have crucial theoretical significance and practical application value for the sustainable utilization of groundwater resources and the remediation of groundwater pollution.

Immune Changes in “Hepatitis Inflammation and Cancer Transformation Process” from the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Immune Changes in “Hepatitis Inflammation and Cancer Transformation Process” from the Perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine

A misleading case of Mullerian anomaly: fibroid degeneration and growth involving non-functional, non-communicating rudimentary horn

ObjectiveTo report a rare, misleading fibroid degeneration involving a non-functional, non-communicating horn in a woman with a unicornuate uterus. While the presence of a functional rudimentary horn may lead to signs and symptoms that recommend its removal, non-functional cases are rarely reported, and due to their apparent functional inactivity, the need for their removal has never been reported. No previous report showed the possibility of a degenerative process in a non-functional rudimentary horn causing patient discomfort. DesignThis is a step-by-step narrated video showing a unique case of fibroid degeneration and growth of a non-functional, non-communicating rudimentary horn in a unicornuate uterus (ASRM classification 2021) and its surgical management. SettingUniversity Academic Hospital ‘‘A.O.U. delle Marche – Università Politecnica delle Marche” Ancona, Italy. SubjectA 48-year-old Caucasian nulliparous premenopausal woman was referred to our institution because of abdominal pain and an enlarging adnexal mass. Her personal history showed primary infertility with a previous diagnosis of unicornuate uterus. Given the possibility of ectopic ureters in these occurrences, a complete computed tomography scan was performed, and no genitourinary alterations were found. Pre-operative imaging (ultrasound evaluation, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance) provided a provisional diagnosis of a suspicious ovarian fibroma. InterventionsConsidering the patient’s age, lack of desire for pregnancy, and volumetric increase of the adnexal mass, a laparoscopic intervention to perform mass removal and prophylactic bilateral salpingectomy was planned. The patient was counseled about the low risk of an underlying malignant transformation. Therefore, the decision to remove the intact mass via a mini-laparotomy at the end of the surgery was shared.Once the abdominal cavity was entered, the right unicornuate uterus was found in anatomical continuity with the ipsilateral broad ligament, fallopian tube, and ovary. These structures were wholly attached to the right pelvic wall.On the other side, cranially compared to the right hemi-uterus, a roundish myoma-like mass was detected in direct connection with the left broad ligament, fallopian tube, and ovary.In light of a changed intraoperative finding, the amputation of the left rudimentary horn and prophylactic bilateral salpingectomy were performed. Main outcome measuresShowing the fibroid degeneration and growth of a non-functional, non-communicating rudimentary horn in a unicornuate uterus (ASRM classification 2021) treated laparoscopically. ResultsLaparoscopic removal of the uterine horn was successful, and no intra- and postoperative complications occurred. The patient was in good health at the six-month follow-up visit. The histopathological examination confirmed the fibroid degeneration and the absence of endometrium. ConclusionThe lack of symptomatic cases of rudimentary non-functional horns reported in the literature led gynecologists to consider them a silent Mullerian anomaly. This unique case demonstrates that even non-functional rudimentary horns can undergo symptomatic transformation processes requiring surgery. This information may be helpful for more comprehensive counseling of women and for considering the possibility of this occurrence in the diagnostic work-up of misleading Müllerian anomalies. With this in mind, surgical treatment can also be better planned as the technical aspects change compared to what is expected for an adnexal pathology.

Drama Costumes and Character Shaping: Visual Narrative from Desk Design to Stage Costume

Outstanding theatrical costume is not only the crystallization of the designer's efforts, but also plays a vital role in the process of characterization. It not only reveals the identity of the character, but also adds color to the actor's performance and makes the character image more layered and beautiful. From the desktop design to the production and presentation of stage costumes is a two-dimensional to three-dimensional transformation process, this process not only involves how the designer through the conception, design and production of clothing to interpret the role of the era in which the background of the regional environment, personality traits, inner feelings, future destiny, etc.; also involves the costume and other departments is how to communicate and collaborate with the audience to present a vivid stage Performance. Throughout the process, the costume design department has to go through the process of conceptualizing the character image, drawing the costume rendering, communicating and negotiating with other departments, and then determining the style, color and fabric of the costume, and then starting the production and finally presenting it to the audience on the stage, so as to complete the shaping of the character's image and the role of its visual narrative.

Exploring a cellulose-immobilized bacteria for self-healing concrete via microbe-induced calcium carbonate precipitation

Concrete is widely used in modern civil engineering due to its high compressive strength, abundance of raw materials, and simple production process. However, its brittleness makes it vulnerable to environmental factors, leading to cracks that impact its durability. Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology has emerged as a promising solution, offering environmental benefits, real-time repair capabilities, and reduced manual intervention. This study focuses on enhancing the efficiency of calcium sources by identifying a strain with calcium ion adsorption abilities and pairing it with a mineralizing bacterium rich in urease production. Microorganisms were immobilized in a microcapsule using a cellulose-based material to explore the potential of cellulosic gel as a bacterial carrier. The gel was prepared through a sol-gel transformation process, incorporating a porogen to create a porous structure. Microcapsules with a particle size of 2.5–3.0 mm were successfully produced, enhancing their mechanical strength by 88.29 %. Examination of the microscopic structure of the cellulosic gel demonstrated its strong immobilization capacity for bacterial spores. The self-repairing effect of the gel on cracks was particularly effective under water curing conditions at 30–40 °C. After 28 days, cracks up to 0.3 mm wide were repaired, with a repair rate exceeding 90 % for cracks 0.1–0.2 mm wide.

Multifunctional-Element doping of NASICON-Structured cathode enables High-Rate and stable sodium storage

The NASICON cathode of sodium ion battery (SIB) exhibits a stable structure and good electrochemical performance. Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP), as a typical NASICON cathode, has been widely used in SIBs due to its high capacity and long cycle life. However, the high proportion of vanadium in NVP escalates its cost, which deviates from the initial objective of affordable sodium-ion batteries. In this work, a multifunctional-element substitution of vanadium sites in NVP is introduced by the cost-effective transition metals (Mn and Al), which optimizes the host structure, promotes the transmission of sodium ions and improves the cycle stability. The introduction of Mn can enhance its electrochemical activity and increase the reaction potential, and the doping of Al can improve structural support and cycle stability by the enhanced covalent skeleton. It was found that the Na3.7VAl0.3Mn0.7(PO4)3 cathode shows a high capacity of 87.77 mAh g−1 even at 40C (93.2 % retention compared to 1C), and the capacity retention reaches 96.33 % after 1000 cycles at 2C. In-situ XRD analysis demonstrate that the Na3.7VAl0.3Mn0.7(PO4)3 cathode exhibits a solid solution reaction mechanism instead of the previous two-phase transformation process during the Na+ (de)insertion. Furthermore, we conducted assessments on the efficacy of diverse phosphate cathodes within a coin-type full-cell configuration, which initially exhibits a high energy density of 343.9 Wh kg−1 and excellent capacity retention of 91.58 % after 150 cycles at 0.5C. These characteristics position it as a promising candidate for NASICON cathode materials in the field of research and development.

Collaborative construction of meaning: facilitating sensemaking moments through aesthetic knowledge generation

ABSTRACT In times of accelerating digital transformation processes, it is of crucial importance to convey the meaningfulness of digital work processes to stakeholders. In the current research, the authors provide means for exploring immersive digital interaction for collaborative meaning construction. Thereby, Knowledge Management (KM) activities comprise instantiating and guiding individual and collective sensemaking processes, focusing on the effects of aesthetics and embodiment, i.e. human senses, and the human body. When performing actions in digital sensemaking stakeholders attribute meaning to work tasks through embodied agency and aesthetic performative awareness. The contribution demonstrates how active and traceable knowledge generation can be induced. Knowledge generation needs to be accompanied by an aesthetic coding scheme targeting shared perception and knowledge elicitation.

Event-based Optical Flow via Transforming into Motion-dependent View.

Event cameras respond to temporal dynamics, helping to resolve ambiguities in spatio-temporal changes for optical flow estimation. However, the unique spatio-temporal event distribution challenges the feature extraction, and the direct construction of motion representation through the orthogonal view is less than ideal due to the entanglement of appearance and motion. This paper proposes to transform the orthogonal view into a motion-dependent one for enhancing event-based motion representation and presents a Motion View-based Network (MV-Net) for practical optical flow estimation. Specifically, this motion-dependent view transformation is achieved through the Event View Transformation Module, which captures the relationship between the steepest temporal changes and motion direction, incorporating these temporal cues into the view transformation process for feature gathering. This module includes two phases: extracting the temporal evolution clues by central difference operation in the extraction phase and capturing the motion pattern by evolution-guided deformable convolution in the perception phase. Besides, the MV-Net constructs an eccentric downsampling process to avoid response weakening from the sparsity of events in the downsampling stage. The whole network is trained end-to-end in a self-supervised manner, and the evaluations conducted on four challenging datasets reveal the superior performance of the proposed model compared to state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods.

Research on Optimization of Communication Network Security and Intelligent Supervision Model in Urban Community Aging Adaptation Renovation

In the process of increasing the number of elderly people, their care and attention have received greater attention, which has made traditional community environments face insufficient data encryption performance and data mining services in the communication network security of aging communities. This has made communication security optimization and intelligent monitoring models in urban community aging adaptation and transformation a focus of research in the field of data communication security. This study delves into the improvement and enhancement of intelligent monitoring models for communication network security in urban communities. Its goal is to improve the security and intelligent monitoring mode of data communication networks during the transformation process through technological innovation and progress in management practices, and further improve the security performance of data communication. This research has solved the communication network security problems existing in intelligent devices and Internet services in the community aging transformation. Through the analysis of improvement strategies, this article compares the basic performance indicators of data encryption, firewall performance, data analysis and mining, and intelligent recommendation in communication network security and intelligent recommendation between different models. The optimization of communication network security in urban community aging adaptation can ensure the data security of terminal devices and further improve and enhance intelligent recommendation services for aging, providing more references and suggestions for communication network security and intelligent monitoring.

"Normal Means Blessing!" Awareness and Acceptance in Mothers of Children with Special Care Needs: A Qualitative Study

The objective of this study was to examine the acceptance and awareness of mothers with children with special needs regarding their children’s special situation. A qualitative exploratory approach was employed in this study. Between November 2023 and January 2024, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 22 mothers of children with special needsFour primary themes emerged from the mothers included in the study regarding their acceptance and awareness of their children’s special situation: Challenges, Transformation, Adaptation, and Mistakes. The Challenges theme encompasses the child who deviates from expectations, lack of information, stigma, lack of support, burden of care, inadequacy, and guilt. The Transformation theme encompasses the concept of the special child, increased responsibilities, attitude toward the social environment, and normal means of blessing. The Adaptation theme encompasses the sub-themes of treatment and care, family dynamics, spirituality, and social. The Mistakes theme encompasses the sub-themes of dependency on the child, dependency of the child, and allowing secondary gain. The parents demonstrated a willingness to accept and be aware of their children’s special condition, which facilitated the process of transformation and adaptation. In order for parents to undergo the transformation process more expeditiously, it is necessary to enhance their acceptance and awareness.

Business readiness for dual transformation: an analysis of business capabilities for digital and sustainable transformation

In a dynamic business environment, the convergence of Digital Transformation and Sustainable Transformation has emerged as a comprehensive strategy for companies seeking to thrive in the modern era. For this transformation to successfully develop, the appropriate conditions must be present to carry out a process of digitisation and sustainability. Therefore, this research aimed to identify the readiness level of companies established in the city of Tijuana, Mexico, to adopt a dual transformation process. An analysis of the different digital and sustainable transformation models was carried out, and a self-diagnosis model was designed. Then, a quantitative instrument was applied to a sample of 148 small, medium and large companies in Tijuana between 2022 and mid-2023. The analysis consisted of a descriptive analysis of the data and a correlation analysis. It concludes that the elements that most explain the dual transformation are strategy, culture, organisational and technical capabilities. Likewise, the related factors are definition and communication, alignment, and scope of the objectives within the strategy; change management, knowledge and collaboration in the culture; within the organisation: leadership, processes and organisational structure; and finally in the technical capabilities data management, training and systems integration. The results of this research allowed us to identify and propose strategies to implement the dual transformation and increase the scalability and competitiveness of the adopting companies.

Continuous Transformation from Membrane‐Less Coacervates to Membranized Coacervates and Giant Vesicles: Toward Multicompartmental Protocells with Complex (Membrane) Architectures

AbstractThe membranization of membrane‐less coacervates paves the way for the exploitation of complex protocells with regard to structural and cell‐like functional behaviors. However, the controlled transformation from membranized coacervates to vesicles remains a challenge. This can provide stable (multi)phase and (multi)compartmental architectures through the reconfiguration of coacervate droplets in the presence of (bioactive) polymers, bio(macro)molecules and/or nanoobjects. Herein, we present a continuous protocell transformation from membrane‐less coacervates to membranized coacervates and, ultimately, to giant hybrid vesicles. This transformation process is orchestrated by altering the balance of non‐covalent interactions through varying concentrations of an anionic terpolymer, leading to dynamic processes such as spontaneous membranization of terpolymer nanoparticles at the coacervate surface, disassembly of the coacervate phase mediated by the excess anionic charge, and the redistribution of coacervate components in membrane. The diverse protocells during the transformation course provide distinct structural features and molecular permeability. Notably, the introduction of multiphase coacervates in this continuous transformation process signifies advancements toward the creation of synthetic cells with different diffusible compartments. Our findings emphasize the highly controlled continuous structural reorganization of coacervate protocells and represents a novel step toward the development of advanced and sophisticated synthetic protocells with more precise compositions and complex (membrane) structures.

Continuous Transformation from Membrane-Less Coacervates to Membranized Coacervates and Giant Vesicles: Toward Multicompartmental Protocells with Complex (Membrane) Architectures.

The membranization of membrane-less coacervates paves the way for the exploitation of complex protocells with regard to structural and cell-like functional behaviors. However, the controlled transformation from membranized coacervates to vesicles remains a challenge. This can provide stable (multi)phase and (multi)compartmental architectures through the reconfiguration of coacervate droplets in the presence of (bioactive) polymers, bio(macro)molecules and/or nanoobjects. Herein, we present a continuous protocell transformation from membrane-less coacervates to membranized coacervates and, ultimately, to giant hybrid vesicles. This transformation process is orchestrated by altering the balance of non-covalent interactions through varying concentrations of an anionic terpolymer, leading to dynamic processes such as spontaneous membranization of terpolymer nanoparticles at the coacervate surface, disassembly of the coacervate phase mediated by the excess anionic charge, and the redistribution of coacervate components in membrane. The diverse protocells during the transformation course provide distinct structural features and molecular permeability. Notably, the introduction of multiphase coacervates in this continuous transformation process signifies advancements toward the creation of synthetic cells with different diffusible compartments. Our findings emphasize the highly controlled continuous structural reorganization of coacervate protocells and represents a novel step toward the development of advanced and sophisticated synthetic protocells with more precise compositions and complex (membrane) structures.

Unravelling the potential of prussian blue analogues in oxygen electrocatalysis: A perspective on surface reconstruction

Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) hold promises as catalysts for electrochemical energy conversion, especially in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Their high surface area and porosity combined with a tunable electronic structure featuring abundant metallic centers, make them attractive alternatives to traditional noble metal-based catalysts. Amongst these fascinating properties, the capacity for surface reconstruction to form active layers is one of the most sought-after characteristics of PBAs for enhanced activity. Recent advancements in operando and in situ techniques have further highlighted PBAs' capability for surface reconstruction during the electrocatalysis, particularly in alkaline solutions. State-of-the-art strategies for enhancing activity and stability of PBA-based catalysts, such as metal doping, tuning metal centers, introducing coordination sphere vacancies (VFeCN), and utilizing carbon supports, are closely linked to their ability towards surface reconstruction. However, key aspects warrant further exploration to achieve high electrocatalytic activity, including identifying initiators and pathways for surface reconstruction, establishing structure-property-activity correlations, and strategically manipulating in-situ catalyst surface reconstruction. This perspective focuses on understanding the transformation of PBA-based pre-catalysts to surface active layers on catalysts via surface reconstruction. A recent progress in PBA-catalysts towards advancing the electrochemical energy systems is highlighted. This perspective will guide the new entrants in the field to understand the process of surface transformation for establishing structure-property-activity relationships and thus to develop highly efficient PBA-based electrocatalysts.

Hybrid and coupled modeling for the design of fixed and suspended biomass reactors treating sanitary landfill leachates

This paper deals with an approach for hybrid and coupled modeling of the design of fixed and suspended biomass reactors for organic matter removal from sanitary landfill leachates. Five bioreactors, comprising Rotating Biological Contactors, Trickling Filter, Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket, Upflow Anaerobic Filter in Two Separated Stages (UAF-2SS) and Upflow Anaerobic Filter in Three Separated Stages (UAF-3SS) were evaluated by treating the organic matter contained in the leachates produced in two sanitary landfills. With respect to the hybrid and coupled models, the best performance in the approximation of the measured values in the Se/Si ratio to the predicted results of models were the equations for UAF-2SS and UAF-3SS reactors. Hybrid models were made up of a combination of mass conservation law and equations for estimating transformation process. Coupled models consisted of a combination of transport process models and transformation models based on the substrate utilization rate by the microorganisms.

Examining the Technostress Dimensions and Job Satisfaction in Nursing - A Cross-Sectional Study.

The healthcare system is increasingly being digitized. Besides expected benefits, the transformation can negatively affect nurses with increasing technostress. This study aimed to examine technostress among nurses and its association with job satisfaction. Cross-sectional survey data of 154 nurses working in acute hospitals in Switzerland was analyzed using Welch's ANOVA with the Games-Howell test and multiple linear regression model. Among the technostress dimensions, uncertainty was the most agreed upon by nurses, with a mean score of 2.21 (on a scale ranging from 0 to 4), and it differed significantly from other technostress dimensions. The multiple linear regression showed that the feeling of invasion of private life had the strongest negative association with job satisfaction (β = -0.34). Nurses experience constant changes or new developments in the technologies in their organization. Therefore, health organizations should carefully plan their digital transformation processes to minimize simultaneous technology implementations and allow adaptation time.

Systematic Route to Construct the 5-5-6 Tricyclic Core of Furanobutenolide-Derived Cembranoids and Norcembranoids.

Herein, we present a highly efficient method for constructing the intricate 5-5-6 fused ring system commonly found in the polycyclic furanobutenolide-derived cembranoid and norcembranoid natural product family with remarkable diastereoselectivity, utilizing an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction as the cornerstone. Notably, employing a propargyl ether tether as the dienophile yields significant enhancements in the transformation process compared to its propargyl ester counterpart, as demonstrated in our previous total synthesis of havellockate. This advancement holds promising implications for future investigations, offering a streamlined pathway for rapidly assembling the tricyclic core characteristic of this diverse family of natural products.