Enabling IoT in Manufacturing: from device to the cloud

Industrial automation platforms are experiencing a paradigm shift. With the new technol-ogies and strategies that are being applied to enable a synchronization of the digital and real world, including real-time access to sensorial information and advanced networking capabilities to actively cooperate and form a nervous system within the enterprise, the amount of data that can be collected from real world and processed at digital level is growing at an exponential rate. Indeed, in modern industry, a huge amount of data is coming through sensorial networks em-bedded in the production line, allowing to manage the production in real-time. This dissertation proposes a data collection framework for continuously collecting data from the device to the cloud, enabling resources at manufacturing industries shop floors to be handled seamlessly. The framework envisions to provide a robust solution that besides collecting, transforming and man-aging data through an IoT model, facilitates the detection of patterns using collected historical sensor data. Industrial usage of this framework, accomplished in the frame of the EU C2NET project, supports and automates collaborative business opportunities and real-time monitoring of the production lines

Multi-modal on-body sensing of human activities

Increased usage and integration of state-of-the-art information technology in our everyday work life aims at increasing the working efficiency. Due to unhandy human-computer-interaction methods this progress does not always result in increased efficiency, for mobile workers in particular. Activity recognition based contextual computing attempts to balance this interaction deficiency. This work investigates wearable, on-body sensing techniques on their applicability in the field of human activity recognition. More precisely we are interested in the spotting and recognition of so-called manipulative hand gestures. In particular the thesis focuses on the question whether the widely used motion sensing based approach can be enhanced through additional information sources. The set of gestures a person usually performs on a specific place is limited -- in the contemplated production and maintenance scenarios in particular. As a consequence this thesis investigates whether the knowledge about the user's hand location provides essential hints for the activity recognition process. In addition, manipulative hand gestures -- due to their object manipulating character -- typically start in the moment the user's hand reaches a specific place, e.g. a specific part of a machinery. And the gestures most likely stop in the moment the hand leaves the position again. Hence this thesis investigates whether hand location can help solving the spotting problem. Moreover, as user-independence is still a major challenge in activity recognition, this thesis investigates location context as a possible key component in a user-independent recognition system. We test a Kalman filter based method to blend absolute position readings with orientation readings based on inertial measurements. A filter structure is suggested which allows up-sampling of slow absolute position readings, and thus introduces higher dynamics to the position estimations. In such a way the position measurement series is made aware of wrist motions in addition to the wrist position. We suggest location based gesture spotting and recognition approaches. Various methods to model the location classes used in the spotting and recognition stages as well as different location distance measures are suggested and evaluated. In addition a rather novel sensing approach in the field of human activity recognition is studied. This aims at compensating drawbacks of the mere motion sensing based approach. To this end we develop a wearable hardware architecture for lower arm muscular activity measurements. The sensing hardware based on force sensing resistors is designed to have a high dynamic range. In contrast to preliminary attempts the proposed new design makes hardware calibration unnecessary. Finally we suggest a modular and multi-modal recognition system; modular with respect to sensors, algorithms, and gesture classes. This means that adding or removing a sensor modality or an additional algorithm has little impact on the rest of the recognition system. Sensors and algorithms used for spotting and recognition can be selected and fine-tuned separately for each single activity. New activities can be added without impact on the recognition rates of the other activities

Making sense of organizational isomorphism: the case of ISO 9000 in Hong Kong Industries.

by Chun-pong Kwok.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (leaves [144]-[151]).ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSABSTRACTChapter CHAPTER 1. --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- ISO 9000 as an isomorphic process in Hong Kong industries --- p.2Chapter 1.2 --- Theoretical and Empirical Background --- p.3Chapter 1.3 --- Methods --- p.6Chapter 1.4 --- Internal Organization of each chapter --- p.8Chapter CHAPTER 2. --- ISO 9000 As An Isomorphic Process In Hongkong industriesChapter 2.1 --- Origin of ISO9000 --- p.11Chapter 2.2 --- ISO's Popularity in Global and Local Markets --- p.12Chapter 2.3 --- Some Characteristics of ISO9000 --- p.13Chapter 2.4 --- ISO 9000 as an Isomorphic Process in the Organizational Field --- p.17Chapter 2.5 --- The Current Models Explaining the Popularity of ISO9000Chapter 2.51 --- ISO as a Trade Restriction --- p.18Chapter 2.52 --- The Market Driven Thesis --- p.20Chapter 2.53 --- ISO as a Product Promoted by Professional Groups --- p.23Chapter 2.54 --- ISO as a Result of Rational Choice --- p.25Chapter 2.6 --- Recapitulation --- p.27Chapter CHAPTER 3. --- Institutional Theories of Organizations and the Sensemaking PerspectiveChapter 3.1 --- What is An Institution? --- p.30Chapter 3.2 --- Institutional Theory of Organizations: From Old to New --- p.32Chapter 3.21 --- The Old Institutional Theory of Organizations --- p.32Chapter 3.22 --- Contributions of The Old Institutional School --- p.35Chapter 3.23 --- The Neo-Institutionalism In Organizational Analysis --- p.36Chapter 3.23 --- a Isomorphic Processes and Mechanisms --- p.39Chapter 3.23 --- b An Alternative Model Defined by Richard Scott --- p.40Chapter 3.24 --- The Weaknesses of The Neo-Institutional Approach To Organizational Analysis --- p.44Chapter 3.3 --- What is Sensemaking? --- p.47Chapter 3.31 --- Sensemaking In Organizations --- p.47Chapter 3.32 --- The Powerfulness of Sensemaking --- p.49Chapter 3.33a --- Sources of A Good Sense --- p.51Chapter 3.33b --- The Fragility of Sensemaking and Its Maintenance --- p.52Chapter 3.4 --- Conclusion --- p.54Chapter CHAPTER 4. --- A Closer Examination Of The Institutional IsomorphismChapter 4.1 --- Different Organizations are all in the same field --- p.55Chapter 4.2 --- How Cocecive/ Regulative Institution Works --- p.59Chapter 4.3 --- How Cognitive Institution Works --- p.61Chapter 4.4 --- How Normative Institution Works --- p.65Chapter 4.5 --- The Mutual Reinforcement of Institutional Pressures in the Environment --- p.69Chapter 4.6 --- Recapitulation --- p.71Chapter 5. --- Institutional Sources of Sensemaking and Its Strategies --- p.72Chapter 5.1 --- The Nature of Sensemaking --- p.73Chapter 5.2 --- Extraorganizational Sources of Sensemaking --- p.76Chapter 5.21 --- Market Signaling --- p.77Chapter 5.22 --- Reduction Of Responsibility ----Measure To Cope With Inevitable Risk --- p.84Chapter 5.3 --- Intraorganizational Sources of Sensemaking --- p.86Chapter 5.31 --- ISO 9000 as a Conflict Resolution Device --- p.87Chapter 5.3 la --- Misunderstandings --- p.87Chapter 5.31b --- Fault Aversion --- p.88Chapter 5.32 --- Labour Control and Deskilling Device --- p.89Chapter 5.4 --- Sensemaking Strategies --- p.92Chapter 5.5 --- Conclusion --- p.94Chapter 6. --- The Management Of Misfits And Dissonance --- p.96Chapter 6.1 --- The Dissonance and The Failure of Prophecy --- p.96Chapter 6.2 --- The Puzzle of Quality and Efficiency Improvement --- p.98Chapter 6.21 --- The Shortcomings of The System --- p.98Chapter 6.22 --- The Shortcomings of The Certified Companies --- p.100Chapter 6.23 --- The Shortcomings of The Certifying Bodies --- p.102Chapter 6.3 --- Strategies used to resolve the dissonance --- p.102Chapter 6.31 --- The Postponement Of Realizing Of The Promise --- p.103Chapter 6.32 --- Dissociation From The Unqualified Certifying Bodies --- p.103Chapter 6.33 --- Redefining The Goals Of Adopting ISO9000 --- p.104Chapter 6.4 --- The Transformation From Ambiguity To Flexibility --- p.105Chapter 6.5 --- Labour Resistance --- p.108Chapter 6.6 --- Conclusion --- p.111Chapter 7. --- Recapitulation: A Theory of Social Action In Insitutional Analysis --- p.113Chapter 7.1 --- "A Theory of Constraint: Institutions, Institutional Environment And Institutionalism In the Organizational Field" --- p.114Chapter 7.2 --- Theory of Action --- p.118Chapter 7.3 --- Implications of the Study --- p.120Chapter 7.31 --- The Eclipse of The Actor's Motivations Under Institutions --- p.120Chapter 7.32 --- The Extension of Conception of The Organizational Field --- p.122Chapter 7.33 --- Overinvestment in ISO 9000 --- p.122Chapter 7.4 --- A Possible Research Agenda --- p.124APPENDIX I --- p.125APPENDIX II --- p.141APPENDIX III --- p.143BIBLIOGRAPH

Play Among Books

How does coding change the way we think about architecture? Miro Roman and his AI Alice_ch3n81 develop a playful scenario in which they propose coding as the new literacy of information. They convey knowledge in the form of a project model that links the fields of architecture and information through two interwoven narrative strands in an “infinite flow” of real books

The Bentham Brothers and Russia: The Imperial Russian Constitution and the St Petersburg Panopticon

The jurist and philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, and his lesser-known brother, Samuel, equally talented but as a naval architect, engineer and inventor, had a long love affair with Russia. Jeremy hoped to assist Empress Catherine II with her legislative projects. Samuel went to St Petersburg to seek his fortune in 1780 and came back with the rank of Brigadier-General and the idea, famously publicised by Jeremy, of the Inspection-House or Panopticon. The Bentham Brothers and Russia chronicles the brothers’ later involvement with the Russian Empire, when Jeremy focused his legislative hopes on Catherine’s grandson Emperor Alexander I (ruled 1801-25) and Samuel found a unique opportunity in 1806 to build a Panopticon in St Petersburg – the only panoptical building ever built by the Benthams themselves. Setting the Benthams’ projects within an in-depth portrayal of the Russian context, Roger Bartlett illuminates an important facet of their later careers and offers insight into their world view and way of thought. He also contributes towards the history of legal codification in Russia, which reached a significant peak in 1830, and towards the demythologising of the Panopticon, made notorious by Michel Foucault: the St Petersburg building, still relatively unknown, is described here in detail on the basis of archival sources. The Benthams’ interactions with Russia under Alexander I constituted a remarkable episode in Anglo-Russian relations; this book fills a significant gap in their history

The Bentham Brothers and Russia

The jurist and philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, and his lesser-known brother, Samuel, equally talented but as a naval architect, engineer and inventor, had a long love affair with Russia. Jeremy hoped to assist Empress Catherine II with her legislative projects. Samuel went to St Petersburg to seek his fortune in 1780 and came back with the rank of Brigadier-General and the idea, famously publicised by Jeremy, of the Inspection-House or Panopticon. The Bentham Brothers and Russia chronicles the brothers’ later involvement with the Russian Empire, when Jeremy focused his legislative hopes on Catherine’s grandson Emperor Alexander I (ruled 1801-25) and Samuel found a unique opportunity in 1806 to build a Panopticon in St Petersburg – the only panoptical building ever built by the Benthams themselves. Setting the Benthams’ projects within an in-depth portrayal of the Russian context, Roger Bartlett illuminates an important facet of their later careers and offers insight into their world view and way of thought. He also contributes towards the history of legal codification in Russia, which reached a significant peak in 1830, and towards the demythologising of the Panopticon, made notorious by Michel Foucault: the St Petersburg building, still relatively unknown, is described here in detail on the basis of archival sources. The Benthams’ interactions with Russia under Alexander I constituted a remarkable episode in Anglo-Russian relations; this book fills a significant gap in their history

The felt hat industry of Bristol and South Gloucestershire, 1530-1909

This thesis reconstructs the felt hat industry of Bristol and South Gloucestershire from its arrival in the region about 1530 until its local demise in 1909. It is a reinstatement and interpretation of a local industrial powerhouse largely neglected by Bristol's historians. The extent and influence of the trade through its ownership, employment and markets, and the lives of its workers, is discussed. No previous work has investigated the subject. There were studies of the early London hatters (Unwin, 1900-1904), those in the north west (Housley, 1929 MA; Giles, 1959; Turner 1986 MSc), and a national perspective, emphasizing one dominant firm (Smith, 1980 PhD).1 Early manufacture around the city soon led to a dispute over civic monopoly. Until the eighteenth century, the feltmakers of South Gloucestershire serviced the Bristol wholesalers and became the admired princes of the 'rough' trade.' At the acme, about 1,000 men were employed to make hats that satisfied the city's merchants in their domestic arrangements and in their overseas trade, principally in the colonies and in the slave business. About 1800, London interests displaced those of Bristol; the low-wage, high-skilled village workforce became a dependency of the capital. Through all this time, the men had a determined commitment to unchanging craft skills and a firm control of craft entry. The industry died as a backwater after enervating fights against legislation, innovation, capital and mechanisation. Few British institutions, let alone industries, can offer an historical view covering nearly 400 years of English development. The regional felt hat trade brushed against, and was sometimes in conflict with, much of the national regulation and taxation of markets and employment, and gives a particular and often surprisingly refreshing perspective. The reality on the ground, away from broader theory, is often unexpected.'EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Management, Technology and Learning for Individuals, Organisations and Society in Turbulent Environments

This book presents the collection of fifty papers which were presented in the Second International Conference on BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY 2011 - Management, Technology and Learning for Individuals, Organisations and Society in Turbulent Environments , held in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, from 22ndto 24thof June, 2011.The main motive of the meeting was growing awareness of the importance of the sustainability issue. This importance had emerged from the growing uncertainty of the market behaviour that leads to the characterization of the market, i.e. environment, as turbulent. Actually, the characterization of the environment as uncertain and turbulent reflects the fact that the traditional technocratic and/or socio-technical approaches cannot effectively and efficiently lead with the present situation. In other words, the rise of the sustainability issue means the quest for new instruments to deal with uncertainty and/or turbulence. The sustainability issue has a complex nature and solutions are sought in a wide range of domains and instruments to achieve and manage it. The domains range from environmental sustainability (referring to natural environment) through organisational and business sustainability towards social sustainability. Concerning the instruments for sustainability, they range from traditional engineering and management methodologies towards “soft” instruments such as knowledge, learning, and creativity. The papers in this book address virtually whole sustainability problems space in a greater or lesser extent. However, although the uncertainty and/or turbulence, or in other words the dynamic properties, come from coupling of management, technology, learning, individuals, organisations and society, meaning that everything is at the same time effect and cause, we wanted to put the emphasis on business with the intention to address primarily companies and their businesses. Due to this reason, the main title of the book is “Business Sustainability 2.0” but with the approach of coupling Management, Technology and Learning for individuals, organisations and society in Turbulent Environments. Also, the notation“2.0” is to promote the publication as a step further from our previous publication – “Business Sustainability I” – as would be for a new version of software. Concerning the Second International Conference on BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY, its particularity was that it had served primarily as a learning environment in which the papers published in this book were the ground for further individual and collective growth in understanding and perception of sustainability and capacity for building new instruments for business sustainability. In that respect, the methodology of the conference work was basically dialogical, meaning promoting dialog on the papers, but also including formal paper presentations. In this way, the conference presented a rich space for satisfying different authors’ and participants’ needs. Additionally, promoting the widest and global learning environment and participation, in accordance with the Conference's assumed mission to promote Proactive Generative Collaborative Learning, the Conference Organisation shares/puts open to the community the papers presented in this book, as well as the papers presented on the previous Conference(s). These papers can be accessed from the conference webpage (http://labve.dps.uminho.pt/bs11). In these terms, this book could also be understood as a complementary instrument to the Conference authors’ and participants’, but also to the wider readerships’ interested in the sustainability issues. The book brought together 107 authors from 11 countries, namely from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland, and United States of America. The authors “ranged” from senior and renowned scientists to young researchers providing a rich and learning environment. At the end, the editors hope, and would like, that this book to be useful, meeting the expectation of the authors and wider readership and serving for enhancing the individual and collective learning, and to incentive further scientific development and creation of new papers. Also, the editors would use this opportunity to announce the intention to continue with new editions of the conference and subsequent editions of accompanying books on the subject of BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY, the third of which is planned for year 2013.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Digital Twin in the IoT context: a survey on technical features, scenarios and architectural models

Digital Twin is an emerging concept that is gaining attention in various industries. It refers to the ability to clone a physical object into a software counterpart. The softwarized object, termed logical object, reflects all the important properties and characteristics of the original object within a specific application context. To fully determine the expected properties of the Digital Twin, this paper surveys the state of the art starting from the original definition within the manufacturing industry. It takes into account related proposals emerging in other fields, namely, Augmented and Virtual Reality (e.g., avatars), Multi-agent systems, and virtualization. This survey thereby allows for the identification of an extensive set of Digital Twin features that point to the “softwarization” of physical objects. To properly consolidate a shared Digital Twin definition, a set of foundational properties is identified and proposed as a common ground outlining the essential characteristics (must-haves) of a Digital Twin. Once the Digital Twin definition has been consolidated, its technical and business value is discussed in terms of applicability and opportunities. Four application scenarios illustrate how the Digital Twin concept can be used and how some industries are applying it. The scenarios also lead to a generic DT architectural Model. This analysis is then complemented by the identification of software architecture models and guidelines in order to present a general functional framework for the Digital Twin. The paper, eventually, analyses a set of possible evolution paths for the Digital Twin considering its possible usage as a major enabler for the softwarization process