5,059 research outputs found

    IoT: Understanding from a Management Perspective for the Railway Sector

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    The railway industry is a key part of any country’s transportation infrastructure. The railway industry supports the competitive advantage of the country’s economy, providing a vital link in the supply chain of most manufacturing, agriculture, and other allied industries. However, in many countries, the railway needs an upgrade, concerning maintenance. In most countries their railways still run on old architecture and are in vital need of improvement into the 21st century technological marvels. To meet the myriad of the industry’s problems, it is proposed in this paper that it is ripe to introduce IoT (Internet of Things) for the competitive advantage of the industry. A qualitative analysis of the issues was conducted through a thematic approach. The results obtained have shown that there is a gap within the industry’s knowhow and modern forms of management perspectives using assisted smart technological. From the findings of the analysis, it is proposed that a rethink of how issues of moving forward should include aspects of smart technology that include IoT and smart systems using some form of AI (artificial intelligence) approach. The proposed approach in this paper will help modernise the railway sector and finally set it on a better roadmap for future improvement to the entire rail network and its trains

    The dimensions of the digital economy and society

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    The chapter looks at the problem of proper understanding and defining the digital economy and society which is becoming a main competitiveness factor for developed countries. A precise understanding of digitalization allows the creation of more effective innovation policies which support higher productivity growth. First, the authors analyse the creation and evolution of the term in literature with focus on a number of publications in different research areas and the main keywords. Next, the authors define areas where digitalization makes the radical change, what brings the core determinants of the digital economy, e.g., digital platforms, information and communication technology and IT sector, and virtual data usage on a big scale using computer networks. This brings the authors to the conclusion that the digital economy phenomenon should be analysed in four dimensions: technological, regulatory, social and economic

    Understanding the Chemistry of Acetohydroxamic Acid (AHA) in the Presence of Fe(III) in the Context of an Advanced PUREX Process

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    Since the 1950s, the majority of operating commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, including those in the UK, France, Russia and Japan, have used the well-proven hydrometallurgical PUREX (plutonium uranium extraction) process, or a variant PUREXbased process to chemically separate uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) from used nuclear fuel. However, enhancements to PUREX are needed for future fuel cycles to improve its proliferation resistance, its capability to handle higher burnup fuels and to minimize its waste arisings. A key objective within the development of an Advanced PUREX process is the effective control of the actinides U, neptunium (Np) and Pu within a single cycle flowsheet. Simple hydroxamic acids such as acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) have the ability to strip Pu(IV) and Np(IV) from tri-butyl phosphate into nitric acid and have thus been identified as suitable reagents for this purpose. Utilising this in an Advanced PUREX process will ultimately allow for the generation of a co-processed Pu/Np product and a high purity U product, addressing some of the shortcomings of traditional PUREX. There are however a few key knowledge gaps that must be addressed before AHA can be implemented in such a process. Firstly, it is known that simple hydroxamic acids hydrolyse to hydroxylamine (NH2OH) and the parent carboxylic acid in acidic media, the former product being known to react autocatalytically / explosively with nitric acid which is ubiquitous in reprocessing flowsheets. Whether the reaction mechanism or product distribution changes when the AHA is complexed to a metal ion is unclear. Additionally, observations that Pu(IV) is reduced to Pu(III) during complex hydrolysis have opened up the possibility of their use as replacements for U(IV)/N2H4 or NH2OH in advanced PUREX processes, but whether the reducing agent is the hydroxamate itself, or NH2OH, is still in question. To answer these questions, Fe(III) has been used as a non-active analogue to Pu(IV) and Np(IV), as it exhibits analogous complexation with AHA and whilst thermodynamically possible, redox chemistry mechanistically analogous to that of Pu(IV) is thought to be kinetically hindered at high hydrogen ion concentrations to the point where it can be ignored on the timescales of AHA hydrolysis. However, initial studies by Raman spectroscopy showed identical AHA hydrolysis products in the absence and presence of initial Fe(III), but with differing final yields. Further quantification techniques were then explored including a titrimetric method for hydroxylamine, UV-Vis spectroscopy for nitrous acid and Fe(II), and ion chromatography (IC) for multiple species, all of which suggested redox chemistry akin to Pu(IV). A library of data to describe these systems has been gathered utilising a single column ion chromatography system to measure a number of key ions over time in nitric acid solutions of varying temperatures and initial Fe(III) and AHA concentrations. These key species include the acetate ion (CH3COO- ) and protonated hydroxylamine (NH3OH+) from the hydrolysis of AHA, and the reduced form of the metal ion, Fe(II), which has been not previously been seen during hydrolysis of the Fe(III)-AHA complex. Our analysis therefore shows that the current definition of Fe(III) as a non-oxidizing metal ion with regards to AHA needs revising. Using CH3COOingrowth as a direct measure of AHA loss and assuming redox chemistry of Fe(III) mechanistically analogous to Pu(IV), these studies have additionally been combined with kinetic modelling in the software platform gPROMS (General PROcess Modelling System), and have thus provided key insights into the nature of the reducing agent in these systems

    Digital transformation in food supply chains: an implementation framework

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    Purpose Digital transformation using Industry 4.0 technologies can address various challenges in food supply chains (FSCs). However, the integration of emerging technologies to achieve digital transformation in FSCs is unclear. This study aims to establish how the digital transformation of FSCs can be achieved by adopting key technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoTs), cloud computing (CC) and big data analytics (BDA). Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) resulted in 57 articles from 2008 to 2022. Following descriptive and thematic analysis, a conceptual framework based on the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory and the context-intervention-mechanism-outcome (CIMO) logic is established, along with avenues for future research. Findings The combination of DOI theory and CIMO logic provides the theoretical foundation for linking the general innovation process to the digital transformation process. A novel conceptual framework for achieving digital transformation in FSCs is developed from the initiation to implementation phases. Objectives and principles for digitally transforming FSCs are identified for the initiation phase. A four-layer technology implementation architecture is developed for the implementation phase, facilitating multiple applications for FSC digital transformation. Originality/value The study contributes to the development of theory on digital transformation in FSCs and offers managerial guidelines for accelerating the growth of the food industry using key Industry 4.0 emerging technologies. The proposed framework brings clarity into the “neglected” intermediate stage of data management between data collection and analysis. The study highlights the need for a balanced integration of IoT, CC and BDA as key Industry 4.0 technologies to achieve digital transformation successfully

    Enhancing Antimicrobial Stewardship On Dairy Farms With A Focus On Selective Treatment Of Clinical Mastitis

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    Clinical mastitis (CM) treatment decisions have been the focus of antimicrobial stewardship in the dairy sector, as CM and antimicrobial dry cow treatments account for the majority of antimicrobials used on farms. To improve on-farm antimicrobial stewardship, a selective treatment approach of CM is explored, centering around milk culture-guided decisions. Detailed principles of selective CM treatment and an evidence-based protocol are presented in Chapter 2, alongside an overview of expected cow and farm impacts, impact of proportion of Gram-negative cases on expected reduction in antimicrobial use, adoption rates across the globe, and knowledge and technology gaps. A systematic review and meta-analysis is presented in Chapter 3, evidencing that a selective CM treatment protocol can be adopted without adversely influencing bacteriological and clinical cure, somatic cell count, milk yield, and incidence of recurrence or culling. Chapter 4 presents survey results of 142 farms detailing adoption of various CM protocols among Canadian dairy farmers, demonstrating an association between increased adoption of selective CM protocols and low average cow SCC, as well as a distinction between 3 groups of farmers with similar relative importance of decision factors. Delving further into CM decision-making, Chapter 5 presents considerations of Western Canadian dairy farmers at each decision step from identification of CM to treatment termination, as well as 3 overarching themes impacting each step: Personal attributes, Inter-actor dynamics, and Moving beyond protocols. Chapter 6 describes 4 themes related to perceptions on mastitis-related antimicrobial use: Antibiotic use paradox: Perception vs. reality; Low disease incidence is a badge of honor; In good hands: Veterinarians as safeguards; and “It takes a village to make a change”, alongside 10 proposed interventions designed using the Behavior Change Wheel to mitigate voiced barriers and appeal to facilitators towards milk-culture guided decisions. To advance this research future efforts should be focused on improving selection of CM cases to exclude antimicrobial treatment, discouraging inadequate mastitis-related antimicrobial stewardship practices, enhancing quality and accessibility of milk diagnostic tests, and stimulating and monitoring uptake of selective CM protocols

    International relations in international business research:A review and research agenda

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    The increasing dynamism of the international business (IB) environment has drawn greater scholarly attention to the implications of international politics for MNEs’ cross-border activities. However, a systematic overview of International Relations (IR) research which has been applied in IB studies is absent. To analyse this void, we propose a conceptual framework of the broader international context to delineate the research boundaries of the emerging IR in IB research domain and offer a critically synthesized review of the studies that have drawn on IRscholarship to explain MNEs’ behaviour. We conduct bibliometric and content analyses to understand the state of knowledge of IR in IB research and examine the main approaches to study the impact of IR factors on MNEs’ location choices, entry strategies, legitimacy and post-entry performance. By illuminating knowledge frontier issues, we derive important directions for deepening the integration of IR scholarship to advance IB research

    Organizing sustainable development

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    The role and meaning of sustainable development have been recognized in the scientific literature for decades. However, there has recently been a dynamic increase in interest in the subject, which results in numerous, in-depth scientific research and publications with an interdisciplinary dimension. This edited volume is a compendium of theoretical knowledge on sustainable development. The context analysed in the publication includes a multi-level and multi-aspect analysis starting from the historical and legal conditions, through elements of the macro level and the micro level, inside the organization. Organizing Sustainable Development offers a systematic and comprehensive theoretical analysis of sustainable development supplemented with practical examples, which will allow obtaining comprehensive knowledge about the meaning and its multi-context application in practice. It shows the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of interest to students at an advanced level, academics and reflective practitioners in the fields of sustainable development, management studies, organizational studies and corporate social responsibility

    The sharing economy is not always greener: a review and consolidation of empirical evidence

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    The digital sharing economy is commonly seen as a promising circular consumption model that could potentially deliver environmental benefits through more efficient use of existing product stocks. Yet whether sharing is indeed more environmentally benign than prevalent consumption models and what features shape platforms' sustainability remains unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we conduct a systematic literature review of empirical peer reviewed and conference proceeding publications. We screen over 2200 papers and compile a dataset of 155 empirical papers, and consolidate reported results on the environmental impacts of the sharing economy. We find that sharing is not inherently better from an environmental perspective. The type of resource shared, logistic operations, and the ways in which sharing influences users' consumption more broadly affect environmental outcomes. Sharing goods is generally associated with better environmental outcomes compared to shared accommodations or mobility. Within mobility, shared scooters and ride-hailing emerge as particularly prone to negative environmental outcomes. Contrary to previous suggestions, peer-to-peer sharing (vs. centralized ownership) does not seem to be a good proxy for environmental performance. As sharing becomes intertwined with urbanization, efforts to steer digital sharing towards environmental sustainability should consider system levels effects and take into account platform operations as well as potential changes in consumer behavior

    Pristup specifikaciji i generisanju proizvodnih procesa zasnovan na inženjerstvu vođenom modelima

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    In this thesis, we present an approach to the production process specification and generation based on the model-driven paradigm, with the goal to increase the flexibility of factories and respond to the challenges that emerged in the era of Industry 4.0 more efficiently. To formally specify production processes and their variations in the Industry 4.0 environment, we created a novel domain-specific modeling language, whose models are machine-readable. The created language can be used to model production processes that can be independent of any production system, enabling process models to be used in different production systems, and process models used for the specific production system. To automatically transform production process models dependent on the specific production system into instructions that are to be executed by production system resources, we created an instruction generator. Also, we created generators for different manufacturing documentation, which automatically transform production process models into manufacturing documents of different types. The proposed approach, domain-specific modeling language, and software solution contribute to introducing factories into the digital transformation process. As factories must rapidly adapt to new products and their variations in the era of Industry 4.0, production must be dynamically led and instructions must be automatically sent to factory resources, depending on products that are to be created on the shop floor. The proposed approach contributes to the creation of such a dynamic environment in contemporary factories, as it allows to automatically generate instructions from process models and send them to resources for execution. Additionally, as there are numerous different products and their variations, keeping the required manufacturing documentation up to date becomes challenging, which can be done automatically by using the proposed approach and thus significantly lower process designers' time.У овој дисертацији представљен је приступ спецификацији и генерисању производних процеса заснован на инжењерству вођеном моделима, у циљу повећања флексибилности постројења у фабрикама и ефикаснијег разрешавања изазова који се појављују у ери Индустрије 4.0. За потребе формалне спецификације производних процеса и њихових варијација у амбијенту Индустрије 4.0, креиран је нови наменски језик, чије моделе рачунар може да обради на аутоматизован начин. Креирани језик има могућност моделовања производних процеса који могу бити независни од производних система и тиме употребљени у различитим постројењима или фабрикама, али и производних процеса који су специфични за одређени систем. Како би моделе производних процеса зависних од конкретног производног система било могуће на аутоматизован начин трансформисати у инструкције које ресурси производног система извршавају, креиран је генератор инструкција. Такође су креирани и генератори техничке документације, који на аутоматизован начин трансформишу моделе производних процеса у документе различитих типова. Употребом предложеног приступа, наменског језика и софтверског решења доприноси се увођењу фабрика у процес дигиталне трансформације. Како фабрике у ери Индустрије 4.0 морају брзо да се прилагоде новим производима и њиховим варијацијама, неопходно је динамички водити производњу и на аутоматизован начин слати инструкције ресурсима у фабрици, у зависности од производа који се креирају у конкретном постројењу. Тиме што је у предложеном приступу могуће из модела процеса аутоматизовано генерисати инструкције и послати их ресурсима, доприноси се креирању једног динамичког окружења у савременим фабрикама. Додатно, услед великог броја различитих производа и њихових варијација, постаје изазовно одржавати неопходну техничку документацију, што је у предложеном приступу могуће урадити на аутоматизован начин и тиме значајно уштедети време пројектаната процеса.U ovoj disertaciji predstavljen je pristup specifikaciji i generisanju proizvodnih procesa zasnovan na inženjerstvu vođenom modelima, u cilju povećanja fleksibilnosti postrojenja u fabrikama i efikasnijeg razrešavanja izazova koji se pojavljuju u eri Industrije 4.0. Za potrebe formalne specifikacije proizvodnih procesa i njihovih varijacija u ambijentu Industrije 4.0, kreiran je novi namenski jezik, čije modele računar može da obradi na automatizovan način. Kreirani jezik ima mogućnost modelovanja proizvodnih procesa koji mogu biti nezavisni od proizvodnih sistema i time upotrebljeni u različitim postrojenjima ili fabrikama, ali i proizvodnih procesa koji su specifični za određeni sistem. Kako bi modele proizvodnih procesa zavisnih od konkretnog proizvodnog sistema bilo moguće na automatizovan način transformisati u instrukcije koje resursi proizvodnog sistema izvršavaju, kreiran je generator instrukcija. Takođe su kreirani i generatori tehničke dokumentacije, koji na automatizovan način transformišu modele proizvodnih procesa u dokumente različitih tipova. Upotrebom predloženog pristupa, namenskog jezika i softverskog rešenja doprinosi se uvođenju fabrika u proces digitalne transformacije. Kako fabrike u eri Industrije 4.0 moraju brzo da se prilagode novim proizvodima i njihovim varijacijama, neophodno je dinamički voditi proizvodnju i na automatizovan način slati instrukcije resursima u fabrici, u zavisnosti od proizvoda koji se kreiraju u konkretnom postrojenju. Time što je u predloženom pristupu moguće iz modela procesa automatizovano generisati instrukcije i poslati ih resursima, doprinosi se kreiranju jednog dinamičkog okruženja u savremenim fabrikama. Dodatno, usled velikog broja različitih proizvoda i njihovih varijacija, postaje izazovno održavati neophodnu tehničku dokumentaciju, što je u predloženom pristupu moguće uraditi na automatizovan način i time značajno uštedeti vreme projektanata procesa
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