Layering in structural-functional grammars

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Rock falls impacting railway tracks. Detection analysis through an artificial intelligence camera prototype

During the last few years, several approaches have been proposed to improve early warning systems for managing geological risk due to landslides, where important infrastructures (such as railways, highways, pipelines, and aqueducts) are exposed elements. In this regard, an Artificial intelligence Camera Prototype (AiCP) for real-time monitoring has been integrated in a multisensor monitoring system devoted to rock fall detection. An abandoned limestone quarry was chosen at Acuto (central Italy) as test-site for verifying the reliability of the integratedmonitoring system. A portion of jointed rockmass, with dimensions suitable for optical monitoring, was instrumented by extensometers. One meter of railway track was used as a target for fallen blocks and a weather station was installed nearby. Main goals of the test were (i) evaluating the reliability of the AiCP and (ii) detecting rock blocks that reach the railway track by the AiCP. At this aim, several experiments were carried out by throwing rock blocks over the railway track. During these experiments, the AiCP detected the blocks and automatically transmitted an alarm signal

Representing Strategic International Human Resource Management: Is the Map the Territory?

This paper is focused on the emergent field of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM). We suggest that SIHRM is becoming an integrated intellectual map in terms of: (1) the typologies created; (2) the language used; and (3) its pedagogy. Does the way in which we articulate SIHRM assist theory development or enact intellectual imperialism? Or both? It is argued that, by exploring the implications of SIHRM for theory, research, practice and teaching, we may raise awareness of current deficiencies and unanswered questions. Do we need to set a new course, or at least make explicit our navigational assumptions

Iterative criteria-based approach to engineering the requirements of software development methodologies

Software engineering endeavours are typically based on and governed by the requirements of the target software; requirements identification is therefore an integral part of software development methodologies. Similarly, engineering a software development methodology (SDM) involves the identification of the requirements of the target methodology. Methodology engineering approaches pay special attention to this issue; however, they make little use of existing methodologies as sources of insight into methodology requirements. The authors propose an iterative method for eliciting and specifying the requirements of a SDM using existing methodologies as supplementary resources. The method is performed as the analysis phase of a methodology engineering process aimed at the ultimate design and implementation of a target methodology. An initial set of requirements is first identified through analysing the characteristics of the development situation at hand and/or via delineating the general features desirable in the target methodology. These initial requirements are used as evaluation criteria; refined through iterative application to a select set of relevant methodologies. The finalised criteria highlight the qualities that the target methodology is expected to possess, and are therefore used as a basis for de. ning the final set of requirements. In an example, the authors demonstrate how the proposed elicitation process can be used for identifying the requirements of a general object-oriented SDM. Owing to its basis in knowledge gained from existing methodologies and practices, the proposed method can help methodology engineers produce a set of requirements that is not only more complete in span, but also more concrete and rigorous

Editorial: Bridging the gap between policy and science in assessing the health status of marine ecosystems

Human activities,both established and emerging, increasingly affect the provision of marine ecosystem services that deliver societal and economic benefits. Monitoring the status of marine ecosystems and determining how human activities change their capacity to sustain benefits for society requires an evidence-based Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach that incorporates knowledge of ecosystem functioning and services).Although,there are diverse methods to assess the status of individual ecosystem components, none assesses the health of marine ecosystems holistically, integrating information from multiple ecosystem components. Similarly,while acknowledging the availability of several methods to measure single pressures and assess their impacts, evaluation of cumulative effects of multiple pressures remains scarce.Therefore,an integrative assessment requires us to first understand the response of marine ecosystems to human activities and their pressures and then develop innovative, cost-effective monitoring tools that enable collection of data to assess the health status of large marine areas. Conceptually, combining this knowledge of effective monitoring methods with cost-benefit analyses will help identify appropriate management measures to improve environmental status economically and efficiently. The European project DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status) specifically addressed these topics in order to support policymakers and managers in implementing the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Here, we synthesize our main innovative findings, placing these within the context of recent wider research, and identifying gaps and the major future challenges

Bridging the gap between policy and science in assessing the health status of marine ecosystems

Human activities, both established and emerging, increasingly affect the provision of marine ecosystem services that deliver societal and economic benefits. Monitoring the status of marine ecosystems and determining how human activities change their capacity to sustain benefits for society requires an evidence-based Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach that incorporates knowledge of ecosystem functioning and services). Although, there are diverse methods to assess the status of individual ecosystem components, none assesses the health of marine ecosystems holistically, integrating information from multiple ecosystem components. Similarly, while acknowledging the availability of several methods to measure single pressures and assess their impacts, evaluation of cumulative effects of multiple pressures remains scarce. Therefore, an integrative assessment requires us to first understand the response of marine ecosystems to human activities and their pressures and then develop innovative, cost-effective monitoring tools that enable collection of data to assess the health status of large marine areas. Conceptually, combining this knowledge of effective monitoring methods with cost-benefit analyses will help identify appropriate management measures to improve environmental status economically and efficiently. The European project DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status) specifically addressed t hese topics in order to support policy makers and managers in implementing the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Here, we synthesize our main innovative findings, placing these within the context of recent wider research, and identifying gaps and the major future challenges

Integrated Data-Driven Approach for Early Pollution Detection and Management in the Thames River Ecosystem

The increasing pollution levels in rivers have become a serious concern worldwide due to their detrimental impact on ecosystems and human health. Recently, there has been a growing recognition of the need for early warning systems (EWS) to monitor and manage water quality in river ecosystems [1]. EWS is a method that is used to detect and predict potential risks or hazards before they occur. It helps alert individuals, organisations, or communities and provides them with timely information to take necessary precautions and actions to minimise the impact of the anticipated event [2]. EWS for water quality management also can be efficient when real-time data (both water quality and quantity) can be combined with real-time flood forecasting [3]. This study presents a new method based on data-driven models for early warning pollution detection in the Thames River. The proposed method collects and analyses various types of data, including weather data and water quality parameters obtained from water samples and sensing systems. These inputs are integrated into a robust computational framework to forecast and identify potential pollution incidents in the Thames River system. The data-driven model incorporates real-time weather data to encompass the dynamic nature of pollution levels. The model can identify high-risk situations and issue timely warnings to prevent further pollution by analysing historical weather patterns and their correlation with pollution incidents. The system's computational framework utilises a deep neural network to analyse and interpret the collected data. The model is fine-tuned and calibrated using historic data, allowing it to effectively recognise and predict pollution events in real-time for every flood event through combined sewer overflow structures. By integrating historical and real-time data, the model can enhance predictive capabilities of pollution spread in the river system and hence prepare the relevant bodies to take appropriate actions in time. The proposed method holds great promise in mitigating the adverse impacts of pollution on the river's ecosystem and the surrounding communities. By integrating diverse data sources, including in-situ measurements, sensing systems, and weather information, the model provides a holistic understanding of pollution dynamics and enables proactive pollution control measures. Implementing this model can contribute significantly to preserving the health and ecological integrity of the Thames River, serving as a blueprint for other river systems facing similar pollution challenges worldwide.Peer reviewe

The changing roles of personnel managers: old ambiguities, new uncertainties

There have been notable attempts to capture the changing nature of personnel roles in response to major transformations in the workplace and the associated rise of ‘HRM’. A decade ago Storey (1992) explored the emerging impact of workplace change on personnel practice in the UK and proposed a new fourfold typology of personnel roles: ‘advisors’, ‘handmaidens’, ‘regulators’ and ‘changemakers’. Have these four roles changed now that HRM has increasingly become part of the rhetoric and reality of organizational performance? If Storey's work provides an empirical and analytical benchmark for examining issues of ‘role change’, then Ulrich's (1997) work in the USA offers a sweeping prescriptive end-point for the transformation of personnel roles that has already been widely endorsed by UK practitioners. He argues that HR professionals must overcome the traditional marginality of the personnel function by embracing a new set of roles as champions of competitiveness in delivering value. Is this a realistic ambition? The new survey findings and interview evidence from HR managers in major UK companies presented here suggests that the role of the personnel professional has altered in a number of significant respects, and has become more multifaceted and complex, but the negative counter-images of the past still remain. To partly capture the process of role change, Storey's original fourfold typology of personnel roles is re-examined and contrasted with Ulrich's prescriptive vision for the reinvention on the HR function. It is concluded that Storey's typology has lost much of its empirical and analytical veracity, while Ulrich's model ends in prescriptive overreach by submerging issues of role conflict within a new rhetoric of professional identity. Neither model can adequately accommodate the emergent tensions between competing role demands, ever-increasing managerial expectations of performance and new challenges to professional expertise, all of which are likely to intensify in the future

The role of 1st tier suppliers in automobile product modularisation: the search for a coherent strategy

Modularization is a growing concept in auto industry. Architectural decisions had been many time studied from the car maker's point of view. This article addresses the question of supplier's strategy in the modular business. A prior publication (Fourcade Midler 2004) showed that supplier's involvement could take various forms, from light coordination to heavy investment in deep module redesign. This article will investigate how these different modular involvement profile could fit in general 1st Tier supplier's strategy. It is based both on a general study of automotive suppliers industrial field and an interactive research that we have been pursuing in conjunction with one 1st Tier supplier since 2001.