A survey study on Industry 4.0 readiness level of Italian small and medium enterprises

Abstract The Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigm is considered one of the most trending topics in the academic and industrial context, that involves emerging technologies that can make the processes increasingly integrated and provide digital solutions for supporting companies towards the greater flexibility required by the market. To date, the scientific literature strongly addressed the development of enabling technologies and the assessment of their impacts in different industrial contexts. However, there is a lack of studies providing empirical evidence about how manufacturing companies are facing the digital transformation, in particular for smaller industrial realities. For this reason, this paper aims to study the knowledge, readiness, and dissemination level of the I4.0 paradigm and enabling technologies for Italian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). A web-based survey was conducted, and 77 companies were interviewed. The survey results underline that MSMEs still have limited knowledge about I4.0 and are not well prepared for its implementation

A novel multiparametric approach to 3D quantitative MRI of the brain

Magnetic Resonance properties of tissues can be quantified in several respects: relaxation processes, density of imaged nuclei, magnetism of environmental molecules, etc. In this paper, we propose a new comprehensive approach to obtain 3D high resolution quantitative maps of arbitrary body districts, mainly focusing on the brain. The theory presented makes it possible to map longitudinal (R1), pure transverse (R2) and free induction decay (R2 ) rates, along with proton density (PD) and magnetic susceptibility (χ), from a set of fast acquisition sequences in steady-state that are highly insensitive to flow phenomena. A novel denoising scheme is described and applied to the acquired datasets to enhance the signal to noise ratio of the derived maps and an information theory approach compensates for biases from radio frequency (RF) inhomogeneities, if no direct measure of the RF field is available. Finally, the results obtained on sample brain scans of healthy controls and multiple sclerosis patients are presented and discussed

Microemulsioni per la veicolazione di principi attivi

Dottorato di Ricerca in Ambiente, Salute e Processi Ecosostenibili, XXII Ciclo, a.a. 2006-2009Università della Calabri

Colpi di spugna, di forza, di ingegno: avventure della Cancel Culture

As controversy is the common thread of this column, it’s worth dealing with the one about Cancel Culture, nowadays among the most burning and most unsolved: Giancarlo Alfano explores one of its most dramatic explications, the demolishment of statues and monuments; Clotilde Bertoni considers some recurring topics (and some recurring unbalances) of the discussion; Pasquale Palmieri analyzes the intricate relationship between authority and society which forms its background, and its impact on communication’s dynamics.Essendo la polemica il filo conduttore della rubrica, val la pena di affrontare quella sulla Cancel Culture, tra le più accese e irrisolte degli ultimi tempi: Giancarlo Alfano approfondisce una delle sue esplicazioni più plateali, la demolizione di statue e monumenti; Clotilde Bertoni considera alcune costanti (e alcuni sbilanciamenti) del dibattito; Pasquale Palmieri analizza la complessa relazione tra potere e collettività che ne è sfondo, e le sue ricadute sulle dinamiche della comunicazione

A survey study on Industry 4.0 readiness level of Italian small and medium enterprises

The Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigm is considered one of the most trending topics in the academic and industrial context, that involves emerging technologies that can make the processes increasingly integrated and provide digital solutions for supporting companies towards the greater flexibility required by the market. To date, the scientific literature strongly addressed the development of enabling technologies and the assessment of their impacts in different industrial contexts. However, there is a lack of studies providing empirical evidence about how manufacturing companies are facing the digital transformation, in particular for smaller industrial realities. For this reason, this paper aims to study the knowledge, readiness, and dissemination level of the I4.0 paradigm and enabling technologies for Italian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). A web-based survey was conducted, and 77 companies were interviewed. The survey results underline that MSMEs still have limited knowledge about I4.0 and are not well prepared for its implementation