The Transformation of Work in the COVID-19 Era

In March 2020, a massive experiment of work-from-home (WFH) started abruptly almost worldwide. In this article, I explore some the most important changes of the work practices linked to the work detachment from standard places, due to the COVID-19 shutdown. Notwithstanding the unprecedented nature of the shutdown experience, the changes experimented in this period might last beyond the end of the measures adopted to control the spread of the virus, due to the estimated long-term growth of remote working and the acceleration of virtuality and connectivity at work. The discussion draws on recent research on remote working and on the emerging research and theoretical debate on how COVID-19 is affecting organisation and work design, and it aims at highlighting some new directions in the evolution of work practices. Moreover, going beyond the emphasis placed on the success of the world-wide experiment of WFH backed by digital technologies, a special attention, in this analysis, is devoted to envisioning some risks associated to the transformation of work in the COVID era

MOBILIZING A CROWD OF SARDINES: MEDIATED FRAMING DYNAMICS IN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS’ EMERGENCE

Research on framing has devoted attention, in the last decade, on social movements and on how they use frames to mobilize consensus, gain resources and build and consolidate their identity. However, the ongoing meaning construction process of the social movements’ and how it is mediated by social media is not investigated in-depth from an empirical point of view. Furthermore, the role of the crowd in these processes is still less known. Our research addresses these two main gaps by looking at the dynamics of a social movement emergence and of its mediated framing processes. We develop a longitudinal case study of the Italian social movement of “6000 sardine”, that scaled-up quickly and successfully online and by flash mobs organized in more than 125 cities in Italy and abroad in just a few weeks. Our study aims at contributing to the understanding of the framing mechanisms at play during the early phase of a movement development, putting central stage the role of social media and the crowd

The Role of Boundary Organizations in Collaborations between Incumbent Firms and Start-ups: Exploring Innovation Opportunities in Fashion-Tech

This paper investigates how boundary organizations enable and assist collaborations between incumbent firms and start-ups. This particular type of inter-organizational collaborations is puzzling, in that on the surface they are potentially fruitful for both parties, yet difficult to build and manage, and frequently result in a fiasco. Through a field study of an open innovation programme involving a former venture accelerator, an established global company in the fashion industry, and a group of high-tech start-ups, this paper illustrates three boundary-spanning processes through which boundary organizations enable and assist collaborations across organizational as well as disciplinary boundaries: (i) cross-domain framing work, (ii) misaligned translation work, and (iii) collective orchestration work. Our analysis also delineate the implications of such processes for the collaborating firms which, in turn, facilitate the execution of experimental collaboration projects, and lead to the emergence of new business opportunities. Our findings promote a dynamic, processual view of the morphing role of boundary organizations in inter-organizational collaborations, and have implications for theory and future research on boundary organizations, collaboration processes between incumbent firms and start- ups, and the emerging role of accelerators in open innovation

Modelling corneal transparency with reference to stromal architecture

The arrangement of corneal collagen fibrils within lamellae was investigated by comparing fibril positions obtained from electron microscopy with distorted hexagonal, quasi-random and aperiodic arrays. By calculating the wavelength dependence and Fourier transforms of these various arrays it was determined that an aperiodic array based on the sunflower seed head is the most compatible with corneal ultrastructure. An investigation of corneal light scattering away from the central axis was undertaken for the first time. Experimentally it was shown that corneal transmission decreases peripherally, particularly in the far periphery near the limbus. This was shown to be theoretically compatible with calculated positional changes in refractive index and fibril radius, by calculating transmission using the direct summation of scattered fields method. In swollen human corneas, it was determined that there was a notable change in wavelength dependence in the peripheral regions, possibly suggesting an increase in the size and relative number fibril free voids. . Corneal infrared transmission is poorly studied. In this part of the spectrum, the cornea acts as an absorber of incident radiation. It was hypothesised that there should be a systematic variation between corneal hydration and infrared light transmission. Experimentally, by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy a convenient linear relationship between hydration and transmission was found. Riboflavin-UVA crosslinking is used to treat keratoconus, a degenerative corneal disorder. A swelling experiment was performed on porcine corneas in order to elucidate whether the crosslinking mechanism is intra- or inter-fibrillar. Swelling rates for the treated and untreated tissue were not statistically significant, excluding interfibrillar crosslinking. The penetration depth of the riboflavin molecule into corneal stroma was also examined by visible spectroscopy of thin segments of tissue. It was demonstrated that when riboflavin infiltrates a full thickness cornea, the highest concentration of riboflavin is present in the anterior tissue segment.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Tic-Related Obsessive-Compulsive and Eating Disorders in Dandy-Walker Variant: A Case Report and Systematic Reappraisal of Psychiatric Profiles

: Dandy-Walker complex (DWC) consists of a continuum of brain malformations involving the posterior fossa, often leading to psychiatric manifestations during adulthood. We discussed the case of a young woman with Dandy-Walker variant (DWV) and a comorbid complex neuropsychiatric presentation, who was diagnosed with an eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a tic disorder. Afterwards, we conducted a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020-compliant systematic review reappraising all evidence of psychiatric outcomes in adults with DWC. Overall, 34 studies were eligible for data extraction, comprising 36 patients. Psychiatric profiles were more common among young adult males, with DWC lesions, especially DWV subtype, being often discovered incidentally after admission to mental health inpatient facilities. Most patients were diagnosed with psychosis and bipolar disorder, often comorbid with cognitive impairment. Psychotropic polypharmacy was frequently prescribed, generally leading to complete recovery. Evidence from our case report and systematic review indicates the importance of monitoring long-term psychiatric sequelae among adult patients with DWC malformations

Ergonomics in the operating room and surgical training: a survey on the Italian scenario

IntroductionSurgical-related injuries are frequent, in fact the reported percentage of musculoskeletal disorders in surgeons is between 47% and 87%. These conditions are caused by long periods of standing, incorrect postures, repeated movements, little rest between operations, the lack of integrated operator rooms, the correct number and arrangement of monitors and the use of non-ergonomic instruments. This survey aims to assess the Italian overview both highlighting how prevalent surgical-related injury is in our surgeons and whether there is an operating room ergonomics education program in Italian surgical specialty schools.MethodsAn anonymous questionnaire was designed through SurveyMonkey© web application. This survey was composed of 3 different sections concerning the general characteristics of the participants, their surgical background and any training performed, and any injuries or ailments related to the surgical activity. The survey was carried out in the period 1th of December 2022 and the 6th of February 2023.ResultsAt the close of our survey, 300 responses were collected. Among the participants, the two most represented specialties were Gynecology and Obstetrics (42.3%) and General Surgery (39.7%) and surgeons were mainly employed in the Northern regions of Italy (54.8%). Analyzing the participants’ background, 61.7% of the respondents had laparoscopic training during their training and only 53.1% had a pelvic trainer during their residency. In accordance with 98.7% of the respondents, during surgery we have the feeling of being in an uncomfortable position that causes discomfort or muscle pain, and regarding the frequency of these discomforts, the majority of our study population experiences these problems monthly (46.2%), while in 29.6% it is experienced weekly, 12.1% annually and finally 12.1% daily. The surgical approach that is most correlated with these disorders is laparoscopy (62.7%) while the one that causes the least discomfort is robotic surgery (1.4%). These discomforts cause 43.9% of our population to take a break or do short exercises to reduce pain during surgery, and the body areas most affected are the back (61.6%), neck (40.6%) and shoulders (37.8%).ConclusionDespite this, our survey allows us to highlight some now-known gaps present in the surgical training program of our schools and the lack of protection toward our surgeons during their long career