Managing changes initiated by industrial big data technologies : a technochange management model

With the adoption of Internet of Things and advanced data analytical technologies in manufacturing firms, the industrial sector has launched an evolutionary journey toward the 4th industrial revolution, or so called Industry 4.0. Industrial big data is a core component to realize the vision of Industry 4.0. However, the implementation and usage of industrial big data tools in manufacturing firms will not merely be a technical endeavor, but can also lead to a thorough management reform. By means of a comprehensive review of literature related to Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, industrial big data, information systems (IS) and technochange management, this paper aims to analyze potential changes triggered by the application of industrial big data in manufacturing firms, from technological, individual and organizational perspectives. Furthermore, in order to drive these changes more effectively and eliminate potential resistance, a conceptual technochange management model was developed and proposed. Drawn upon theories reported in literature of IS technochange management, this model proposed four types of interventions that can be used to copy with changes initiated by industrial big data technologies, including human process intervention, techno-structural intervention, human resources management intervention and strategic intervention. This model will be of interests and value to practitioners and researchers concerned with business reforms triggered by Industry 4.0 in general and by industrial big data technologies in particular

Sonographic Evaluation and Sonographic-Guided Therapeutic Options of Lateral Ankle Pain: Peroneal Tendon Pathology Associated with the Presence of an Os Peroneum

Clinical implications of acute injuries of the os peroneum have been described, with the recommendation in some cases being the excision of the bone fragments. We describe the spectrum of sonographic appearances associated with pain in the region of the os peroneum, document associated peroneal tendon pathology, and describe the use of sonography to direct and guide therapeutic and/or diagnostic injections. All sonographic examinations in our ultrasound database from Jan 1, 2001–Jan 30, 2007 with the words “os peroneum” were reviewed. Patients were cross-referenced in our radiology database to find relevant foot or ankle radiographs for correlation. There were 47 patients (18 men and 29 women, age range 16 to 83) referred for sonographic evaluation of lateral foot and/or ankle pain who had an os peroneum identified during the sonographic evaluation. Eighteen patients were referred specifically for targeted injection of the lateral ankle, including peroneal tendon sheath injections (N = 10), calcaneocuboid joint injections (N = 1), and injections around symptomatic os peroneum (N = 7). All 47 patients had tendinosis of the peroneus longus, in varying degrees of severity. Radiographs were available for correlation in 28 patients. The causes of lateral ankle pain with a co-existent os peroneum are multifactorial and may not directly relate to the presence of an os peroneum. Ultrasound can be of value in separating out the specific etiology for pain, as well as provide a method for problem solving by the performance of targeted diagnostic or therapeutic injections in the lateral ankle

Rationalizing the development of live attenuated virus vaccines

Since the first demonstration of the protective effects of vaccinia inoculation, vaccination has been one of the medicine’s greatest successes. The design of vaccines against viral disease has evolved considerably over the last 50 years. Classically attenuated viruses, those created by passaging a virus in cultured cells, have proven to be an effective means for preventing many viral diseases, including smallpox, polio, measles, mumps, and yellow fever. However, empiric attenuation is not a reliable approach for all viruses and there are a number of safety issues associated with the use of live, attenuated viruses (LAVs). While inactivated viruses and subunit vaccines alleviate many of these concerns, they have generally been less efficacious than their LAV counterparts. Advances in molecular virology have provided new ways of controlling viral replication and virulence, renewing interest in LAV vaccines. These rationally attenuated viruses may lead to a new generation of safer, more widely applicable LAV vaccines. Here, we review several new approaches to viral attenuation and vaccine design, including deleterious gene mutation, altered replication fidelity, codon deoptimization, and control by microRNAs or zinc finger nucleases. While each of these approaches has garnered significant attention in recent months, they are still in their infancy and require further in vitro and animal testing before progressing to clinical trials

Quantitative impact testing of energy dissipation at surfaces

Impact testing with nanoscale spatial, force, and temporal resolution has been developed to address quantitatively the response of surfaces to impingement of local contact at elevated velocities. Here, an impact is generated by imparting energy to a pendulum carrying an indenter, which then swings towards a specimen surface. The pendulum displacement as a function of time x (t) is recorded, from which one can extract the maximum material penetration x max, residual deformation x r, and indentation durations t in and t out. In an inverse application one can use the x (t) response to extract material constants characterizing the impact deformation and extent of energy absorption, including material specific resistance coefficient C in, coefficient of restitution e, and dynamic hardness H imp. This approach also enables direct access to the ratio H/E, or resilience of the deformed material volume, at impact velocities of interest. The impact response of aluminum was studied for different contact velocities, and the mechanical response was found to correlate well with our one-dimensional contact model. Further experiments on annealed and work hardened gold showed that dynamic hardness H imp scales with contact velocity and highlighted the importance of rate-dependent energy absorption mechanisms that can be captured by the proposed experimental approach