Bettella srI: how to drive a family firm

The case describes the steps that led to a potential partnership between a small family business and a large multinational company working in the motorcycle industry. The aim of the study is to introduce to students, concepts of Family Business Theory by analysing a real life case of a family business. In particular, it will first analyse the firm by applying the Agency and Resource-Based Theory to assess the evolution of the company was the partnership to be carried out. Moreover, it will analyse the importance that non-family executives have on structured family businesses

Structural analysis of a rugby wheelchair frame during field and laboratory tests

Structural analysis of a rugby wheelchair frame during field and laboratory tests with fem simulation and comparison between experimental and numerical resultsopenEmbargo per motivi di segretezza e/o di proprietà dei risultati e informazioni di enti esterni o aziende private che hanno partecipato alla realizzazione del lavoro di ricerca relativo alla tes

Comparison of measurement methods of the front velocity of small-scale debris flows

Debris flow is a gravity-driven process, which is characterized by a travelling dense surge including large boulders, and it is followed by a more fluid tail. These characteristics make difficult the measurement of the mean flow velocity by means of common hydraulic techniques. Different methods can be used at real scale and small-scale to measure the front velocity but a dedicate comparison between available methods is still lacking. This research aims to compare the front velocity measurements in the transport zone of a miniature debris flow using three devices: i) a common digital video camera (29 frames per second); ii) a high speed thermo camera (60 fps); and iii) a laser photoelectric sensors system. The statistical analysis of data has highlighted no significant differences exist between front velocities obtained by means of the video camera and the thermo camera, whereas photocells data statistically differ from those achieved via the other systems. Some lack of data recorded by photocell was documented, while the thermo camera technique did not show significant loss of information being also helpful to detect the kinematic behaviour of single particles. Finally, the tests confirmed the influence of the solid volumetric concentration in the debris-flow mechanics, which promotes, ceteris paribus, the debris-flow slowing down

Bayesian Analysis of Beta Autoregressive Moving Average Models

This work presents a Bayesian approach for the estimation of Beta Autoregressive Moving Average ($\beta$ARMA) models. We discuss standard choice for the prior distributions and employ a Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithm to sample from the posterior. We propose a method to approach the problem of unit roots in the model's systematic component. We then present a series of Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the performance of this Bayesian approach. In addition to parameter estimation, we evaluate the proposed approach to verify the presence of unit roots in the model's systematic component and study prior sensitivity. An empirical application is presented to exemplify the usefulness of the method. In the application, we compare the fitted Bayesian and frequentist approaches in terms of their out-of-sample forecasting capabilities

Analysis of wheelchair sprint biomechanics on two elite athletes on an instrumented drum ergometer

Introduction. Wheelchair athletics requires the maximization of pushing technique throughout the full length of the race, with particular attention to the transition from start to full speed. The use of dynamometric handrims, introduced for complete propulsion analysis has only recently made available with lightweight portable solutions for athletics [1]. Drum ergometers have also showed to be effective for the study several disciplines in the analysis of propulsion techniques [2]. The use of force plates under the wheels only accounts for the first start push; the use of IMU can instead follow the action along the full race in both simulated or track measurements [3]. In the present work, the combination of a validated drum ergometer, IMU sensors and EMG analysis was adopted to study and compare the sprint biomechanics of two elite athletes on a simulated 100m sprint. Methods. A drum ergometer [2] was adapted to host the athletics wheelchairs restrained at the front wheels. Inertial disks were applied to the drums to match the equivalent linear inertia of each subject (Figure 1.a). A set of Inertial sensors was placed on the hands and wheels of the athletes. Eight EMG sensors were placed on trapezius descendens (TD) right, deltoideus anterior (DA) right, latissimus dorsi (LD) right, pectoralis major (PM) right, biceps brachii (BB) left & right and triceps brachii (TB) left & right. IMU and EMG were captured with a MuscleLab system from Ergomotion. Two elite wheelchair athletes of Italian National Team, D.G. (T 53, 77kg, 100m P.B. 15.92s) and G.S. (T54, 56kg, 100m P.B. 14.93s) volunteered for the study and performed 5 repetitions of a simulated 100m sprint. As previous researchers, two events related to hand-to-rim contact were evaluated using hand acceleration profiles: Hand contact (HC) and Hand Release (HR). As a result, the Push Phase (PP), and the Recovery Phase (RP), were calculated, together with the Total Push Angle (TPA). Similarly to other experiences [4], athletes were asked to perform static maximal voluntary pushes against the blocked drum resistance at three hand positions on the rim: HC, HR and an intermediate position. Isometric tangential push forces at the rim were calculated from the peak torque recorded at the drum and normalized to body weight BW as in Figure 1.b. EMG moving 50 ms window RMS signals were normalized to the trial maximum value: a threshold of 20% was chosen to consider the muscle activation pattern in a polar graph as in Figure 1.c. Results. Simulated best sprint time on the drum ergometer resulted 15.25s for D.G. and 14.72s for G.S., very close to their personal best, thus confirming the validity of the equivalent intertial drum ergometer. Highest isometric forces were obtained at the HC position as shown in Figure 1.b. EMG results presented in Figure 1.c showed how the two athletes adopted different pushing techniques at 5th and 25th push. Both athletes shift forward the HC and HR position at higher speed and widen their TPA, but G.S. TPA increase is more evident. Clock polar diagram allow to capture the differences in muscle coordination among athletes and the change of activation from slow to high speed. Discussion. The use of wireless sensors for IMU and EMG analysis allows for the extension of the method to track tests, in combination with the collection of loads from instrumented handrims that are under development

Granger causality and time series regression for modelling the migratory dynamics of influenza into Brazil

cknowledgments.Aline F. Grande and Guilherme Pumi gratefully acknowledge the support of CNPq and FAPERGS. Gabriela B. Cybis gratefully acknowledges the support of the Serrapilheira Institute (grant number Serra-G1709-18939). The authors are also grateful to Rafaela Gomes de Jesus for helping with the genetic diversity data assembly.In this work we study the problem of modelling and forecasting the dynamics of the influenza virus in Brazil at a given month, from data on reported cases and genetic diversity collected from previous months, in other locations. Granger causality is employed as a tool to assess possible predictive relationships between covariates. For modelling and forecasting purposes, a time series regression approach is applied considering lagged information regarding reported cases and genetic diversity in other regions. Three different models are analysed, including stepwise time series regression and LASSO

Scelta della funzione di legame in un modello lineare generalizzato attraverso delle simulazioni

openPer consultare la versione cartacea, rivolgersi al Deposito di Legnaro: e-mail [email protected]; Per problemi con il full-text, rivolgersi alla biblioteca : e-mail [email protected]

Vicarious Mothers in Fascist Regime Cinema

Fascist regime proclaimed that women’s preeminent roles were those of wife, mother and breeder of many children fot the Fatherland. The myth of motherhood became central in Fascism. Yet a limited number of documentaries and commercial films deals with motherhood. In commercial films it is remarkable to find that some maternal melodramas focus on the vicarious mothers, a generous, self- sacrificing woman, who acts as the mother of a child who is not her own. The article examines Righelli’s La canzone dell’amore, Ballerini’s La fuggitiva and Poggioli’s Sissignora where the surrogate mother, a young orphans with no parental experience, is juxtaposed with the biological parent, who is portrayed as a bad mother. The self-centred, transgressive biological mother contrasts with the exemplary vicarious mother, who, like a Marian figure, is willing to sacrifice herself for the good of her putative child