VIAGGIO NELLA CLASSE OPERAIA AL TEMPO DI INDUSTRY 4.0. ORGANIZZAZIONE E CONDIZIONI DI LAVORO IN UNA PROSPETTIVA COMPARATA

Il lavoro di tesi intende indagare l\u2019impatto delle tecnologie e dell\u2019innovazione sulle condizioni di lavoro degli operai in Fiat, multinazionale produttrice di auto, che a partire dalla fine degli anni duemila ha implementato il suo nuovo modello produttivo, il wcm (World Class Manufacturing). Data la dimensione aziendale si \ue8 scelto di condurre l\u2019indagine attraverso uno studio di caso comparato prendendo in esame 4 stabilimenti del gruppo (Grugliasco, Melfi, Mirafiori e Pomigliano) sulla base di tre fattori (numerosit\ue0 operaia, livello di antagonismo sindacale e posizione geografica). Un modello produttivo impatta sulla realt\ue0 aziendale in maniera trasversale ed ogni ricerca sociologica che tenta di investigarne principi cardini ed effetti concreti rischia di scadere in opacit\ue0 e contorni non nettamente delineati. Nello strutturare la ricerca si \ue8 cercato di delimitare quanto pi\uf9 possibile tali contorni: individuato lo scenario di indagine (il nuovo modello produttivo), l\u2019obiettivo \ue8 stato indagare la soddisfazione del lavoro per capire come (e in che modo) tale modello produttivo ha impattato su di essa (job satisfaction solo degli operai, solo nei quattro stabilimenti individuati e solo del reparto assemblaggio). L\u2019indagine condotta (questionari, focus group, interviste semi-strutturate ed aperte) ci ha permesso, a partire dai risultati empirici sulla soddisfazione del lavoro, di fotografare i risvolti e gli effetti del modello produttivo in termini di pratiche gestionali del personale, partecipazione e coinvolgimento operaio, ambiente e condizioni di lavoro, tendenze nelle relazioni industriali: chiaramente l\u2019oggetto di indagine \ue8 la soddisfazione del lavoro che rappresenta la base di analisi che ci ha permesso di indagare da diversi punti di vista gli effetti del nuovo modello produttivo. Il lavoro si articola in quattro sezioni differenti: nella prima (capitoli 1, 2 e 3) vengono sintetizzati i riferimenti teorici attinti dalla sociologia economica e i principi manageriali tratti dalle scienze dell\u2019organizzazione con particolare attenzione al post-fordismo, alla lean production, ai meccanismi di produzione nelle catene globali del valore e agli attuali scenari organizzativi al tempo di Industry 4.0. La seconda sezione (capitolo 4 e 5) ispeziona il percorso metodologico, fondato sul paradigma di ricerca misto, del quale si da ampia giustificazione: vengono elencate le molteplici tecniche di analisi adottate (focus group, interviste aperte, questionari con relativa analisi dei dati e interviste semistrutturate) e la logica sottostante che ha guidato tali scelte. La terza sezione, invece, sintetizza risultati ed evidenze empiriche raccolte sul campo: in particolare nel primo capitolo empirico (capitolo 6) vengono riportati i dati relativi al comportamento della soddisfazione rispetto alle caratteristiche individuali, di contesto familiare e di vicende lavorative e viene esposto il modello di analisi probit sulla probabilit\ue0 di essere soddisfatti relativo ad ulteriori 16 variabili caratterizzanti il concetto di soddisfazione; nei successivi quattro capitoli (capitolo 7, 8, 9 e 10) vengono analizzate quattro distinte macro-dimensioni del lavoro (ambiente di lavoro, relazioni di lavoro, partecipazione al lavoro e teamworking) e per ognuna di esse vengono presentati i risultati delle interviste semistrutturate agli operai e delle regressioni effettuate tra singole variabili e soddisfazione generale del lavoro. Nella quarta sezione, alla luce dei dati emersi dalla ricerca, si elaborano considerazioni conclusive sulla condizione operaia in relazione al nuovo contesto organizzativo: ogni capitolo empirico della terza sezione presenta specifiche conclusioni legate alle singole variabili in esso analizzate che, per\uf2, si \ue8 voluto declinare in maniera integrata dando una visione d\u2019insieme ai risultati esposti, precisando potenzialit\ue0 e fallacit\ue0 del modello produttivo rispetto alla soddisfazione operaia e delineando possibili linee future di ricerca

Complex Effects of Ecosystem Engineer Loss on Benthic Ecosystem Response to Detrital Macroalgae

Ecosystem engineers change abiotic conditions, community assembly and ecosystem functioning. Consequently, their loss may modify thresholds of ecosystem response to disturbance and undermine ecosystem stability. This study investigates how loss of the bioturbating lugworm Arenicola marina modifies the response to macroalgal detrital enrichment of sediment biogeochemical properties, microphytobenthos and macrofauna assemblages. A field manipulative experiment was done on an intertidal sandflat (Oosterschelde estuary, The Netherlands). Lugworms were deliberately excluded from 1x m sediment plots and different amounts of detrital Ulva (0, 200 or 600 g Wet Weight) were added twice. Sediment biogeochemistry changes were evaluated through benthic respiration, sediment organic carbon content and porewater inorganic carbon as well as detrital macroalgae remaining in the sediment one month after enrichment. Microalgal biomass and macrofauna composition were measured at the same time. Macroalgal carbon mineralization and transfer to the benthic consumers were also investigated during decomposition at low enrichment level (200 g WW). The interaction between lugworm exclusion and detrital enrichment did not modify sediment organic carbon or benthic respiration. Weak but significant changes were instead found for porewater inorganic carbon and microalgal biomass. Lugworm exclusion caused an increase of porewater carbon and a decrease of microalgal biomass, while detrital enrichment drove these values back to values typical of lugworm-dominated sediments. Lugworm exclusion also decreased the amount of macroalgae remaining into the sediment and accelerated detrital carbon mineralization and CO2 release to the water column. Eventually, the interaction between lugworm exclusion and detrital enrichment affected macrofauna abundance and diversity, which collapsed at high level of enrichment only when the lugworms were present. This study reveals that in nature the role of this ecosystem engineer may be variable and sometimes have no or even negative effects on stability, conversely to what it should be expected based on current research knowledge

Flood susceptibility assessment in a highly urbanized alluvial fan: the case study of Sala Consilina (southern Italy)

Abstract. This paper deals with the risk assessment to alluvial fan flooding at the piedmont zone of carbonate massifs of the southern Apennines chain (southern Italy). These areas are prime spots for urban development and are generally considered to be safer than the valley floors. As a result, villages and towns have been built on alluvial fans which, during intense storms, may be affected by flooding and/or debris flow processes. The study area is located at the foothills of the Maddalena mountains, an elongated NW-SE trending ridge which bounds to the east the wide intermontane basin of Vallo di Diano. The area comprises a wide detrital talus (bajada) made up by coalescent alluvial fans, ranging in age from the Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene. Historical analysis was carried out to ascertain the state of activity of the fans and to identify and map the zones most hit by past flooding. According to the information gathered, the Sala Consilina fans would appear prone to debris flows; in the past these processes have produced extensive damage and loss of life in the urban area. The watershed basins feeding the fans have very low response times and may produce debris flow events with high magnitudes. Taking into account the historical damage, the fan surface morphology, and the present urban development (street orientation and hydraulic network), the piedmont area was zoned and various susceptibility classes were detected. These results may represent a useful tool for studies aiming at territorial hazard mapping and civil protection interventions

Disentangling EEG responses to TMS due to cortical and peripheral activations

Background: the use of combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) for the functional evaluation of the cerebral cortex in health and disease is becoming increasingly common. However, there is still some ambiguity regarding the extent to which brain responses to auditory and somatosensory stimulation contribute to the TMS-evoked potential (TEP). Objective/Hypothesis: to measure separately the contribution of auditory and somatosensory stimulation caused by TMS, and to assess their contribution to the TEP waveform, when stimulating the motor cortex (M1). Methods: 19 healthy volunteers underwent 7 blocks of EEG recording. To assess the impact of auditory stimulation on the TEP waveform, we used a standard figure of eight coil, with or without masking with a continuous noise reproducing the specific time-varying frequencies of the TMS click, stimulating at 90% of resting motor threshold. To further characterise auditory responses due to the TMS click, we used either a standard or a sham figure of eight coil placed on a pasteboard cylinder that rested on the scalp, with or without masking. Lastly, we used electrical stimulation of the scalp to investigate the possible contribution of somatosensory activation. Results: auditory stimulation induced a known pattern of responses in electrodes located around the vertex, which could be suppressed by appropriate noise masking. Electrical stimulation of the scalp alone only induced similar, non-specific scalp responses in the in the central electrodes. TMS, coupled with appropriate masking of sensory input, resulted in specific, lateralized responses at the stimulation site, lasting around 300 ms. Conclusions: if careful control of confounding sources is applied, TMS over M1 can generate genuine, lateralized EEG activity. By contrast, sensory evoked responses, if present, are represented by non-specific, late (100–200 ms) components, located at the vertex, possibly due to saliency of the stimuli. Notably, the latter can confound the TEP if masking procedures are not properly used

Disentangling EEG responses to TMS due to cortical and peripheral activations

BACKGROUND: the use of combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) for the functional evaluation of the cerebral cortex in health and disease is becoming increasingly common. However, there is still some ambiguity regarding the extent to which brain responses to auditory and somatosensory stimulation contribute to the TMS-evoked potential (TEP). OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: to measure separately the contribution of auditory and somatosensory stimulation caused by TMS, and to assess their contribution to the TEP waveform, when stimulating the motor cortex (M1). METHODS: 19 healthy volunteers underwent 7 blocks of EEG recording. To assess the impact of auditory stimulation on the TEP waveform, we used a standard figure of eight coil, with or without masking with a continuous noise reproducing the specific time-varying frequencies of the TMS click, stimulating at 90% of resting motor threshold. To further characterise auditory responses due to the TMS click, we used either a standard or a sham figure of eight coil placed on a pasteboard cylinder that rested on the scalp, with or without masking. Lastly, we used electrical stimulation of the scalp to investigate the possible contribution of somatosensory activation. RESULTS: auditory stimulation induced a known pattern of responses in electrodes located around the vertex, which could be suppressed by appropriate noise masking. Electrical stimulation of the scalp alone only induced similar, non-specific scalp responses in the in the central electrodes. TMS, coupled with appropriate masking of sensory input, resulted in specific, lateralized responses at the stimulation site, lasting around 300 ms. CONCLUSIONS: if careful control of confounding sources is applied, TMS over M1 can generate genuine, lateralized EEG activity. By contrast, sensory evoked responses, if present, are represented by non-specific, late (100-200 ms) components, located at the vertex, possibly due to saliency of the stimuli. Notably, the latter can confound the TEP if masking procedures are not properly used

Flame pyrolysis synthesis of mixed oxides for glycerol steam reforming

Flame spray pyrolysis was used to produce nanosized Ni-based catalysts starting from different mixed oxides. LaNiO3 and CeNiO3 were used as base materials and the formulation was varied by mixing them or incorporating variable amounts of ZrO2 or SrO during the synthesis. The catalysts were tested for the steam reforming of glycerol. One of the key problems for this application is the resistance to deactivation by sintering and coking, which may be increased by (1) improving Ni dispersion through the production of a Ni-La or Ni-Ce mixed oxide precursor, and then reduced; (2) using an oxide as ZrO2, which established a strong interaction with Ni and possesses high thermal resistance; (3) decreasing the surface acidity of ZrO2 through a basic promoter/support, such as La2O3; and (4) adding a promoter/support with very high oxygen mobility such as CeO2. A further key feature is the use of a high temperature synthesis, such as flame spray pyrolysis, to improve the overall thermal resistance of the oxides. These strategies proved effective to obtain active and stable catalysts at least for 20 h on stream with very limited coke formation

Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) efficacy in the treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunctions. A systematic review

Background: Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (PTNS) has been proposed for the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB), non-obstructive urinary retention (NOUR), neurogenic bladder, paediatric voiding dysfunction and chronic pelvic pain/painful bladder syndrome (CPP/PBS). Despite a number of publications produced in the last ten years, the role of PTNS in urinary tract dysfunctions remains unclear. A systematic review of the papers on PTNS has been performed with the aim to better clarify potentialities and limits of this technique in the treatment of OAB syndrome and in other above mentioned urological conditions. Methods. A literature search using MEDLINE and ISI web was performed. Search terms used were "tibial nerve" and each of the already mentioned conditions, with no time limits. An evaluation of level of evidence for each paper was performed. Results: PTNS was found to be effective in 37-100% of patients with OAB, in 41-100% of patients with NOUR and in up to 100% of patients with CPP/PBS, children with OAB/dysfunctional voiding and patients with neurogenic pathologies. No major complications have been reported.Randomized controlled trials are available only for OAB (4 studies) and CPP/PBS (2 studies). Level 1 evidence of PTNS efficacy for OAB is available. Promising results, to be confirmed by randomized controlled studies, have been obtained in the remaining indications considered. Conclusions: PTNS is an effective and safe option to treat OAB patients. Further studies are needed to assess the role of PTNS in the remaining indications and to evaluate the long term durability of the treatment. Further research is needed to address several unanswered questions about PTNS

Plants and Small Molecules: An Up-and-Coming Synergy

The emergence of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system has led to a rapid and wide improvement in molecular genetics techniques for studying gene function and regulation. However, there are still several drawbacks that cannot be easily solved with molecular genetic approaches, such as the study of unfriendly species, which are of increasing agronomic interest but are not easily transformed, thus are not prone to many molecular techniques. Chemical genetics represents a methodology able to fill this gap. Chemical genetics lies between chemistry and biology and relies on small molecules to phenocopy genetic mutations addressing specific targets. Advances in recent decades have greatly improved both target specificity and activity, expanding the application of this approach to any biological process. As for classical genetics, chemical genetics also proceeds with a forward or reverse approach depending on the nature of the study. In this review, we addressed this topic in the study of plant photomorphogenesis, stress responses and epigenetic processes. We have dealt with some cases of repurposing compounds whose activity has been previously proven in human cells and, conversely, studies where plants have been a tool for the characterization of small molecules. In addition, we delved into the chemical synthesis and improvement of some of the compounds described

Ni Catalysts Supported Over TiO2, SiO2 and ZrO2 for the Steam Reforming of Glycerol

A 72-year-old man was admitted with one blade of a huge pair of shears in his left thorax. His hemodynamics deteriorated due to life-threatening vascular lesions. An urgent thoracotomy revealed several injuries to the intercostal vessels and left apical inferior lung lobe. The blade tip was stuck in the posterior chest wall, 2 cm adjacent to the descending aorta. The blade was removed, the lung was sutured, and the patient made a good recovery