A Cooperative and Competitive Serious Game for Operations and Supply Chain Management – Didactical Concept and Final Evaluation

Abstract—In the last decades, Serious Games (SGs) have been implemented more and more in the engineering field, for both educational and professional purposes. The interest in digital SGs has increased even more in the last years of covid-19 pandemic, due to their location-independent availability and to the possibility to use SGs to apply theoretical knowledge and involve the users in a challenging way. Since the beginning of project Open Digital Laboratory For You (DigiLab4U) in October 2018, the University of Parma started to develop a brand-new SG with a strong focus on Operation and Supply Chain Management. The game has been studied as a multiplayer cooperative and competitive game which projects learners in a fictitious universe where multiple companies compete against each other in the same market. The realization of the game started from the definition of the didactical concept, underwent the user acceptance testing phases (alpha and beta tests) up until reach the release and the corresponding final evaluation feedback

Social transfers and poverty in Europe: comparing social exclusion and targeting across welfare regimes

This paper studies whether there are systematic differences in the ability of cash transfers, belonging to different welfare systems, to reach the poor and to lift them out of poverty. We structure the analysis following the classic breakdown of the various European welfare states into welfare regimes, in search of specific features of them that can explain the variable results shown in the ability to effectively tackle economic poverty. The analysis is carried out both with a cross-sectional approach as well as using a more long-run definition of persistent poverty

Generalisation of the solution of the inverse Richards' problem

In inverse problems defined by models that include partial differential equations, a part of the boundary conditions are unknown and are to be estimated from experimental measurements. We have shown in a previous contribution that the solution of the inverse Richards' problem can allow estimating percolation rates at the bottom of landfills through the use of measurements at the surface only. This can be a useful complement of the information furnished by the vadose measurement system, pointing to the possible presence of biases of in-situ equipment, and making it possible to use inexpensive mobile equipment to carry out surface measurements. In this article, we consider a generalisation which makes it possible to consider the presence of unknown nonlinear parameters, such as the effective hydraulic conductivity and the root uptake coefficients. This is accomplished using the method of separation of variables in the resulting estimation problem. Thanks to the linearity of the model, all these conditions can be expressed as linear functions of the unknown lower boundary condition. Otherwise, the relevant non-linear parameters are to be estimated from the data as well. Obviously, the correlation between the linear parameters contained in the unknown lower boundary conditions and the non-linear parameters can reduce the reliability of the monitoring procedure and hence the necessity of limiting the number of the latter

Nanoparticles synthesis in wet-operating stirred media: Preliminary investigation with DEM simulations

The growing demand of nanomaterials is pushing towards the development of alternative strategies for the safe and sustainable production of nanoparticles. At the same time, to ensure high performances, a fine control over the product specifications is required. We focused on a bottom-up method combined with a mechanical disaggregation technique using a wet bead-stirring process, since it provides numerous advantages over other approaches, including the minimization of the nanoparticles air dispersion and a greater control over the final product. However, given the broad variability of the parameters involved in both the setup and operation of the process, it is essential to combine the experiments with a theoretical-simulative study to optimize the design. The present activity consists in the preliminary simulation of the interactions among the grinding beads, modelled through the discrete element method (DEM), and the magnetic stirrer. This approach, providing information regarding the frequency and energy of collisions, which can be related to the properties of the produced nanoparticles, allows a fine tuning of the process parameters

Business Model validation for a marketplace of lab network initiatives

In the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) the use of laboratories to support teaching is a common requirement, not just a possibility. With the rise of the internet, teaching laboratories have changed from 'traditional' hands-on equipment to configurations that allow remote use of the experiment materials. In recent years, online labs (e.g., laboratories of universities or research institutes) have gradually been integrated into 'networks' of labs, with the objective of making them more economically viable, otherwise they would have been short-lived due to the high cost for their development and maintenance. While research on online labs has focused on didactic and technical aspects, there seem to be no in-depth studies on the financial sustainability of technical solutions developed. Moreover, online solutions subvert the traditional pattern of access being limited to individuals engaged in the practice of organizations. Indeed, online laboratories can also be used by professionals and companies interested in research and development, testing, and training activities. The authors of this article frame the problem from the perspective of the servitization of labs of universities and research institutions, through a new business model of a marketplace capable of coordinating the network of labs. To do this, an analysis of the intention to use an online lab marketplace and the activities made available by the online labs is conducted. The analysis involves entrepreneurs and practitioners of various companies from diverse industries in the northern Italy. The analysis is twofold. Firstly, it proposes a survey of intention to use university labs and LNIs in business environment. Second, it seeks to assess the usefulness of a marketplace service that technically manages the relationship between service provider and buyer beyond the mere educational aspects

Integration of New Technologies and Alternative Methods in Laboratory-Based Scenarios

In this study, we report a preliminary requirements analysis to recognize needs and possibilities for integrating new technologies and methods for lab-based learning in the field of Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things. To this aim, different scenarios, such as real, remote and virtual labs, are considered to be addressable within an integrated learning environment that focuses on alternative methods (i.e. Serious Games, Self-Regulated and Collaborative Learning) and new technologies (i.e. Open Badges, Mixed Reality and Learning Analytics). To support the design of the laboratory-based learning environment, qualitative interviews were conducted with both expert lecturers and relevant students in the field of engineering, to provide complementary perspectives. These interviews were carried out to analyze the requirements, and to identify possible benefits that relevant stakeholders expect by using these teaching and learning methods and technologies. A qualitative content analysis has been started on the interviews to define which is the perception of the new technologies and teaching methods. The different points of view about technologies and methods coming from expert lecturers’ and relevant students’ interviews are provided

Inverse Estimation of Temperature Profiles in Landfills Using Heat Recovery Fluids Measurements

In addition to leachate and gas emission analysis, temperature variations in municipal solid waste landfills are routinely monitored for safety and health reasons, such as the increased production of biogas or the danger of spontaneous combustion phenomena if the temperature exceeds 70–75°C. The increasing constraints on greenhouse gas emissions and the convenience of fuel and heat recovery have helped develop a global approach to landfills' operation and maintenance, generally referred to as bioreactor landfill management. The heat recovery piping we are presently designing can be a significant part of this approach. The heat gained by a fluid circulated in a closed network through the landfill is transferred to an external heat exchanger or used directly as warm water. Additionally, it can help reduce landfill temperature levels and control biogas generation. Since the pipes diameter is large enough to allow for a radial temperature gradient, this information can be used for an inverse estimation of the temperature profile in the landfill which constitutes the boundary conditions of the resulting heat transfer problem. In this paper, we describe an algorithm for regularising the resulting ill-posed free boundary estimation problem using sampled data of the heat recovery fluid on exiting the landfill

Nanotechnology in machining processes: recent advances

In this brief survey, the use of nanoparticle dispersions in machining processes is discussed and the relevant applicational performances are analysed and related to the structural and chemical composition of the embedded nanophase. The paper is divided in two basic parts. In the former, the metalworking nanofluids are classified with respect to the physico-chemical properties of the nanostructured phase suspended in the base fluid. In the latter, some aspects concerning the production of metalworking nanofluids are analysed and a new green and economically viable technique based on a cementation process for metal nanoparticle synthesis is proposed as an alternative approach to the conventional manufacturing techniques

Simulation of power plant environmental impacts within the extended marine framework

This paper proposes the use of Modelling and Simulation to analyse the different Environmental Impacts of Industrial Facilities with special attention to Power Plant located within the Extended Maritime Framework. The approach proposed is based on combining different simulation approaches to be able to reproduce the phenomena affecting this context in a comprehensive way. The simulation experimental results are dynamically presented and updated within a Synthetic Environment, based on a Serious Game, in order to be able to augment the virtual representation with additional information. It is proposed a case study related to a Power Plant including different Gas Turbines located in front the coast and the scenario include the evaluation of the emissions on the Atmosphere, Sea Water and Ground, the inclusions on these domains as well as their impact on the flora, fauna and social layers

Reasoning deficits among illicit drug users are associated with aspects of cannabis use

Background. Deficits in deductive reasoning have been observed among ecstasy/polydrug users. The present study seeks to investigate dose-related effects of specific drugs and whether these vary with the cognitive demands of the task. Methods. One hundred and five participants (mean age 21.33, S.D. 3.14; 77 females, 28 males) attempted to generate solutions for eight one-model syllogisms and one syllogism for which there was no valid conclusion (NVC). All of the one model syllogisms generated at least one valid conclusion and six generated two valid conclusions. In these six cases one of the conclusions was classified as common and the other as non-common. Results. The number of valid common inferences was negatively associated with aspects of short term cannabis use and with measures of IQ. The outcomes observed were more than simple post intoxication effects since cannabis use in the 10 days immediately before testing was unrelated to reasoning performance. Following adjustment for multiple comparisons, the number of non-common valid inferences was not significantly associated with any of the drug use measures. Conclusions. Recent cannabis use appears to impair the processes associated with generating valid common inferences while not affecting the production of non-common inferences. It is possible, therefore, that the two types of inference may recruit different executive resources which may differ in their susceptibility to cannabis-related effects