Exploring antecedents of innovations for small- and medium-sized enterprises' environmental sustainability: An interpretative framework

The need to pursue sustainable development has become a central topic in Western countries due to citizens' greater sensitivity to improving environmental and social conditions. Companies can reach this objective more easily through green innovations, which are now considered a strategic opportunity that simultaneously allows for adherence to sustainable development criteria and the pursuit of competitive advantages. Scholars have identified the determinants that encourage companies to adopt green innovations, but the outcomes of their investigations thus far have often been ambiguous and contradictory. Our paper proposes an interpretative framework for addressing such inconsistencies. Using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) methodology, we validate this framework on a sample of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and show that SMEs' choices are influenced by cultural elements and stimulated by the prospect of obtaining economic advantages over competitors. SMEs also pay close attention to stakeholder solicitations, while public administration does not affect their eco-innovating choices. The results have policy implications for executives and insiders

Vacuum energy of a massive scalar field in the presence of a semi-transparent cylinder

We compute the ground state energy of a massive scalar field in the background of a cylindrical shell whose potential is given by a delta function. The zero point energy is expressed in terms of the Jost function of the related scattering problem, the renormalization is performed with the help of the heat kernel expansion. The energy is found to be negative for attractive and for repulsive backgrounds as well.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Local and Global Casimir Energies for a Semitransparent Cylindrical Shell

The local Casimir energy density and the global Casimir energy for a massless scalar field associated with a $\lambda\delta$-function potential in a 3+1 dimensional circular cylindrical geometry are considered. The global energy is examined for both weak and strong coupling, the latter being the well-studied Dirichlet cylinder case. For weak-coupling,through $\mathcal{O}(\lambda^2)$, the total energy is shown to vanish by both analytic and numerical arguments, based both on Green's-function and zeta-function techniques. Divergences occurring in the calculation are shown to be absorbable by renormalization of physical parameters of the model. The global energy may be obtained by integrating the local energy density only when the latter is supplemented by an energy term residing precisely on the surface of the cylinder. The latter is identified as the integrated local energy density of the cylindrical shell when the latter is physically expanded to have finite thickness. Inside and outside the delta-function shell, the local energy density diverges as the surface of the shell is approached; the divergence is weakest when the conformal stress tensor is used to define the energy density. A real global divergence first occurs in $\mathcal{O}(\lambda^3)$, as anticipated, but the proof is supplied here for the first time; this divergence is entirely associated with the surface energy, and does {\em not} reflect divergences in the local energy density as the surface is approached.Comment: 28 pages, REVTeX, no figures. Appendix added on perturbative divergence

Casimir effect in a wormhole spacetime

We consider the Casimir effect for quantized massive scalar field with non-conformal coupling $\xi$ in a spacetime of wormhole whose throat is rounded by a spherical shell. In the framework of zeta-regularization approach we calculate a zero point energy of scalar field. We found that depending on values of coupling $\xi$, a mass of field $m$, and/or the throat's radius $a$ the Casimir force may be both attractive and repulsive, and even equals to zero.Comment: 2 figures, 10 pages, added 2 reference

3D CAMERAS ACQUISITIONS FOR THE DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. Photography has always been considered as a valid tool to acquire information about reality. Nowadays, its versatility, together with the development of new techniques and technologies, allows to use it in different fields of application. Particularly, in the digitization of built heritage, photography not only enables to understand and document historical and architectural artifacts but also to acquire morphological and geometrical data about them with automated digital photogrammetry. Nowadays, photogrammetry enables many tools to give virtual casts of reality by showing it in the way of point cloud. Although they can have metric reliability and visual quality, traditional instruments &amp;ndash; such as monoscopic cameras &amp;ndash; involve a careful planning of the campaign phase and a long acquisition and processing time. On the contrary, the most recent ones, based on the integration of different sensors and cameras, try to reduce the gap between time and results. The latter include some systems of indoor mapping who, thanks to 360&amp;deg; acquisitions and SLAM technology, reconstruct the original scene in real time in great detail and with a photorealistic rendering. This study is aimed at reporting a research evaluating metric reliability and the level of survey detail with a Matterport Pro2 3D motorized rotating camera, equipped with SLAM technology, whose results have been compared with point clouds obtained by image-based and range-based processes.</p

Unveiling the Intricate Dance: How Cancer Orchestrates Muscle Wasting and Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is a prevalent and clinically significant condition, particularly among older age groups and those with chronic disease. Patients with cancer frequently suffer from sarcopenia and progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. The complex interplay between cancer and its treatment, including medical therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, significantly contributes to the onset and worsening of sarcopenia. Cancer induces muscle wasting through inflammatory processes, metabolic alterations, and hormonal imbalance. Moreover, medical and radiation therapies exert direct toxic effects on muscles, contributing to the impairment of physical function. Loss of appetite, malnutrition, and physical inactivity further exacerbate muscle wasting in cancer patients. Imaging techniques are the cornerstones for sarcopenia diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry provide valuable insights into muscle structure and quality. Although each modality has advantages and limitations, magnetic resonance imaging produces high-resolution images and provides dynamic information about muscle function. Despite these challenges, addressing sarcopenia is essential for optimizing treatment outcomes and improving survival rates in patients with cancer. This review explored the factors contributing to sarcopenia in oncologic patients, emphasizing the importance of early detection and comprehensive management strategies

Cancer management during COVID-19 pandemic: is immune checkpoint inhibitors-based immunotherapy harmful or beneficial?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently representing a global health threat especially for fragile individuals, such as cancer patients. It was demonstrated that cancer patients have an increased risk of developing a worse symptomatology upon severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, often leading to hospitalization and intensive care. The consequences of this pandemic for oncology are really heavy, as the entire healthcare system got reorganized. Both oncologists and cancer patients are experiencing rescheduling of treatments and disruptions of appointments with a concurrent surge of fear and stress. In this review all the up-to-date findings, concerning the association between COVID-19 and cancer, are reported. A remaining very debated question regards the use of an innovative class of anti-cancer molecules, the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), given their modulating effects on the immune system. For that reason, administration of ICIs to cancer patients represents a question mark during this pandemic, as its correlation with COVID-19-associated risks is still under investigation. Based on the mechanisms of action of ICIs and the current evidence, we suggest that ICIs not only can be safely administered to cancer patients, but they might even be beneficial in COVID-19-positive cancer patients, by exerting an immune-stimulating action

Heat Kernel Expansion for Semitransparent Boundaries

We study the heat kernel for an operator of Laplace type with a $\delta$-function potential concentrated on a closed surface. We derive the general form of the small $t$ asymptotics and calculate explicitly several first heat kernel coefficients.Comment: 16 page