Industria 4.0: Oltre il determinismo tecnologico

In the age of the so-called fourth industrial revolution, the social sciences and organizational studies are called to a very demanding challenge: overcoming technological determinism to understand the dynamics and perspectives of a transformation not at all automatic. The contributions collected in this book address, starting from different disciplinary perspectives, some of the most relevant questions posed by technological transformation: which are the dominant actors of this transformation? What is the relationship between technological transformation and organizational action? What is the role of workers in the technological transition? The element common to all contributions is the reasoned removal of a deterministic interpretation of technological transformation, the methodological rejection of the idea of self-development of technology

Informing additive manufacturing technology adoption: total cost and the impact of capacity utilisation

Informing Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology adoption decisions, this paper investigates the relationship between build volume capacity utilisation and efficient technology operation in an inter-process comparison of the costs of manufacturing a complex component used in the packaging industry. Confronting the reported costs of a conventional machining and welding pathway with an estimator of the costs incurred through an AM route utilising Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), we weave together four aspects: optimised capacity utilisation, ancillary process steps, the effect of build failure and design adaptation. Recognising that AM users can fill unused machine capacity with other, potentially unrelated, geometries, we posit a characteristic of ‘fungible’ build capacity. This aspect is integrated in the cost estimation framework through computational build volume packing, drawing on a basket of sample geometries. We show that the unit cost in mixed builds at full capacity is lower than in builds limited to a single type of geometry; in our study, this results in a mean unit cost overstatement of 157%. The estimated manufacturing cost savings from AM adoption range from 36 to 46%. Additionally, we indicate that operating cost savings resulting from design adaptation are likely to far outweigh the manufacturing cost advantage

I.S.Mu.L.T - Rotator cuff tears guidelines

Despite the high level achieved in the field of shoulder surgery, a global consensus on rotator cuff tears management is lacking. This work is divided into two main sessions: in the first, we set questions about hot topics involved in the rotator cuff tears, from the etiopathogenesis to the surgical treatment. In the second, we answered these questions by mentioning Evidence Based Medicine. The aim of the present work is to provide easily accessible guidelines: they could be considered as recommendations for a good clinical practice developed through a process of systematic review of the literature and expert opinion, in order to improve the quality of care and rationalize the use of resources

How the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Patients’ Hospital Admission and Care in the Vascular Surgery Divisions of the Southern Regions of the Italian Peninsula

Background: To investigate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on the vasculopathic population. Methods: The Divisions of Vascular Surgery of the southern Italian peninsula joined this multicenter retrospective study. Each received a 13-point questionnaire investigating the hospitalization rate of vascular patients in the first 11 months of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the preceding 11 months. Results: 27 out of 29 Centers were enrolled. April-December 2020 (7092 patients) vs. 2019 (9161 patients): post-EVAR surveillance, hospitalization for Rutherford category 3 peripheral arterial disease, and asymptomatic carotid stenosis revascularization significantly decreased (1484 (16.2%) vs. 1014 (14.3%), p = 0.0009; 1401 (15.29%) vs. 959 (13.52%), p = 0.0006; and 1558 (17.01%) vs. 934 (13.17%), p < 0.0001, respectively), while admissions for revascularization or major amputations for chronic limb-threatening ischemia and urgent revascularization for symptomatic carotid stenosis significantly increased (1204 (16.98%) vs. 1245 (13.59%), p < 0.0001; 355 (5.01%) vs. 358 (3.91%), p = 0.0007; and 153 (2.16%) vs. 140 (1.53%), p = 0.0009, respectively). Conclusions: The suspension of elective procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant reduction in post-EVAR surveillance, and in the hospitalization of asymptomatic carotid stenosis revascularization and Rutherford 3 peripheral arterial disease. Consequentially, we observed a significant increase in admissions for urgent revascularization for symptomatic carotid stenosis, as well as for revascularization or major amputations for chronic limb-threatening ischemia

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Fabbisogni professionali e proiezioni occupazionali: una prima rassegna delle prassi.

ABSTRACT ENG Occupational and skills projection systems have been adopted in many developed countries. Literature, however, is still missing reliable reviews of different methodolo-gies. Therefore, the goal of this article, is to present some of the main initiatives that have been developed both at national and international level while illustrating their strengths and weaknesses. As of occupational projections econometric models appear to be adopted in many cases. Instability of the economy at global level, however, significantly affects their reliability, and information on occupational trends that is generated could be defec-tive. As of skill projection, however, qualitative approaches are quite common. In many countries, including Italy, several projects have been launched in order to collect informa-tion on skill demand change over time adopting field research techniques. The landscape of skill projections tools in Italy appear to be fragmented, as many initiatives have been set up both at national and local level but a lack of integration is evident. At the national level structured systems exist and provide useful information on occupational and skill trends for policy making at different levels. A goal to be reached, however, entails either horizontal coordination, among national tools, and vertical coordination, among local ini-tiatives and national systems. ABSTRACT ITA La maggior parte dei paesi ad economia avanzata si \ue8 dotato di sistemi pi\uf9 o meno a-vanzati di proiezione dei fabbisogni occupazionali e professionali. In assenza di una ras-segna aggiornata delle metodologie adottate questo articolo si propone di presentare alcu-ni dei principali strumenti di proiezione utilizzati a livello nazionale e internazionale, evi-denziandone i punti di forza ed i limiti. Per le proiezioni occupazionali emerge una ten-denza ad affidarsi a strumenti econometrici, una circostanza che, a fronte delle dinamiche recessive in atto e della complessiva instabilit\ue0 dei sistemi economici, solleva alcune per-plessit\ue0 in merito all\u2019attendibilit\ue0 delle informazioni generate. Sul versante della proie-zione dei fabbisogni professionali, invece, emergono anche approcci di tipo qualitativo, che hanno portato alla realizzazione di indagini orientate a leggere le trasformazioni delle professioni attraverso un contatto diretto con il tessuto economico di riferimento. Sul ver-sante italiano il quadro \ue8 complessivamente frammentato. A livello nazionale esistono si-stemi altamente strutturati capaci di rilevare le dinamiche nazionali, ma non altrettanto in grado di cogliere le specificit\ue0 occupazionali e dei fabbisogni professionali dei sistemi economici locali. Sul piano operativo, dunque, si segnala l\u2019esigenza di potenziare le mi-sure tese all\u2019integrazione degli strumenti in campo, sia a livello nazionale, sia tra le ini-ziative regionali e nazionali

Impresa sociale e management

I problemi posti dall\u2019adozione di logiche d\u2019azione imprenditoriale per le cd. \u2018imprese sociali\u2019 costituiscono l\u2019oggetto di molta parte della letteratura \u2013 ormai abbondante \u2013 sulle organizzazioni non profit (ieri) e sull\u2019impresa sociale (oggi). Nel dibattito sulla \u2018transizione\u2019 da terzo settore a imprese sociali, inoltre, dal punto di vista degli operatori le maggiori fonti di preoccupazione risiedono pi\uf9 nella valutazione dei gap da colmare in termini di strumenti gestionali (da impresa), che rispetto alla connotazione \u2018sociale\u2019 delle logiche d\u2019azione ; un dato, quest\u2019ultimo, apparentemente vissuto in maniera meno problematica, forse in forza di una autorappresentazione in termini di socialit\ue0 che le organizzazioni non profit (cooperative sociali, in questo caso) assumerebbero \u2018per nascita\u2019, a partire dalla propria mission o dalle proprie caratteristiche istituzionali. Tale valutazione, peraltro, trova conferma nell\u2019impostazione di molte altre ricerche svolte sul tema \u2018impresa sociale\u2019, nelle quali l\u2019oggetto di studio \ue8, sostanzialmente, una organizzazione non profit connotata in termini di imprenditorialit\ue0, mentre gli aspetti di socialit\ue0 sono spesso rilevati attraverso la mera constatazione del nonprofit constraint o si limitano all\u2019osservazione di poche altre variabili. Sulla base di tali premesse, in questo contributo si prende in esame il seguente interrogativo: le logiche d\u2019azione e gli strumenti di management proposti dalla letteratura gestionale sono adeguati per le imprese sociali? La discussione prender\ue0 in considerazione in primo luogo alcuni contributi critici, di taglio sociologico, che sostengono l\u2019esistenza di una intrinseca incompatibilit\ue0 tra gli obiettivi e le logiche del lavoro sociale e l\u2019adozione di concetti e metodi tratti dalla letteratura manageriale. L\u2019analisi proseguir\ue0 attraverso una rilettura di alcuni contributi tratti dalla letteratura di management pi\uf9 consolidata: gli operatori delle imprese sociali potranno trarre spunto da questa presentazione al fine di verificare se questi contributi rispondono alle proprie esigenze interpretative e se i caratteri delle soluzioni che propongono sono adeguati ai propri fini. Al fine di contribuire all\u2019avvio di un dibattito su questo tema, infine, si proporranno alcune prime riflessioni a partire da alcuni contributi, tratti questa volta dalla letteratura organizzativa, che sembrano particolarmente adatti all\u2019interpretazione dei problemi legati alla strutturazione dei processi organizzativi dell\u2019impresa social