The co-evolutionary relationship between digitalization and organizational agility: Ongoing debates, theoretical developments and future research perspectives

This study is the first to provide a systematic review of the literature focused on the relationship between digitalization and organizational agility (OA). It applies the bibliographic coupling method to 171 peer-reviewed contributions published by 30 June 2021. It uses the digitalization perspective to investigate the enablers, barriers and benefits of processes aimed at providing firms with the agility required to effectively face increasingly turbulent environments. Three different, though interconnected, thematic clusters are discovered and analysed, respectively focusing on big-data analytic capabilities as crucial drivers of OA, the relationship between digitalization and agility at a supply chain level, and the role of information technology capabilities in improving OA. By adopting a dynamic capabilities perspective, this study overcomes the traditional view, which mainly considers digital capabilities enablers of OA, rather than as possible outcomes. Our findings reveal that, in addition to being complex, the relationship between digitalization and OA has a bidirectional character. This study also identifies extant research gaps and develops 13 original research propositions on possible future research pathways and new managerial solutions

A Dynamic Manipulation Strategy for an Intervention Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

This paper presents the modelling and the control architecture of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Intervention (I-AUV). Autonomous underwater manipulation with free-floating base is still an open topic of research, far from reaching an industrial product. Dynamic manipulation tasks, where relevant vehicle velocities are required during manipulation, over an additional challenge. In this paper, the accurate modelling of an I-AUV is described, not neglecting the interaction with the fluid. A grasp planning strategy is proposed and integrated in the control of the whole system. The performances of the I-AUV have been analysed by means of simulations of a dynamic manipulation task

Additive Manufacturing and Topology Optimization Applied to Impeller to Enhance Mechanical Performance

LectureThe paper describes the link between additive manufacturing techniques and topological optimization design process. An overview of Inconel718 printed material characteristics and as printed quality is given Finally expander and compressor topological optimization results are shown highlighting the improvement in stress level and dynamic behavior

EFFECTS OF SUPPORT STRUCTURE DYNAMICS ON CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR ROTOR RESPONSE

LectureAccurate modeling of complicated dynamic phenomena characterizing rotating machineries represents a critical aspect in the rotor dynamic field. A correct prediction of rotor behavior is fundamental to identify safe operating conditions avoiding unstable operating range that may lead to erroneous project solution or possible unwanted consequences for the plant. Considering generic rotating machineries as mainly partitioned in four components (rotors, bearings, stator and supporting structure), most research activities have been addressed so far with strong focus more on the single components rather than on the whole system assembly. The importance of a combined analysis of rotors and elastic supporting structure (Kruger 2013) arises with the continuous development of turbo machinery applications, in particular in the Oil & Gas field, where a wide variety of solutions, such as off-shore installations or modularized turbo compression and turbo generator trains, lead to the need of a more complete study not only limited to the rotor-bearing system

Ranking of rural localities in Malta and Gozo according to their degree of exposure to traditional locally produced fare

Mediterranean fare originated from regional ethnic groups living in the region, and, other than from external cultural influences, the ingredients used mostly originated from local production. In evaluating the role of tradition in Maltese food culture, three factors, namely part-time farmers, kitchen gardens, and small livestock numbers, appear to have characterised food production within a Mediterranean island agricultural landscape that was dominated by small holdings. This study evaluates Malta’s different rural localities, ranked according to evidenced agricultural activities in small farming holdings, which, by their self-sustenance, appear to have retained traditional Maltese rural features. This paper is a first attempt to provide a guideline for selecting locations to evaluate production and consumption patterns of traditional Maltese food in rural areas. The research is not intended as a farm structural or policy analysis as it ultimately focuses on production factors linked to rural fare.peer-reviewe

Residual vein thrombosis and onset of post-thrombotic syndrome: Influence of the 4G/5G polymorphism of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene

BACKGROUND: Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the most important inhibitor of plasminogen activator. The functional 4G/5G polymorphism of the gene coding for PAI-1 may affect PAI-1 plasmatic activity, influencing the imbalance between coagulation and fibrinolysis cascades. In this prospective cohort analytic study, we investigated the role of this single nucleotide polymorphism in the persistence of thrombotic lesion and the occurrence of post-thrombotic syndrome. PATIENTS/METHODS: In a group of 168 patients with post-surgical deep vein thrombosis of the legs, we analyzed the 4G/5G polymorphism in the promoter of PAI-1 gene and plasmatic PAI-1 activity. Enrolled patients were divided in two groups: patients with 4G/5G polymorphism and increased PAI-1 activity (n=85) and patients without 4G/5G polymorphism and normal PAI-1 activity (n=83). All patients were treated according to current protocols and re-examined after 3, 12 and 36months in order to evaluate the persistence of thrombotic lesion and the occurrence of post-thrombotic syndrome. RESULTS: We found a significantly increased PAI activity in carrier of the 4G allele, who experienced much more frequently a persistence of thrombosis after 3, 12 and 36months and/or the development of post-thrombosis syndrome, in spite of the anticoagulant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data not only confirm the role played by PAI-1 activity and by the 4G/5G SNP of the PAI-1 gene, but also suggest that current therapeutic protocols, recommending the administration of low weight molecular heparin and oral anticoagulant for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis, could be non sufficient for patients genetically predisposed to a less efficient clot lysis

Intrauterine parvovirus B19 infection: early prenatal diagnosis is possible

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Safe and Efficient Reinforcement Learning for Environmental Monitoring

This paper discusses the challenges of applying reinforcement techniques to real-world environmental monitoring problems and proposes innovative solutions to overcome them. In particular, we focus on safety, a fundamental problem in RL that arises when it is applied to domains involving humans or hazardous uncertain situations. We propose to use deep neural networks, formal verification, and online refinement of domain knowledge to improve the transparency and efficiency of the learning process, as well as the quality of the final policies. We present two case studies, specifically (i) autonomous water monitoring and (ii) smart control of air quality indoors. In particular, we discuss the challenges and solutions to these problems, addressing crucial issues such as anomaly detection and prevention, real-time control, and online learning. We believe that the proposed techniques can be used to overcome some limitations of RL, providing safe and efficient solutions to complex and urgent problems