Cybernetic Theory as a New Approach to Studying Workers’ Well-being

The aim of the present research is to explain why well-being in the workplace is a theme of increasing interest and why many studies have analyzed its functioning and diffusion. From the literature on well-being it is evident that the findings of previous research are sometimes discordant and theoretical models particularly use diverse variables according to different needs and objectives. Despite the influence of a number of different factors, well-being can be studied by looking at three main aspects: physical well-being, mental health, and job satisfaction. The variables influencing it, however, are numerous and often analyzed from different perspectives. Methods of analysis vary across national and disciplinary contexts. The present work is based on a local survey of a small Italian district that investigates two hypotheses about the correlation between locus of control and variables determining work well-being (Spector et al., 2002) and the possibility of using perceptions and desires on the variables influencing well-being as predictors of it. We use the concepts of cybernetic theory and feedback loop (Edwards, 1992). Findings of statistical correlation and hierarchic regression are discussed; limitations and suggestions for further research are presented.work well-being, cybernetic theory, desires and perceptions

Scheduling of an aircraft fleet

Scheduling is the task of assigning resources to operations. When the resources are mobile vehicles, they describe routes through the served stations. To emphasize such aspect, this problem is usually referred to as the routing problem. In particular, if vehicles are aircraft and stations are airports, the problem is known as aircraft routing. This paper describes the solution to such a problem developed in OMAR (Operative Management of Aircraft Routing), a system implemented by Bull HN for Alitalia. In our approach, aircraft routing is viewed as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem. The solving strategy combines network consistency and tree search techniques

Self-efficacy and medicine use for headache among adolescents in Italy: results from the Italian HBSC 2010 study

This article aims first to investigate gender patterns in medicine use, and corresponding headache complaints, in Italian adolescents; second, to examine the association between self-efficacy and medicine use for headache. This study used data from 23,941 15-year-old students participating in the 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Survey. Self-complete questionnaires devised by the HBSC international group were administered in classrooms. Logistic regression models (controlling demographics: age, gender, and FAS) were used to investigate the association between medicine use for the associated health complaint, and perceived self-efficacy. Overall, prevalence of students reporting medicine use for headache (at least once a month) was 40.1%. Medicine use was significantly more common among girls than among boys for that somatic symptom. The use of medicines was significantly associated with the frequency of the corresponding health complaint. Selfefficacy was associated with a lower use of medicine for headache just for the group with low frequency of headache. In conclusion, self-efficacy may reduce the tendency to use medicines when adolescents report infrequent headaches

Time-Invariant Spatially Coupled Low-Density Parity-Check Codes with Small Constraint Length

We consider a special family of SC-LDPC codes, that is, time-invariant LDPCC codes, which are known in the literature for a long time. Codes of this kind are usually designed by starting from QC block codes, and applying suitable unwrapping procedures. We show that, by directly designing the LDPCC code syndrome former matrix without the constraints of the underlying QC block code, it is possible to achieve smaller constraint lengths with respect to the best solutions available in the literature. We also find theoretical lower bounds on the syndrome former constraint length for codes with a specified minimum length of the local cycles in their Tanner graphs. For this purpose, we exploit a new approach based on a numerical representation of the syndrome former matrix, which generalizes over a technique we already used to study a special subclass of the codes here considered.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be presented at IEEE BlackSeaCom 201

Terahertz optically tunable dielectric metamaterials without microfabrication

We theoretically investigate the terahertz dielectric response of a semiconductor slab hosting an infrared photoinduced grating. The periodic structure is due to the charge carries photo-excited by the interference of two tilted infrared plane waves so that the grating depth and period can be tuned by modifying the beam intensities and incidence angles, respectively. In the case where the grating period is much smaller than the terahertz wavelength, we numerically evaluate the ordinary and extraordinary component of the effective permittivity tensor by resorting to electromagnetic full-wave simulation coupled to the dynamics of charge carries excited by infrared radiation. We show that the photoinduced metamaterial optical response can be tailored by varying the grating and it ranges from birefringent to hyperbolic to anisotropic negative dielectric without resorting to microfabrication.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure

Extrinsic electromagnetic chirality in all-photodesigned one-dimensional THz metamaterials

We suggest that all-photodesigned metamaterials, sub-wavelength custom patterns of photo-excited carriers on a semiconductor, can display an exotic extrinsic electromagnetic chirality in terahertz (THz) frequency range. We consider a photo-induced pattern exhibiting 1D geometrical chirality, i.e. its mirror image can not be superposed onto itself by translations without rotations and, in the long wavelength limit, we evaluate its bianisotropic response. The photo-induced extrinsic chirality turns out to be fully reconfigurable by recasting the optical illumination which supports the photo-excited carriers. The all-photodesigning technique represents a feasible, easy and powerful method for achieving effective matter functionalization and, combined with the chiral asymmetry, it could be the platform for a new generation of reconfigurable devices for THz wave polarization manipulation.Comment: 11 page

Design and Analysis of Time-Invariant SC-LDPC Convolutional Codes With Small Constraint Length

In this paper, we deal with time-invariant spatially coupled low-density parity-check convolutional codes (SC-LDPC-CCs). Classic design approaches usually start from quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) block codes and exploit suitable unwrapping procedures to obtain SC-LDPC-CCs. We show that the direct design of the SC-LDPC-CCs syndrome former matrix or, equivalently, the symbolic parity-check matrix, leads to codes with smaller syndrome former constraint lengths with respect to the best solutions available in the literature. We provide theoretical lower bounds on the syndrome former constraint length for the most relevant families of SC-LDPC-CCs, under constraints on the minimum length of cycles in their Tanner graphs. We also propose new code design techniques that approach or achieve such theoretical limits.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Communication

Ambidexterity: a possible balance to manage Complexity

The present article originates from the effort to answer the following question: is it possible for an organizational structure to steer between organizational routines and Black Swans? (Taleb, 2007). Unexpected, unique and low-frequency events are “unknown variable” that, despite the planning and precautions deployed, catch an organization off-guard, and might have catastrophic consequences. Unexpected events impact organizations, undermining the knowledge and redefining the list of competences that an organization needs in order to be competitive. The main goal of the present article is to shed light on the role and the challenges that firms undertake in their defining moments of adaptation of their organizational assets – the structure –. The rational pattern of adaptation is exemplified by the use of ambidextrous organizational structures, which focus on activities that can be defined as exploration and exploitation. Within the analysis of “the science of complexity”, parallels, paradoxes and metaphors representing a synthesis of a largely shared doctrine will be investigated: firms need to utilize known variables, or sometimes unknown ones, that are inevitably complex, in order to find the right fit, react swiftly to change, successfully compete, and obtain results