ICT adoption and diffusion in italian manufactoring firms

This paper sets out the results of econometric analysis carried out on a closed sample of 519 Italian manufacturing firms in order to determine which variables affected the probability of a firm investing in ICT in the period 2001-03, and which variables have an impact on the level of ICT investment. The estimates bear out a great many of the theoretical predictions and empirical findings, while also casting new light on the role of vertical integration in accounting for higher levels of ICT investmentFirm organisation, Information and Communication Technologies, Vertical Integration

Sistemi Informativi per la Radiologia. Caso di studio: l' Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli

I Sistemi Informativi sono oggi il mezzo più importante di gestione in ambito sanitario in quanto consentono di creare flussi continui, veloci e sicuri di dati essenziali lungo tutto il workflow ospedaliero. Il presente lavoro di tesi si propone di analizzare in particolare gli attuali Sistemi Informativi di Radiologia. La complessa gestione del workflow radiologico è significativamente alleggerita dall’efficiente impiego di due sistemi: il RIS e il PACS. La completa integrazione tra questi due sistemi consente di seguire digitalmente ogni passo del paziente nel flusso radiologico, facilitando e velocizzando l’intero processo. A supporto dell’analisi viene proposto e approfondito un caso di studio riguardante la reale implementazione pratica di tali sistemi presso l’Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli. Verrà sottolineata l’importanza del concetto di integrazione tra sistemi diversi in ambito sanitario e presentate le future linee evolutive per raggiungere un più alto livello di “sanità digitale”

Synthesis and biological evaluation of anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity of a novel scaffold of thiazolidinone derivatives

We designed and synthesised novel N-substituted 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives for the evaluation of their anti-Toxoplasma gondii efficacy. This scaffold was functionalised both at the N1-hydrazine portion with three structurally different moieties and at the lactam nitrogen with substituted benzyl groups selected on the basis of our previous structure-activity relationships studies. Using three different assay methods, the compounds were assessed in vitro to determine both the levels of efficacy against the tachyzoites of T. gondii (IC50 = 5-148 μM), as well as any evidence of cytotoxicity towards human host cells (TD50 = 68 to ≥320 μM). Results revealed that ferrocene-based thiazolidinones can possess potent anti-tachyzoite activity (TI =2-64)

Fatores que influenciam a aceitação da internet como ferramenta educacional nas escolas de línguas de Curitiba

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção.O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar os fatores que influenciaram os responsáveis pedagógicos das escolas de línguas de Curitiba a adotarem a Internet como uma ferramenta educacional. O referencial teórico utilizado foi a Teoria dos Atributos Percebidos de Rogers (1995). De acordo com esta teoria, são cinco os atributos de uma inovação que afetam um adotante em potencial a usar ou não uma inovação. Estes atributos são vantagem relativa, compatibilidade, complexidade, trialability e observability. Outras variáveis também foram consideradas como fatores potenciais a influenciar a adoção. Além disso, foi traçado um panorama geral dos responsáveis pelas decisões pedagógicas nas escolas de línguas de Curitiba. O presente estudo é uma pesquisa descritiva que fez um levantamento junto as escolas de línguas de Curitiba através do envio de questionários pelo correio. Este questionário foi dividido em três partes, sendo que a primeira parte foi baseada no instrumento desenvolvido por Moore e Benbasat (1991) que examina as percepções de um indivíduo com relação ao uso de uma inovação tecnológica. Os dados coletados foram tabulados e analisados estatisticamente e as informações concernentes aos atributos percebidos da Internet foram analisadas usando a regressão logística e a regressão linear múltipla. Os resultados revelaram que a adoção da Internet ocorre em 55% das escolas analisadas. Tanto o modelo de regressão linear múltipla quanto o modelo de regressão logística previram 77% dos casos de adoção e, portanto, representaram satisfatoriamente os dados do questionário aplicado. As variáveis observability e trialability surgiram como as variáveis que têm efeito mais significativo e positivo sobre a variável dependente taxa de adoção. Nas escolas em que os responsáveis pedagógicos perceberam pressão por parte dos professores para que a Internet fosse usada como ferramenta educacional, a adoção ocorre em 65% dessas escolas, o que sugere que essa variável pode influenciar a taxa de adoção. As variáveis tamanho e tempo de existência das escolas não emergiram como prognosticadores significantes. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors influenced pedagogical managers at language schools in Curitiba to adopt the Internet as a teaching tool. The theoretical framework used was Rogers' (1995) Theory of Perceived Attributes. According to this theory, five attributes of an innovation affect potential adopters' choice to use an innovation or not to use an innovation. These five attributes include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability and trialability. Other variables were also considered as potential factors affecting adoption. Besides, an overview was drawn describing the people responsible for the pedagogical decisions at language schools in Curitiba. The present study is descriptive and a survey was conducted at language schools in Curitiba by the sending of a mailed questionnaire. This questionnaire was divided into three parts, the first part being based on an instrument developed by Moore and Benbasat (1991) that examines an individual's perceptions concerning the use of a technological innovation. Survey data were subjected to statistical analysis and logistic regression and linear multiple regression were used to analyse information concerning the perceived attributes of the Internet. Results of the study revealed that the Internet is adopted in 55% of the schools analysed. Both the model of linear multiple regression and the model of logistic regression predicted 77% of the cases of adoption and, therefore, represented satisfactorily the data from the questionnaire used. The variables observability and trialability where found to be the two most significant predictors of adoption. In the schools where pedagogical managers perceived pressure from teachers to have the Internet adopted as a teaching tool, adoption took place in 65% of these schools, implying that this variable may influence adoption rate. The variables size and amount of time the school has been functioning did not emerge as significant predictors

A integração da tecnologia nos cursos de licenciatura em Letras do estado do Paraná a partir da perspectiva dos professores: um estudo de métodos mistos

The objective of this study was to analyze the integration of technology, or rather CALL – Computer Assisted Language Learning – in the classroom of Modern Languages courses in the state of Paraná. The Diffusion of Innovations Theory and the Spherical Model of L2 Teachers’ Integration of CALL Technology into the Classroom were the theoretical and analytical models that respectively guided the research. This is a mixed methods study that adopted a sequential explanatory design that consisted of two distinct phases: a first phase with a quantitative approach and a second phase with a qualitative approach. The final inferences were made from the results of both phases of the study. Analytically, the use of technology in the classroom was not considered a unitary construct, but rather multifaceted. Contextually, different higher educational institutions, not just one or two universities were investigated. The purpose was to avoid methodological, analytical and contextual constraints commonly found in studies on the integration of CALL. For the first quantitative phase a questionnaire was developed to collect data. The instrument was validated by a panel of experts, tested in a pilot study and, finally, applied to a sample of 152 teachers from 33 Modern Languages courses from public and private institutions throughout the state of Paraná. Statistical analyzes were performed to examine the relationship between the three sets of factors from the Spherical Model and the multifaceted uses of technology by the teachers of undergraduate language courses in the state of Paraná. The results identified four different uses and also the influences of individual factors, contextual factors and prior CALL/ICTs education on the uses of technology, showing that individual factors and contextual factors are important predictors of CALL/ICTs integration. Participants were selected for the qualitative phase according to the results of the quantitative phase and to Rogers’ Individual Innovativeness Theory. Sixteen semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. The qualitative phase deepened the quantitative results and explained the unexpected results and the results that could not be answered in the quantitative phase. The integration of the results showed that in addition to individual and contextual factors, apparently prior CALL/ICTs education should not be dismissed as a predictor of CALL/ICTs integration. It was also possible to provide a clearer picture of CALL in the Modern Languages courses in the state of Paraná. CALL is far from normalization. Additional findings were obtained in the two phases of the study. In international and Brazilian contexts, despite extensive research on CALL, there are still significant gaps in some areas. There is the need for more studies to further investigate the issue of integration and help elucidate the relationship between the factors that lead to CALL integration or not. This research on the integration of CALL in the Brazilian context sought to contribute to a broader understanding of CALL and to show ways for integration to take place in other contexts.O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar como se dá a integração da tecnologia, ou melhor, CALL – Computer Assisted Language Learning – na sala de aula dos cursos de licenciatura em Letras do estado do Paraná. A Teoria da Difusão de Inovações e o Modelo Esférico de Integração de CALL foram os modelos teórico e analítico que respectivamente nortearam a pesquisa. Este estudo é uma pesquisa de métodos mistos e foi adotado um delineamento explanatório sequencial composto de duas fases distintas: uma primeira fase com abordagem quantitativa e uma segunda fase com abordagem qualitativa. As inferências finais foram feitas a partir dos resultados de ambas as fases do estudo. Analiticamente, o uso da tecnologia na sala de aula não foi considerado um construto unitário, mas sim multifacetado. Com relação ao contexto foram estudadas diferentes instituições de ensino superior, e não apenas uma ou duas universidades. Buscou-se evitar, assim, as limitações metodológicas, analíticas e contextuais comumente encontradas em estudos sobre a integração de CALL. Para a primeira fase quantitativa foi desenvolvido um questionário para coleta de dados. O instrumento foi validado por um painel de especialistas, testado em um estudo-piloto e, por fim, administrado a uma amostra constituída de 152 professores de 33 cursos de Letras de instituições públicas e privadas de todo o estado do Paraná. Análises estatísticas foram feitas para examinar a relação entre os três conjuntos de fatores do Modelo Esférico de Integração de CALL e os usos multifacetados da tecnologia pelos professores dos cursos de licenciatura em línguas do estado do Paraná. Os resultados identificaram quatro usos diferentes e também a influência sobre eles dos fatores individuais, contextuais e da formação prévia em CALL/TICs, mostrando que os fatores individuais e os fatores contextuais são importantes preditores da integração de CALL/TICs. Com base nos resultados da fase quantitativa e fazendo uso da Teoria da Inovação Individual foram selecionados os participantes para a segunda fase. Foram conduzidas 16 entrevistas individuais semiestruturadas. A fase qualitativa aprofundou os resultados quantitativos e explicou os resultados inesperados e sem resposta da fase quantitativa. A integração dos resultados mostrou que além dos fatores individuais e contextuais, aparentemente a formação prévia dos professores em CALL/TICs não deve ser descartada como preditor da integração de CALL/TICs. Foi possível também traçar o panorama atual de CALL nos cursos de Letras do estado do Paraná. CALL ainda está distante da normalização. Descobertas adicionais foram obtidas nas duas fases do estudo. No contexto internacional, assim como no contexto brasileiro, apesar das inúmeras pesquisas sobre CALL, ainda existem lacunas significativas em algumas áreas e percebe-se a necessidade de mais estudos que aprofundem o tema da integração e ajudem a elucidar a relação entre os fatores que levam ou não a integração de CALL. Esta pesquisa sobre a integração de CALL no contexto brasileiro buscou contribuir para que se tenha uma compreensão mais ampla de como lidar com CALL e mostrar caminhos para que a integração ocorra em outros contextos

Fluorescence coupled with chemometrics for simultaneous monitoring of cell concentration, cell viability and medium nitrate during production of carotenoid-rich Dunaliella salina

This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry- LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT / MCTES ( UID/QUI/50006/2019 ); by the European FP7 KBBE project “D-Factory” (contract no. 613870); by KAUST OSR award no. OSR-2016-CPF-2907-05; grant of FCT / MCTES : SFRH/BD/108894/2015. The authors would like to thank The Marine Biological Association (Devon, UK) and NBT Ltd (Israel).Two-dimensional (2D) fluorescence spectroscopy was investigated as a monitoring tool for cultivation, harvesting, and effluent treatment of Dunaliella salina with high carotenoid concentration; aiming to improve the production process and minimise costs. Chemometric analysis, namely Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Projection to Latent Structures (PLS), were used to build models for estimation of cellular concentration, cellular viability, and nitrate concentration in media. The estimations were based on fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) acquired directly from algal suspensions. Cell concentration during cultivation and harvesting can be predicted by a single model capturing 92.0% of the variance, and with R2 of 0.92 and 0.97, for training and validation, respectively. Cell viability during harvesting by ultrafiltration was modelled with 79% of variance and R2 of 0.79 for training and 0.73 for validation. Nitrate concentration was successfully predicted during cultivation and permeate treatment using a single model with 81.8% of variance and R2 of 0.82 for training and 0.80 for validation. Therefore, this work demonstrates the strong potential of combining 2D fluorescence and chemometrics for monitoring different processes during microalgae production.authorsversionpublishe

Development of a monitoring tool based on fluorescence and climatic data for pigments profile estimation in Dunaliella salina

When growing microalgae for biorefinery processes, a high product yield is desired. For that reason, monitoring the concentration of the desired products during growth and products induction procedure is of great interest. 2D Fluorescence spectroscopy is a fingerprinting technique, used in situ and at real time, with a high potential for online monitoring of biological systems. In this work, Dunaliella salina pigment content was monitored using fluorescence data coupled with chemometric tools. Climatic parameters were also used as input variables due to their impact on the pigments profile in outdoor cultivations. Predictive models were developed for chlorophyll content (a, b, and total) with variance captured between 50 and 90%, and R2 varying between 0.6 and 0.9 for both training and validation data sets. Total carotenoids models captured 70 to 80% of variance, and R2 between 0.7 and 0.9, for training and validation. Models for specific carotenoids (zeaxanthin, α-carotene, all-trans-β-carotene, and 9-cis-β-carotene) captured variance between 60 and 90%, with validation and training R2 between 0.6 and 0.9. With this methodology, it was possible to calibrate a monitoring tool for pigments quantification, as a bulk and as individual compounds, proving that 2D fluorescence spectroscopy and climatic data combined with chemometric tools can be used to assess simultaneously and at real time different pigments in D. salina biomass production.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multilingual resources for NLP in the Lexical Markup Framework (LMF)

Optimizing the production, maintenance and extension of lexical resources is one the crucial aspects impacting Natural Language Processing (NLP). A second aspect involves optimizing the process leading to their integration in applications. With this respect, we believe that a consensual specification on monolingual, bilingual and multilingual lexicons can be a useful aid for the various NLP actors. Within ISO, one purpose of Lexical Markup Framework (LMF, ISO-24613) is to define a standard for lexicons that covers multilingual lexical data

El gasto en defensa en España en el siglo XXI

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la evolución del gasto en defensa en España durante el periodo comprendido entre los años 1997 y 2019. Para ello, se estudia de manera aislada y, después, se procede a su comparación con otros indicadores relevantes, como son el gasto público, el gasto en Estado del Bienestar, el gasto en seguridad y el PIB. De esta forma, se permite observar su transformación a lo largo del periodo, además de conocer su significatividad para el gobierno y para la economía nacional.<br /