Hierarchical factor structure of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale short form (IUS-12) in the Italian version

Despite widespread use, few translations are available for the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale short form (IUS-12) as well as limited research on its psychometric properties in Italy. Moreover, recent evidence has suggested a multifaceted hierarchical structure for this scale. We compared the two-factor model to second-order and bi-factor models, in which a General IU factor was posited with two more narrow factors: Prospective IU and Inhibitory IU. Models were tested on a pooled dataset of students (N = 609) taking the IUS-12 alone or with other IUS-27 items. The bi-factor model fitted the sample data better than alternative models. The general factor accounted for 80% of the item variance. Presentation mode did not impact scalar invariance. Convergent validity with neuroticism, need for closure, and the uncertainty response scale was high for the total score. As such, scoring the IUS-12 total score is recommended in clinical research and assessmen

On Quantum Algorithms

Quantum computers use the quantum interference of different computational paths to enhance correct outcomes and suppress erroneous outcomes of computations. In effect, they follow the same logical paradigm as (multi-particle) interferometers. We show how most known quantum algorithms, including quantum algorithms for factorising and counting, may be cast in this manner. Quantum searching is described as inducing a desired relative phase between two eigenvectors to yield constructive interference on the sought elements and destructive interference on the remaining terms.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Engineering Solutions 4.0 in the fight against the spread of Covid 19 A new Methodology including processes, procedures and devices

Thanks to the principles and technologies made available by Industry 4.0, the authors conceptualized and modeled a new strategy, capable of making an effective contribution to the problem of limiting contagion from Covid19 today, and tomorrow from any possible other type virus, bacteria or pathogen agent introduced by subjects who, although unaware of being vectors, develop the infection only after their access to the places of stay (Hotel, office, Infrastructure, etc.) where they go to reside. The key point of the strategy is a 4.0 thermoscanner, created by the authors, which is positioned in appropriately chosen locations of the settlement and an innovative method of disinfection of the same implemented by means of UV-C rays and Ozone in the gaseous state, produced by a machine, also conceptualized and developed by the authors, capable of reproducing the Chapman Cycle with the associated advantages. Therefore, it is operated an absolute disinfection based on a reversible cycle Oxygen-Ozone-Oxygen, with a prompt re-habitability of the treated rooms, with minimal treatment costs and without the use of expensive and unhealthy chemicals or wet water vapor (incompatible with paper and electronics). This technology was described in the paper “Sanitizing of Confined Spaces Using Gaseous Ozone Produced by 4.0 Machines” presented by the authors to the WCE 2021 IAENG Congress and awarded with the “Best Paper Award of the 2021 International Conference of Systems Biology and Bioengineering”. In the presence of a Person with a fever, the thermoscanner automatically launches an alert to the site Safety officers, who confine him to an isolated place and make the Health Institutions intervene and take it over

An Application of Engineering 4.0 to Hospitalized Patients

In this paper the authors address the problem of surveillance of bedridden patients in hospitals and residences for elderly. Unfortunately, patients cannot be supervised by operators 24 h a day, given the associated costs. An attempt to solve this problem is already provided by wearable devices. This paper describes a 4.0 system implemented to overcome the limits (identified by interviewing a sample of nurses belonging to different facilities) of the wearable devices available on the market. The system proposed consists in monitoring the bed, instead of the patient, through applied sensors. By centralizing and analyzing the data collected it is possible to promptly inform the operative center of the occurrence of risky events to which bedridden patients are normally subjected. The scope of the system is preventing such risks, where possible, or mitigating their effects with a real time intervention. A case study on an active facility, conducted as a pilot project, confirms the humanitarian and economic benefits for patients and facility

Smart Inventory 4.0: Advanced version

The Authors of this paper had first conceptualized and then developed the automated picking plant described in the paper “A 4.0 Automated Warehouse Storage and Picking System for Order Fulfillment”, presented by the Authors to the WCE 2021 IAENG Congress and awarded with the “Best Paper Award of the 2021 International Conference of Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Management”. In the perspective of the continuous improvement of Industry 4.0 they have brought to this first system the significant functional improvements object of this paper. In particular, having found that the loading of the goods in the individual boxes was carried out by the Operators in this factory by using ladders on which they climbed, without the necessary PPE and carrying the load manually, with the consequent risk of falling from such heights (3-6m) to cause even serious physical damage, the Authors first studied and then implemented an automatic loading system. A second problem was then highlighted for the storage of special products such as Food and Pharma, that, unlike what happens in the Beauty Sector (for which the plant was designed), need to remain in specific conditions of temperature and relative humidity. The paper describes how, in this new version, the two parameters are monitored in each single box by means of appropriate sensors that send alerts to the centralized control system when these parameters are outside the preset threshold. In this way, prompt remedial intervention is possible, avoiding the deterioration of the contents of the boxes and the consequent economic damage deriving from their alienation. All this is made possible at acceptable costs thanks to the technologies offered by Industry 4.0 such as modern robotics and Data Centralization via IIoT for monitoring and control

Through Engineering 4.0 the Safe Operating Block for Patients and Medical Staff

The Paper deals with the management of the operating block in its many activities. By a new approach and with innovative machinery specific several problems were thus studied and overcome, such as the control of hospital infections, the operations of washing and sterilization of surgical instruments, the planning of interventions, the tracking of drugs and medical devices entering the operating block, the management of stocks, the bed management, the monitoring of environmental parameters for patient comfort and safety, the monitoring of machines and the interlocking of doors, etc. Furthermore, it is proposed a wide use of the analytical tools to support decision making, extended to the most modern Cyber-Physical Systems and Digital Twin, alongside Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence algorithms. Concluding with the new services that can be offered following the digital transformation 4.0 process of the operating block. Using the tools made available by the most advanced Engineering, an operating block was redesigned, safer for patients and medical staff and more efficient from a conduction point of view. This is done using an administration model that was first conceptualized, designed and then implemented adopting what is made available by Industry 4.0, as well as a series of Management Engineering methodologies aimed at an optimized government of complex systems. Through the data collected by appropriate sensors and translated by the software into usable information, there is an optimal use of the available resources, furthermore, the activities for which improvements can be made with the benefit of patients and structures are identified

Engineering 4.0 to Improve the Safety of Plant Operators in a Metalworking Company of International Importance: The Ansaldo Energia Case

The paper describes how a multidisciplinary team has developed, on behalf of Ansaldo Energia Spa, a methodology based on the technologies made available by Industry 4.0; a methodology that allows rescue teams to quickly intervene in the event of man-down in isolated areas of the plant where the unfortunate person would risk being found with significant delay and consequent problems for his physical well-being. To achieve this result, an appropriate hardware and software device has been developed by a highly specialized supplier, under the direction of the team. Such a device makes it possible to alert automatically rescue teams in real-time, at the occurrence of the event, and geo-locate, with extreme precision, the man on the ground. The methodology, once devised, has been standardized in a series of sequential and generalized steps, in order to make it applicable to any type of company or construction site, or workshop in which the event of the man-down may occur. The methodology is configured as a real toolkit for the protection of operators from damage, even extreme, that can derive from prolonged waits of the rescue teams, each time that operators incur negative events for their safety, whether they are exogenous (illnesses with fainting, heart attacks, epileptic attacks, strokes...) and endogenous (accidents in the workplace)

Efficient discrete-time simulations of continuous-time quantum query algorithms

The continuous-time query model is a variant of the discrete query model in which queries can be interleaved with known operations (called "driving operations") continuously in time. Interesting algorithms have been discovered in this model, such as an algorithm for evaluating nand trees more efficiently than any classical algorithm. Subsequent work has shown that there also exists an efficient algorithm for nand trees in the discrete query model; however, there is no efficient conversion known for continuous-time query algorithms for arbitrary problems. We show that any quantum algorithm in the continuous-time query model whose total query time is T can be simulated by a quantum algorithm in the discrete query model that makes O[T log(T) / log(log(T))] queries. This is the first upper bound that is independent of the driving operations (i.e., it holds even if the norm of the driving Hamiltonian is very large). A corollary is that any lower bound of T queries for a problem in the discrete-time query model immediately carries over to a lower bound of \Omega[T log(log(T))/log (T)] in the continuous-time query model.Comment: 12 pages, 6 fig

Quantum Networks for Concentrating Entanglement

If two parties, Alice and Bob, share some number, n, of partially entangled pairs of qubits, then it is possible for them to concentrate these pairs into some smaller number of maximally entangled states. We present a simplified version of the algorithm for such entanglement concentration, and we describe efficient networks for implementing these operations.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figure

Jobs Are Changing: Human Resource Managers Require Job Applicants to Have Soft Skills as Employable Assets

Advancements in technology have significantly impacted the way businesses operate, which has revealed a growing gap in the soft skills gained by students in business schools and those required by the marketplace. It has become apparent that business school graduates require more than the content knowledge specific to their disciplines to be good candidates when screened by Human Resource (HR) managers. The goal of this paper was to gain insights into the level of broader-skill instructions included in a business program from the perspective of students. This study included the development and administration of a survey that reported on each student’s indirect assessment of being instructed on various job skills. The results suggested that, although major-specific skills were learned, business schools may not be giving enough attention to broader work skills, especially in the areas of emotional intelligence and multi-disciplinary backgrounds. Based on these results, recommendations and a proposed model for program improvements/considerations are presented that institutions can use to ensure graduates possess the work skills required by modern industry