Network Structure in Service Ecosystems: An Empirical Study in the Region of Campania

The objective of this study is that of exploring the relational dimension of service ecosystems with specific regard to the structure of their networks, by conducting a social network analysis. In particular, this work attempts to primarily unveil which types of network configurations (i.e., open, closed or small words) are typical of service ecosystems. Secondly, we explore the nature of the most central actors in these networks. To these purposes, we conduct an empirical study in the Region of Campania (Southern Italy) by analyzing six regional service ecosystems in different sectors. We gathered data from the PONREC platform (Programma Operativo Nazionale "Ricerca e Competitività" 2007-2013) in order to map links among the actors in all six ecosystems. Main results show that universities and research institutions occupy brokering positions within the service ecosystems’ networks. This, in turn, suggests the efficacy of public regional initiatives in favoring the establishment of forms of collaboration between organizations of different nature. Finally, our findings show that service ecosystems are characterized by open and small world network configurations. This paper contributes to the literature focused on service ecosystems’ networks by providing an empirical and quantitative approach to the analysis of their relational characteristics

Diagnosing silent cardiac dysautonomia via ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: early diagnosis shown by the lack of heart rate circadian rhythm in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus (DM) can be complicated by an involvement of Neurovegetative System (NVS), conventionally and non-invasively diagnosed by the means of Ewing's test and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis. It is well known that the NVS is physiologically responsible, via biological clocks, for the regulation of Circadian Rhythms (CR) characterizing the majority of biological functions. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the CR of Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Pressure (BP) in DM, postulating that the diagnosis of Silent Cardiac Dysautonomia (SCD) could be facilitated by detecting anomalous rhythmometric changes, including the worse one, i.e., the lose of a CR. Materials and Methods. The study has been performed on 30 clinically healthy subjects (CHS), 10 patients with DM1 and 30 patients with DM2, who underwent an ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) collecting data equidistantly every 30 minutes, under standardized conditions of lifestyle. The group specific monitored values of systolic (S), diastolic (D) BP, as well as HR have been analyzed via: 1. a conventional analysis of their intradiem variability; 2. a chronobiometric analysis (Cosinor method) of their CR. Results. The conventional analysis disclosed that in CHS, DM1 and DM2, both the HR and BP show an intradiem variability that is significant (p<0.001). The chronobiological analysis showed that in CHS and DM2, both the HR and BP show a significant CR (p<0.001), viceversa in DM1 HR is characterized by a non significant CR (p=0.124), notwithstanding that the SBP and DBP maintain a significant CR (p<0.001). Conclusions. The disappearance of HR CR in DM1 reveals the involvement of neurovegetative biological clock that selectively controls the HR CR, as it is demonstrated by the pathophysiological finding of an internal desynchronization between the HR and BP CR. The selective lose of HR CR in DM1 leads to conclude that the ABPM, along with its Cosinor analysis, might be a practical, repeatable, low cost, low risk technique for diagnosing the SCD, at least in DM1. Clin Ter 2010; 161(1):e1-e1

Designing greenhouse subsystems for a lunar mission: the LOOPS - M Project

The 2020s is a very important decade in the space sector, where international cooperation is moving towards the exploration of the Moon and will lead to stable lunar settlements, which will require new, innovative, and efficient technologies. In this context, the project LOOPS–M (Lunar Operative Outpost for the Production and Storage of Microgreens) was created by students from Sapienza University of Rome with the objective of designing some of the main features of a lunar greenhouse. The project was developed for the IGLUNA 2021 campaign, an interdisciplinary platform coordinated by Space Innovation as part of the ESA Lab@ initiative. The LOOPS-M mission was successfully concluded during the Virtual Field Campaign that took place in July 2021. This project is a follow-up of the V-GELM Project, which took part in IGLUNA 2020 with the realization in Virtual Reality of a Lunar Greenhouse: a simulation of the main operations connected to the cultivation module, the HORT3 , which was already developed by ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) during the AMADEE-18 mission inside the HORTSPACE project. This paper will briefly describe the main features designed and developed for the lunar greenhouse and their simulation in a VR environment: an autonomous cultivation system able to handle the main cultivation tasks of the previous cultivation system, a bioconversion system that can recycle into new resources the cultivation waste with the use of insects as a biodegradation system, and a shield able of withstanding hypervelocity impacts and the harsh lunar environment. A wide overview of the main challenges faced, and lessons learned by the team to obtain these results, will be given. The first challenge was the initial inexperience that characterized all the team members, being for most the first experience with an activity structured as a space mission, starting with little to no know-how regarding the software and hardware needed for the project, and how to structure documentation and tasks, which was acquired throughout the year. An added difficulty was the nature of LOOPS-M, which included very different objectives that required different fields of expertise, ranging from various engineering sectors to biology and entomology. During the year, the team managed to learn how to handle all these hurdles and the organizational standpoint, working as a group, even if remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Through careful planning, hard work and the help of supervisors, the activity was carried out through reviews, up to the prototyping phase and the test campaign with a successful outcome in each aspect of the project. By the end of the year everyone involved had acquired new knowledge, both practical and theoretical, and learned how to reach out and present their work to sponsors and to the scientific community

The port community system as a local innovation system: a theoretical framework

Local Innovation Systems are defined as an innovative network characterized by the heterogeneous nature and the spatial proximity of the actors, presenting a high level of social embeddedness and a base of analytical knowledge. On the other hand, academic research on port community systems considers ports as complex systems where mechanisms of coordination and cooperation between local partners play a crucial role in supporting the competitiveness and the efficiency of the port itself. Few studies have combined to date, the perspective of port community as a complex system with the complex nature of innovation systems. The paper provides an original theoretical framework to study port communities from a local innovation system perspective. In particular, the article investigates the elements of complexity typical of a local innovation system in the specific case of Port Community Systems. The article will focus on the localised nature of innovation processes within a Port Community System as well as the existence of inter-organizational relationships occurring among actors of heterogeneous nature (i.e. firms, local institutions and research organizations). These relationships will be analysed according to the innovative value of the economic externalities they are able to produce and according to their ability to confer economic value to the results of academic research

The drivers of port competitiveness: a critical review

academic research on port competitiveness has so far focused onthe identification of the drivers of port competitiveness and theirmeasurement. This paper argues that the port competitivenessand its drivers are significantly affected by major changes inmaritime industry, which scholars have not sufficiently addressed.Therefore, the manuscript explores the multidimensional nature of\u201cport competitiveness\u201dby conducting a systematic literaturereview of leading peer-reviewed international journals, betweenthe 1983 and 2014 time frame. The analysis allows a profoundunderstanding and a categorisation of the main drivers of portcompetitiveness. Main findings present a hierarchy of key driversand suggest that major industry transformations moderate theinfluential role of traditional drivers and reshuffle their relativesalience. The study also identifies some unexplored research areasfor future studie

L’ecosistema di innovazione della Blue Economy nella regione Campania

La proposta di ricerca mira a contribuire allo sviluppo della letteratura sui sistemi locali di innovazione (SLI) nell’ambito della maritime economy dove la centralità dell’informazione e la gestione strategica dell’innovazione hanno assunto un ruolo di primaria importanza nei processi di sviluppo del settore

Exploring the relational dimension in a smart innovation ecosystem: a comprehensive framework to define the network structure and the network portfolio

Abstract This study analyses the relational dimension and the knowledge transfer mechanisms in an innovation ecosystems (IEs), assuming that the bottom-up creation of synergies and cooperative mechanisms between local actors are the drivers of a regional smart growth. More specifically, the study explores the configuration of the network structure and the variety of inter-organizational relationships in a case of a smart IE by capturing the heterogeneous nature of IE demography, whether most studies limit their analyses to inter-firm relationships and at the node-level. Secondly, the paper provides insights into the network portfolio composition, which has been underexplored in IE literature, allowing for the identification of those relationships considered more fruitful to enhance innovation processes from a local perspective. To capture both aspects of IE’s relational dimension (i.e. network structure and network portfolio of relationships) our paper adopts an explorative approach, by taking evidence from the empirical study of the biopharma IE in greater Boston area, which has been exemplified as a successful case. Our empirical study combines two methods, namely social network analysis and expert interviews. Firstly, we conduct a social network analysis to gain insights about the optimal network structure and secondly, we conduct a round of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the ecosystem to explore the characteristics of the desirable network portfolio. Our findings show that a smart IE presents an open network structure with structural holes, a high level of modularity and a portfolio of relationships that privileges informal and non-redundant ties within small communities focused on specific themes