Navigating AI innovation ecosystems in manufacturing: Shaping factors and their implications

Manufacturers often encounter challenges when implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in their manufacturing operations. Similar challenges with other digital transformation technologies have resulted in the emergence of innovation ecosystems. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate the emergence of AI innovation ecosystems and highlight the factors that influence their structure in manufacturing. To achieve this, we conducted a qualitative study of ten manufacturing case studies, analyzing different value propositions, activities, actors, and modules in AI ecosystems in the manufacturing sector. We first visualize the AI innovation ecosystems to showcase their structure and then discuss factors such as trustworthiness, scalability, simulation, and cloud that impact the ecosystem structure. Our study provides practitioners with a better understanding of the structure of AI ecosystems and their influencing factors. For researchers, we introduce influencing factors as a new part of the ecosystem-as-structure concept, which can lead to new research opportunities

Design of variance control charts with estimated parameters: A head to head comparison between two perspectives

Since parameter estimation degrades chart performance, it is important to design a control chart correctly, that is, taking account of the estimation effects. To this end, two perspectives are available in the literature: the unconditional, which focuses on the unconditional in-control (IC) average run length ((Formula presented.)), and the conditional, which focuses on the IC run-length distribution conditioned on the parameter estimates and the exceedance probability criterion (EPC). Much of the literature on this topic is in the context of monitoring the mean. However, monitoring the variance is important in the larger monitoring context, not only per se, but also because a reliable and stable estimate of the process variance is required in the first place for setting up the control chart for the mean. With this in mind, and given that a recent paper studied the design of the (Formula presented.) chart, here we consider the S 2 chart and examine the effects of each perspective on the design and IC performance. To this end, we first compare the required number of Phase I samples and the control limit adjustments in two cases: the upper one-sided chart and the equal-tailed two-sided chart. Second, we examine the performance of each chart, designed according to one perspective, under the other perspective. Results show major differences in the impact and consequences of the adopted chart design perspective on chart performance. An illustration with a real dataset is provided. Finally, an overall summary and some conclusions are presented

Cost-driven framework for progressive compression of textured meshes

International audienceRecent advances in digitization of geometry and radiometry generate in routine massive amounts of surface meshes with texture or color attributes. This large amount of data can be compressed using a progressive approach which provides at decoding low complexity levels of details (LoDs) that are continuously refined until retrieving the original model. The goal of such a progressive mesh compression algorithm is to improve the overall quality of the transmission for the user, by optimizing the rate-distortion trade-off. In this paper, we introduce a novel meaningful measure for the cost of a progressive transmission of a textured mesh by observing that the rate-distortion curve is in fact a staircase, which enables an effective comparison and optimization of progressive transmissions in the first place. We contribute a novel generic framework which utilizes the cost function to encode triangle surface meshes via multiplexing several geometry reduction steps (mesh decimation via half-edge or full-edge collapse operators, xyz quantization reduction and uv quantization reduction). This framework can also deal with textures by multiplexing an additional texture reduction step. We also design a texture atlas that enables us to preserve texture seams during decimation while not impairing the quality of resulting LODs. For encoding the inverse mesh decimation steps we further contribute a significant improvement over the state-of-the-art in terms of rate-distortion performance and yields a compression-rate of 22:1, on average. Finally, we propose a unique single-rate alternative solution using a selection scheme of a subset among LODs, optimized for our cost function, and provided with our atlas that enables interleaved progressive texture refinements

Phenomenography’s contribution to organizational studies based on a practice perspective

Purpose – This paper aims to propose the phenomenography as an approach that may contribute to the organizational studies based on the practice perspective, considering that it analyzes the phenomenon through the practitioner’s view and experience. Design/methodology/approach – It is a theoretical essay about phenomenography as a theoreticalmethodological perspective, considering its concept, its relation with practice theories and how its theoreticalmethodological approach is capable of bringing a new perspective over the organizations, in the practice perspective. Findings – The phenomenographic method, together with the practice perspective, enables mapping, identifying, describing and relating all the different ways by which an organization, in each one of its structuring dimensions, is effectively experienced. It argues that aspects such as the phenomenographic interview, the second-order perspective, the collective conceptions stated in the outcome space and their relations, the complexity of hierarchy and the abductive theorization about the emerging concepts of collective perceptions form, all together, an alternative and promising theoretical approach to analyze the entanglement between action and the material dimension that constitutes the organizational practices. Practical implications – The phenomenographic outcome space may become a catalyst of a theorization about practices, which is capable to modify them or modify the way they are understood. Originality/value – It discusses the possibility of phenomenography to theorize from the agents’ collective consciousness

Depletion of Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells is accompanied by an increase in the relative abundance of Firmicutes in the murine gut microbiome

A reciprocal interaction exists between the gut microbiota and the immune system. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are important for controlling immune responses and for maintaining the intestinal homeostasis but their precise influence on the gut microbiota is unclear. We studied the effects of Treg cell depletion on inflammation of the intestinal mucosa and analysed the gut microbiota before and after depletion of Treg cells using the DEpletion of REGulatory T cells (DEREG) mouse model. DNA was extracted from stool samples of DEREG mice and wild‐type littermates at different time‐points before and after diphtheria toxin application to deplete Treg cells in DEREG mice. The V3/V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used for studying the gut microbiota with Illumina MiSeq paired ends sequencing. Multidimensional scaling separated the majority of gut microbiota samples from late time‐points after Treg cell depletion in DEREG mice from samples of early time‐points before Treg cell depletion in these mice and from gut microbiota samples of wild‐type mice. Treg cell depletion in DEREG mice was accompanied by an increase in the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes and by intestinal inflammation in DEREG mice 20 days after Treg cell depletion, indicating that Treg cells influence the gut microbiota composition. In addition, the variables cage, breeding and experiment number were associated with differences in the gut microbiota composition and these variables should be respected in murine studies

Greek community needs assessment: Reducing the negative impact of alcohol and drugs

Participants representing Clemson\u27s Greek community have designed a research project that aims to define the problems associated with alcohol and drug misuse in the Greek community at Clemson University and to implement action steps based on sound evidence to mitigate the negative consequences associated with that misuse. The team is made up of Greek student leaders who are passionate about making a difference in their community and ultimately creating a plan to reduce alcohol and drug abuse among members. The team has conducted IRB and National PanHellenic approved focus groups and is in the process of coding the data. This poster reflects a preliminary analysis of that data