Sustainability and innovation:: the case of Industry 4.0

In the last years, sustainability is increasing in popularity not only among firmsbut also among their stakeholders. In addition to a growth in sales, companiescan improve their financial and investment opportunities as well as reduce operationalcosts and become more productive, minimize carbon fossil used and improveenergy efficiency, opting for renewable opportunities, such as solar energyand wind power. According to the literature, there seems to be a correlation betweensustainable companies and innovation. Therefore, advanced technologiesmay contribute to sustainability. This is the case of the Fourth Industrial revolution,an industry paradigm shift introducing many new technologies. Thanks tosuch technologies, it is indeed possible to monitor and reduce emissions, diminishwaste and have a more efficient production. Research suggests that there are differencesas larger firms are more technologically advanced and more innovativethan smaller ones. Assuming that technological level is an indicator of sustainablepractices, the objective of this paper was to assess differences at technologicallevel among micro, small, medium and large companies. This was achieved byanalyzing data of a survey conducted in Slovakia and Italy, the respondents towhich were owners and managers.In the last years, sustainability is increasing in popularity not only among firmsbut also among their stakeholders. In addition to a growth in sales, companiescan improve their financial and investment opportunities as well as reduce operationalcosts and become more productive, minimize carbon fossil used and improveenergy efficiency, opting for renewable opportunities, such as solar energyand wind power. According to the literature, there seems to be a correlation betweensustainable companies and innovation. Therefore, advanced technologiesmay contribute to sustainability. This is the case of the Fourth Industrial revolution,an industry paradigm shift introducing many new technologies. Thanks tosuch technologies, it is indeed possible to monitor and reduce emissions, diminishwaste and have a more efficient production. Research suggests that there are differencesas larger firms are more technologically advanced and more innovativethan smaller ones. Assuming that technological level is an indicator of sustainablepractices, the objective of this paper was to assess differences at technologicallevel among micro, small, medium and large companies. This was achieved byanalyzing data of a survey conducted in Slovakia and Italy, the respondents towhich were owners and managers

Creative connectivity project - A network based approach to understand correlations between interdisciplinary group dynamics and creative performance

Creativity, technology and innovation are fundamental driving forces that often trigger behavioural and cultural changes in our societies. Several studies on creative collaborations emphasise the interconnection between the creation of innovation and interdisciplinarity. Studying the interdisciplinary processes through which innovation is generated is thus of fundamental importance. The Creative Connectivity project investigates the links between group dynamics and interdisciplinary creative processes in the attempt to identify the emergence of meaningful behavioural patterns. Taking the Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) programme at the Royal College of Art as a case study, the research addresses the need to develop a more rigorous understanding of the creation of innovation fostered by diversity, a risk-taking culture and acceptance of failure. A novel approach combining data science and network theory has been developed to monitor, quantify and analyse specific dynamics of interdisciplinary groups of students at the IDE programme. The focus was to investigate the network contribution to the performance of a team in an environment that is naturally interdisciplinary by using data respectively from a bespoke developed web application and a conversation activity monitoring system. Initial findings have shown the potential of this approach to unveiling the hidden mechanisms behind creativity and the production of innovation through interdisciplinary approaches. The results of this research could be of interest for universities, research centres, start-ups incubators, and policymakers who want to foster creativity and trigger innovative processes

Perceived high risk of COVID-19 vaccination:The revealing power of placebo

The use of a placebo as an additional diagnostic step in the allergological workup of suspected hypersensitivity reactions can be of great value. In this study, nearly 1 in 3 patients had symptoms after administration of placebo

Biomarkers of immediate drug hypersensitivity

Immediate drug hypersensitivity reactions (IDHRs) are a burden for patients and the health systems. This problem increases when taking into account that only a small proportion of patients initially labelled as allergic are finally confirmed after an allergological workup. The diverse nature of drugs involved will imply different interactions with the immunological system. Therefore, IDHRs can be produced by a wide array of mechanisms mediated by the drug interaction with specific antibodies or directly on effector target cells. These heterogeneous mechanisms imply an enhanced complexity for an accurate diagnosis and the identification of the phenotype and endotype at early stages of the reaction is of vital importance. Currently, several endophenotypic categories (type I IgE/non-IgE, cytokine release, Mast-related G-protein coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) or Cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibition and their associated biomarkers have been proposed. A precise knowledge of endotypes will permit to discriminate patients within the same phenotype, which is crucial in order to personalise diagnosis, future treatment and prevention to improve the patient's quality of life.Funding for open Access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA. This work has been supported by the Institute of Health ‘Carlos III’ (ISCIII) of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (grants cofunded by European Regional Development). Fund: PI20/01734; PI22/01119; REI-RICORS RD21/0002/0008, RD21/0002/0058. Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health (grant nos. PI-0076-2019, PI-0127-2020, PI-0129-2021, PI21/00329). DrNanoDall project by ISCIII thorough AES 2019 within the ERANET-EuroNanoMed-III framework (AC19/00082). CM holds a ‘Nicolas Monardes’ research contract with the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health (RC-0004-2021). AA holds a Senior Postdoctoral Contract (RH-0099-2020) with the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health (cofunded by European Social Fund (ESF): ‘Andalucía se mueve con Europa’). VS is a Senior Clinical Investigator of the Flemish Research Council (FWO; grant 1804523N)

A clinical trial of oral hyposensitization in systemic allergy to nickel.

Nickel allergy is the most common contact allergy. Some nickel-sensitive patients present systemic (cutaneous and/or digestive) symptoms related to the ingestion of high nickel-content foods, which significantly improve after a specific low nickel-content diet. The etiopathogenetic role of nickel in the genesis of systemic disorders is, furthermore, demonstrated by the relapse of previous contact lesions, appearance of widespread eczema and generalized urticaria-like lesions after oral nickel challenge test. The aim of this study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of a specific oral hyposensitization to nickel in patients with both local contact disorders and systemic symptoms after the ingestion of nickel-containing foods. Inclusion criteria for the recruitment of these patients were (other than a positive patch test) a benefit higher than 80% from a low nickel-content diet and a positive oral challenge with nickel. Based on the previous experiences, our group adopted a therapeutic protocol by using increasing oral doses of nickel sulfate associated to an elimination diet. Results have been excellent: this treatment has been effective in inducing clinical tolerance to nickel-containing foods, with a low incidence of side effects (gastric pyrosis, itching erythema)