A solar cooling plant: a benchmark for hybrid systems control

This paper describes the hybrid model of a solar cooling plant. This modelconsiders all possible operating modes of the process, which are modelled as a nitestate machine whose transition conditions are given by the discrete variables. Thediscrete variables are the electrovalves and pumps. The model has been written as amixed logical dynamical system and is simulated using State ow/Simulink Matlab.The model has been validated using real data from the plant. This plant is being usedas a benchmark for hybrid control experiences by many European researchers in theframework of the HYCON Network of ExcellenceUnión Europea HYCON(FP6-511368

Conflict-driven Hybrid Observer-based Anomaly Detection

This paper presents an anomaly detection method using a hybrid observer -- which consists of a discrete state observer and a continuous state observer. We focus our attention on anomalies caused by intelligent attacks, which may bypass existing anomaly detection methods because neither the event sequence nor the observed residuals appear to be anomalous. Based on the relation between the continuous and discrete variables, we define three conflict types and give the conditions under which the detection of the anomalies is guaranteed. We call this method conflict-driven anomaly detection. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated mathematically and illustrated on a Train-Gate (TG) system

Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure in Italy: An Analysis of the Last Years

Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure (CSRD) is the process of communicating the social, ethical and environmental effects of organizations’ economic actions. It is a formal commitment to inform and involve stakeholders with an adequate flow of communication through suitable channels, focusing on relevant content. The aim is to study voluntary disclosure implemented by Italian listed companies in the last 9 years (2008-2016). The empirical survey covers data and information on 165 companies. We have analysed: 1) the extent of CSRD in Italy; 2) the characteristics of voluntary disclosure in terms of type of report published and guidelines or standards followed; 3) the main differences between the industrial sectors about the publication of non-financial reports and the types of report used. Our findings show a significant improvement in the practice of voluntary disclosure of Italian listed companies and a key role of industry in decisions regarding the quantity and quality of non-financial disclosure. The value of this research concern in the wide (in time, through the last nine years, and in space, through the different industries) point of view through which is investigated the phenomenon of CSRD in Italy before the shift from a voluntary to a legislative perspective

Emotions, moods and hyperreality: social media and the stock market during the first phase of COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This paper aims to expand the emerging literature on COVID-19 and the financial markets by searching for a relationship between the uncertainty of the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced through social media and the extreme volatility of the Italian stock market. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyze the relationship between social media and stock market trends during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of social theory and Baudrillard's simulacra and hyperreality theory. The authors conducted the data analysis in two phases: the emotional and Granger correlation analysis by using the KPI6 software to analyze 3,275,588 tweets for the predominant emotion on each day and observe its relationship with the stock market. Findings: The research results show a significant Granger causality relation between tweets on a particular day and the closing price of the FTSE MIB during the first phase of the COVID-19 epidemic. The results highlight a strong relationship between social media hyperreality and the real world. The study confirms the role of social media in predicting stock market volatility. Research limitations/implications: The findings have theoretical and practical implications as they reveal the relevance of social media in our society and its relationship with businesses and economies. In an emergency, social media, as an expression of users' feelings and emotions, can generate a state of hyperreality that is strong correlated with reality. Since social media allows users to publish and share messages without any filter and mediation, the hyperreality generated is affected by highly subjective elements. Originality/value: This research is different from the previous ones on the same topic because unlike previous studies, conducted under normal or simulated scenarios, this study is focused on the first phase of an unpredictable and unforeseen emergency event: the COVID-19 pandemic. This research adopts a multidisciplinary approach and integrates previous studies on the economic and financial effects generated by social media by applying well-known theories to a new and unexplored context. The study reveals the significant impact generated by social media on stock markets during a global pandemic

Biodiversity management approaches in small and innovative businesses: insights from a systems thinking perspective

Purpose – Amid the current global crisis, biodiversity remains a topic that is often relegated to a few disciplines. Many issues related to the relationship between organizations and the ecosystem remain unexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the characteristics of the interrelationship between these two complex and dynamic systems. Design/methodology/approach – This research is conducted using a constructivist approach, with an interpretivist perspective and a case study methodology. Through this research perspective and an exploratory multiple case study (holistic), the authors assess the implications related to the concept of biodiversity and the impacts that organizational choices could have on the consideration and management of this complex concept. Findings – The desire of these entrepreneurs to change their ways of doing things and try to produce in a way that respects the ecosystem and enhances natural genetic diversity, while simultaneously drawing value from it in a healthy and sustainable manner, is evident. The orientation toward a sustainable and ecologically innovative business brings the concept of profit into the background on several occasions, leading these bakery entrepreneurs to be visionary green entrepreneurs (or ecopreneurs). The desire to be sustainable and to change the ways of ‘‘business as usual’’ makes these companies and their entrepreneurs an example of ‘‘sustainability-as-flourishing.’’ Originality/value – By adopting the systems thinking approach and multiple case studies, this study examines the interrelation between some innovative small companies (bakeries) and biodiversity, their motivations to actively engage in biodiversity protection and their roles in protecting agrobiodiversity as well as the natural wealth of the ecosystem

Hybrid systems in automotive electronics design

Automotive electronic design is certainly one of the most attractive and promising application domains for hybrid system techniques. Some successful hybrid system applications to automotive model development and control algorithm design have already been reported in the literature. However, despite the significant advances achieved in the past few years, hybrid methods are in general still not mature enough for their effective introduction in the automotive industry design processes at large. In this paper, we take a broad view of the development process for embedded control systems in the automotive industry with the purpose of identifying challenges and additional opportunities for hybrid systems. We identify critical steps in the design flow and extract a number of open problems where hybrid system technology might play an important role

Characterization of physiotherapists practice and perceptions regarding patient education of patients with chronic low back pain

Enquadramento: A dor lombar crónica é das causas principais de anos vividos com incapacidade. As guidelines recomendam a utilização de um modelo biopsicossocial para a avaliação e intervenção nesta condição, com recurso a abordagens activas, onde a educação sobre a dor assume especial relevância. A literatura existente tem demonstrado que a prática clíncia neste âmbito é heterogénea, não só entre países mas entre os profissionais de cada país, o que pode comprometer os resultados clínicos obtidos. Adicionalmente, pouco é conhecido sobre a diferença, na implementação desta modalidade terapêutica, entre fisioterapeutas recém-formados e com mais anos de experiência. Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objectivo investigar a percepção e uso da educação, enquanto modalidade de terapêutica no tratamento de utentes com dor lombar crónica, pelos fisioterapeutas em Portugal. Teve também o objectivo de investigar a influência da experiência dos fisioterapeutas, procurando diferenças entre a prática auto-reportada de educação e os anos de experiência no tratamento de indivíduos com dor lombar crónica. Metodologia: Realizou-se um estudo transversal, com recurso a um questionário online onde os fisioterapeutas portugueses auto-reportaram a sua prática clínica no que diz respeito à educação de utentes com dor lombar crónica. Numa segunda fase, os dados recolhidos foram divididos em 2 grupos: recém-formados (5 ou menos de 5 anos de experiência) e experientes (6 ou mais anos de experiência). Resultados: 112 fisioterapeutas reportaram formas distintas de implementar a educação no contexto da dor lombar crónica, a maioria não seguindo consistentemente as guidelines. Verificou-se uma diferença entre a prática de profissionais recém formados e com mais anos de experiência, onde os primeiros reportaram menor uso de abordagens educativas centradas no utente. Os fisioterapeutas com menos experiência identificaram mais barreiras à educação, especialmente barreiras relacionadas com características dos utentes. Conclusões: Este estudo constituíu um contributo para a investigação sobre a percepção e caracterização da educação, enquanto modalidade terapêutica utilizada pelos fisioterapeutas portugueses no tratamento de indivíduos com dor lombar crónica. Os resultados apontam para uma divergência entre a prática clínica em Portugal e as recomendações internacionais para abordagem da dor lombar crónica e chamam a atenção para diferenças importantes na atuação dos fisioterapeutas em função do número de anos de experiência profissional.Background: Chronic low back pain is one of the leading causes of years lived with disability. Clinical guidelines have recommended the use of a biopsychosocial model to assess and address chronic low back pain, with a focus on active approaches, where patient education plays a role of the utmost importance. The existing literature has indicated heterogeneous approaches to chronic low back pain, not only between countries, but amidst one’s country, and this diversity may compromise the clinical outcomes. Additionally, little is known about the implementation of patient education among novice and non-novice physiotherapists. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the perception and use of patient education, by physiotherapists in Portugal, in the context of chronic low back pain. It also aimed to investigate the influence of physiotherapists` experience on self-reported patient education practice, looking for differences between the self-reported practice of patient education and physiotherapists` years of experience working with individuals with chronic low back pain. Methods: A transversal study was carried out based on an online questionnaire where Portuguese physiotherapists self-reported their practice regarding patient education in the scope of chronic low back pain. The data were divided in 2 groups: novices (5 or less years of experience) and non-novices (6 or more years of experience). Results: 112 physiotherapists reported quite distinct ways of managing chronic low back pain, most not consistent with guidelines regarding patient education. There were differences between the practice of novice and non-novice physiotherapists, whith the former reporting less use of patient-centred approaches to education. Novice physiotherapists reported more barriers to patient education, especially those related to patient`s characteristics. Conclusions: This study contributed to research on the Portuguese physiotherapists` perceptions and characterization of clinical practice in the scope of patient education of patients with chronic low back pain. Results showed a divergency between the participants` clinical practice and the international guidelines for management of chronic low back pain, and highlighted important differences in the physioterapists’ approaches, according to their years of experienc

Creazione e condivisione di valore in una prospettiva economico-sociale

L’identificazione di un problema scientificamente rilevante parte dall’osservazione delle manifestazioni di vita aziendale; mediante metodi e tecniche di ricerca e di studio, tale problema è interpretato e spiegato (percezione ed esplicita-zione del problema, definizione degli obiettivi primari) . Lo scopo particolare dello studioso (sotto-obiettivo della ricerca) può essere identificato nella esplicitazione di alcuni aspetti rilevanti del fenomeno aziendale riconducibili, nel caso degli studi del Marchi, a “La creazione e la misurazione del valore: dalla prospettiva finanziaria alla prospettiva economico-sociale” . Il raggiungimento del suddetto scopo, implicando delimitazioni spazio-temporali allo studio, crea un percorso, pur rigorosamente logico, nella scelta delle problematiche da affrontare e nel modo di trattarle. Le aziende sono osservabili come sistemi sociali aperti, ossia rappresentabili in forma di modelli in cui sono definiti gli elementi tra loro legati da relazioni di inter-dipendenza. Sarebbe, forse, più appropriato sostenere che le aziende sono osservabili e rappresentabili come sistemi ovvero come combinazioni di sottosistemi, presi in esame dagli studiosi, letti e interpretati secondo prospettive diverse e con scopi conoscitivi diversi. All’interno di un modello generale possono essere esplicitati diversi modelli particolari od anche all’interno della concezione sistemica della azienda, qua-le sistema combinato tendente all’obiettivo di fondo, le sue parti (sotto-sistemi), par-tendo da condizioni iniziali differenti e con sotto-obiettivi particolari ma co-finalizzati (obiettivo generale), vengono di solito rappresentate mediante modelli. Questi spaziano dagli aspetti che riguardano la gestione, l’organizzazione, e la ragioneria, e per questa via a modelli che sintetizzano le condizioni di aziendalità stessa. Le caratteristiche delle aziende, il perseguimento di un obiettivo, le sue fonda-menta ed implicazioni fanno sì che ad essa mal si addica una teoria dei sistemi chiusi nonché una rappresentazione statica della stessa: “le imprese possono essere considerate sistemi aperti che interagiscono con il loro ambiente” creando o mantenendo con esso un processo di scambio . L’azienda è un sistema aperto, offre beni e servizi atti a soddisfare bisogni umani, è centro di attrazione di lavoro e capitale . In definitiva, ciò che compie l’azienda non riguarda solo sé stessa: di fatto, l’azienda svolge una funzione sociale in quanto nasce per soddisfare i bisogni umani e in quanto è composta da persone al proprio interno e collegata con altre, e con entità, formazioni riconducibili a persone. Alla luce di queste brevi premesse, il presente capitolo ha l’obiettivo di proporre alcune riflessioni in merito alla dimensione economico-sociale del fenomeno aziendale, concentrandosi sulla creazione di valore e, quindi, sulla sua condivisione in una prospettiva economica, ma soprattutto sociale. Senza pretesa di esaustività, questo contributo richiama, anzitutto, il pensiero sul tema degli studiosi italiani che si distingue per originalità di approccio al problema e innovatività; in tale ambito, rilevante risulta la prospettiva di analisi offerta dallo Studioso, già durante la sua Lectio magistralis tenuta il 19 ottobre 2019 presso l’Aula Magna del Dipartimento di Economia e Management dell’Università di Pisa. Il Marchi, rivolgendo il proprio interesse alle relazioni tra passato e presente e motivato dalla varietà di aspetti propri del fenomeno aziendale, ha inteso giungere a definire dei punti fermi nel suo percorso. L’importanza della sua ricerca può essere intuita in maniera agevole solo se ogni ambito è stato attentamente indagato, ogni contributo attentamente collocato in una dimensione spaziale e temporale congrua per la finalità che esso intende raggiungere. Il capitolo approfondisce poi la funzione sociale dell’azienda, anche alla luce della letteratura internazionale, per proporre quindi alcune riflessioni in merito alla valenza strategica del processo di creazione e di condivisione di valore da parte delle aziende. Il capitolo si conclude con alcune riflessioni finali

Making big steps in trajectories

We consider the solution of initial value problems within the context of hybrid systems and emphasise the use of high precision approximations (in software for exact real arithmetic). We propose a novel algorithm for the computation of trajectories up to the area where discontinuous jumps appear, applicable for holomorphic flow functions. Examples with a prototypical implementation illustrate that the algorithm might provide results with higher precision than well-known ODE solvers at a similar computation time